Dates

April 26th, 2025 12 PM - April 26th, 2025 6:30 PM (Judging at 7:30 PM)

Project and Submission Requirements

Team Composition: Teams can consist of up to 4 members.
Project Scope: Projects should address transportation-related challenges, focusing on data analysis, visualization, or other innovative solutions pertinent to transit systems.
Data Usage: Participants are encouraged to utilize publicly available datasets. We will provide access to CTA, Metra, and other Chicagoland Transit APIs. Any data used that isn't yours must be properly licensed and cited.
Submission Deadline: All projects must be submitted by 6:30 PM on April 26, 2025.
Submission Format: Teams should submit a public GitHub repository link containing their code, a README file explaining the project, and any supplementary materials.
Presentation: Teams will be expected to present to the panel of judges about their project.

Prizes

There will be a 1st place winner and 2nd place winner.

1st place team members will win a Transit Tees board game set, which will be arranged to be delivered to you following the competition. Every team member will get a board game of their selection from the set. Thank you Transit Tees for your support!

2nd place team members will win a Chicago “El” poster, which will be given at the competition.

Judging Criteria and Winner Selection

Projects will be evaluated based on the following criteria:

| Category                        | What to Look For                                                                                                                                                         |
|---------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| Real-World Impact & Relevance   | Does it address a concrete pain-point for Chicago transit riders or operators? Have they identified clear stakeholders (commuters, CTA, city planners)? Evidence of research into existing services/data. |
| Technical Implementation        | Is the prototype functional and robust (no obvious bugs/crashes)? Quality of code (readability, modularity, API usage). Complexity matched to their claim—did they “hack” something non-trivial?            |
| Innovation & Creativity         | How novel is the idea compared to existing tools (Ventra app, CTA bus tracker, etc.)? Did they combine datasets or tech (ML, real-time open data, IoT) in a new way?                                |
| Data Usage & Analysis           | Effective use of Chicago-specific datasets (CTA ridership, Divvy, Metra). Depth of analysis (visualizations, insights). Proper handling of data quality and ethics.                                 |
| User Experience & Design        | Is the interface intuitive and well-designed? Accessibility (mobile-friendly, color-blind-safe, simple flows). Clear onboarding/demo for non-technical judges.                                      |
| Presentation & Storytelling     | Clarity of pitch: problem statement → demo → impact. Ability to answer judges’ questions on the fly. Good time management and slide/visual quality.                                          |