Home Competition Scratch Preparation

Scratch Preparation

Competition Structure:

There are five problems to solve. Scoring details are as follows:

Three Technical Problems have 5 possible points each to earn, totaling 15 points for the technical section.

Points are awarded for how many of the problem requirements were fulfilled, and how well they were fulfilled. Partial credit will be awarded.

Two Creative Problems have a possible 15 points each to earn, but the creative section is capped at 20 total points.

On one hand, you could balance your effort between the two problems to try to earn 10 points on each. Alternatively, you could go all-out on one problem to earn 15 points, and only need to earn 5 points on the other to get maximum credit.
For this section, in addition to submitting your Scratch project file, you will need to submit a short “design document” (.txt file from Notepad or Notepad++) listing the features you created for your project. Since the creative section is very open-ended, this design document lets you “sell” your solution to the judges. These problems can take a lot of work, so brag about your favorite features of your solution - make sure none of them are overlooked!
Points are awarded for how well the solution fits the problem’s prompt, and the quantity and quality of the features included (and listed in the design document).

You will have three hours to work on 5 questions.
You will receive templates for some of the questions.
Try to score as many points as possible. You don’t have to attempt every problem.
Submit your solution as soon as it is ready - don’t wait to submit all your solutions at the end.
Judges will give feedback on your solutions throughout the competition.
There is not a penalty for re-submitting to a problem. You can improve your solution according to judge feedback and re-submit to earn more points.
Do not submit the same solution twice. Only re-submit to a problem if you have changed your solution.
You may use outside sources (your internet, image editing tools, etc.) to create sprites, sounds, and other materials for your project.
You may not take code from public projects on the scratch website, or projects you have worked on outside of the competition.
You may not collaborate with other teams; sharing materials or discussing the problems with other teams is prohibited.
You must ask for permission before using electronic storage or communication devices (phones, flash drives, etc.), or any communication or storage software (email, google drive, etc.).
If you are unsure if a specific outside source is permitted, ask a room proctor! Room proctors may also request you to stop using a specific website or device if they suspect it is being used to break the rules of the competition.

Here are a few Scratch tools to be familiar with: