RADAR · PARTICIPATION & DELIVERY
Choose a contest by eligibility and effort, then compare prizes
A still image, a finished film and a working application are all creative submissions, but they require different preparation. Ranking their prize pools does not tell you which one fits. First rule out entries you cannot make, then check whether you can deliver on time, and only then compare rewards.
Turn eligibility into answerable questions
Read the official rules for age, region, individual or team entry, student status, originality and previous publication. “Worldwide” does not establish eligibility for every division.
A requirement for a published application is a product-delivery requirement, not merely a missing form if you only have a video. Mark each condition as met, needs work or unclear. Ask the organizer about unresolved conditions before producing the full entry.
Check the AI boundary separately
An AI theme, permission to use AI assistance and a requirement to use a named tool are different conditions. Check generation tools, editing, source material, process evidence and disclosure.
An unknown policy is not permission. Ask about the use you actually intend—such as synthetic narration, generated characters or coding assistance—instead of asking only whether AI is allowed.
Schedule backward from the deliverable
Define the smallest complete submission, then estimate production, packaging, checking and upload time separately. Tool access, team coordination and account review can also consume the preparation window.
For example, a ten-day window could reserve two days for a feasibility sample, five for production, one for checking and two for corrections and submission. This is a planning example, not a claim that every entry can be completed in ten days.
Read the unit behind the reward
A total pool is not a per-person award, and a maximum award is not expected income. Separate cash, certificates, compute credits and exposure; check available places, eligibility for payment and entry costs.
A free entry can still consume significant time. Compare how the work supports your portfolio, skills or an existing project before treating a possible prize as the main reason to participate.
Use the directory to shortlist and the rules to submit
Filter by category, status and fee, then check the official pages of the remaining candidates. A verification date is a date in the source record; it does not mean the maintainer revisited every page today.
Finish with four answers: which conditions you meet, what is missing, what you will deliver and when you will submit. If these remain unclear, keep the opportunity on a shortlist instead of starting full production.