Competition Details

When is the competition?

The competition is May 30 through June 13. All projects must be submitted by June 13, 2020 at 11:59pm BST.


Who is eligible to participate?

The competition is open to all undergraduate students at University of Edinburgh.


How large are the teams?

Teams can be made up of 2 to 5 students.


Do I have to compete in a team?

DataFest is a collaborative competition, so we strongly encourage you to work in a team to honor the spirit of the competition. If your current situation does not make it feasible for you to work on a team, you can still participate individually.


How do I sign up to participate?

Click here to sign up. You must sign up by Saturday, May 30 at 11:59pm BST.


What are the rules of the competition?

  • All projects must be submitted by June 13, 2020 at 11:59pm BST. There is only one submission per team.
  • The data used in the project must be publicly available or openly licensed.
  • All video submissions must be no longer than 5 minutes.
  • All interactive dashboards must be deployed online.
  • All slide decks and write ups must be submitted as a PDF document.
  • It's a competition, but a friendly one, so collaboration between teams is not only allowed but highly encouraged.


What data can I use for this competition?

You may use any dataset as long as it is publicly available and/or openly licensed. If you need help finding data, see the Resources page for some potential datasets.

As you choose data for the competition, be mindful of the unit of analysis as well as the credibility of the data source.


How do I submit my analysis?

Once the registration window closes, participants will receive an email with a link to the project submission form.


What will I submit?

There should only be one submission per team. Your submission should include

  • EITHER a slide deck (maximum 3 content slides + title slide) OR an interactive app / dashboard
  • EITHER a 5 minute video or screencast OR a one-page write up (single spaced).
  • Link to code on GitLab or GitHub, if applicable
  • Link to data source(s)


Where can I get help during the competition?

We will use Slsck for communication during the competition.

Additionally, there will be periodic Zoom sessions where participants can meet with consultants to ask questions about their analysis.

The link to the Slack workspace as well as the the times and Zoom links for the consulting sessions will be emailed to participants registered for the competition.


How can I communicate with my teammates during the competition?

You are welcomed and encouraged to use the DataFest Slack (where you can create a channel for your team) for communication, but you're also welcomed to use any other app/platform you prefer for communicating with your teammates.


Have any other questions?

Please email Dr. Mine Çetinkaya-Rundel, mcetinka@ed.ac.uk.