5 minutes
Tell Us
The Captain is the sole formal presenter and owns the narrative. Other players may advance slides, operate the prototype, demonstrate the product, draw or display evidence.
How it works
One weekend. One live Game Clock.
Assess→Build Your Team→Pregame→Kickoff→Compete→Scrimmage→Final Whistle→Tell Us→Defend It→Prove It→Postgame
Friday
Pregame
4:00 PM
Check-In
Player arrival, credentials, Player Cards.
4:30 PM
Orientation
Competition structure, positions, rules and expectations.
5:00 PM
Know Your Game
Players review assessments and discuss tendencies with teammates.
5:30 PM
Draft / Rosters Locked
Incomplete teams fill their remaining positions.
6:00 PM
Pregame Team Talk
Know your position. Own your responsibility. Read what you're getting. Communicate. Adjust. Cover each other. Win together.
6:30 PM
Team Warm-Up
A short practice challenge before the real competition.
7:00 PM
Team Huddle
What worked? What didn't? What should we do differently tomorrow?
7:30 PM
Pregame Ends
Everyone goes home. The Challenge is not revealed Friday.
Saturday
Game Day
7:00 AM
Doors Open / Breakfast
Game Clock visible. Team areas assigned. Competition atmosphere.
7:30 AM
Pregame Briefing
Final rules, resources, deliverables and judging criteria.
7:45 AM
Challenge Partner Introduction
Meet the organization behind the Challenge.
8:00 AM
Kickoff
Challenge revealed. Game Clock starts.
8:00 AM–12:00 PM
Open Competition
Teams decide how to allocate people, time, attention and resources.
Noon
Checkpoint
Informal accountability check. No formal score.
12:30 PM
Coaching Opens
Coaches ask questions and challenge assumptions. They do not solve the Challenge.
Evening
Scrimmage
5 minutes presenting, 10 minutes feedback. No score. No elimination. Clock stays live.
Sunday
BIG FINISH
Morning
Rolling Brunch
Teams return and work according to their own strategy.
Until 10:00 AM
Optional Review Window
Submit a Review Version for structured coach feedback. Final judges cannot see these materials.
10:00 AM
Coaching Ends
You're on your own.
Noon
Final Whistle
00:00. All final materials submitted. Hands off.
After
The Box
Controlled green room. No phones, laptops or materials.
Then
The Final
Tell Us. Defend It. Prove It.
The Box
Hands off.
After the Final Whistle all teams enter The Box — a controlled waiting environment. No phones, laptops, presentation materials, outside communication or studying other teams. Players may eat, talk, strategize verbally, relax and prepare mentally. They cannot access or change their work.
Captains then determine presentation order through a simple game of chance. Later teams get more time to think. They do not get more time to work.
The Ballathon Final
Tell Us. Defend It. Prove It.
Final judges may not review a team's submission before that team's live presentation.
5 minutes Q&A
Defend It
The entire team participates. Judges may direct questions to individual players. The Captain demonstrates leadership by knowing when to answer and when to hand off.
After every team presents
Prove It
Only then do final judges receive access to submission materials: presentation, demo, research, validation evidence, documentation and resource request. Evidence has to support the case.
Postgame
Awards, resources and the leaderboard
Ballathon Champion
The primary award. Additional awards may include MVP, Top Captain and top position awards.
Resources
$25,000+ in prizes & resources (working placeholder). Winning earns recognition. Evidence earns resources.
Leaderboard
Results feed the National Intercollegiate Ballathon Leaderboard. Teams are ranked, not individuals.