Innovation Challenge & Hackathon Kit
Run-of-show, judging criteria, comms templates and a follow-through plan for internal innovation challenges — including the part most programs skip after the winners are announced.
Hackathons and challenges are easy to run and easy to waste. Energy peaks on demo day, and then nothing has a path to resourcing.
This kit covers the full arc: framing the challenge, recruiting participants and mentors, the run-of-show, judging criteria, and the announcement comms.
It also includes a post-event resourcing plan — what happens to winning ideas, who owns them, and what budget is pre-committed before the event begins.
Run-of-show, judging criteria and comms templates for internal challenges. This tool is part of the InnoLead Tools library — a set of editable templates drawn from what our members use to run innovation functions inside large organizations.
- Download the document and drop in your organization's name, logo, and terminology.
- Delete the prompts you don't need; the structure matters more than the boilerplate.
- Circulate a draft to two or three stakeholders before you socialize it broadly.
