RULES of the online final stage
of the 8th International
Scratch Creative Programming Olympiad 2024
(updated 27.09.2024)
1 General regulations, goals and objectives of the online final stage of the International Scratch Creative Programming Olympiad 2024
1.1 Online final stage of the International Scratch Creative Programming Olympiad 2024 (hereinafter – final stage of the Scratch Olympiad 2024) is held to support students' and teachers' initiatives in learning creative programming using the visual language Scratch and involving children and youth in innovative engineering projects.
Scratch is a free programming environment designed to engage children in creative learning experiences. The International Scratch Creative Programming Olympiad is not affiliated with Scratch or the Scratch Foundation.
1.2 The objectives of the final stage of the Scratch Olympiad 2024:
- the formation and development of a Scratch community in the world;
- drawing the attention of children, teachers, parents, and the educational community to creative programming;
- improving the algorithmic thinking of students and teachers;
- actualization of methods for the development of child and adolescent talent;
- improvement of professional skills of teachers;
- detection and recognition of the strongest participants.
1.3 The official language of the final stage of the Scratch Olympiad 2024 is English.
2 Organizers of the final stage of the Scratch Olympiad 2024
2.1 General management of the organization and holding of the final stage of the Scratch Olympiad 2024 is carried out by the Scratch Olympiad Organizing Committee.
2.2 The final stage of the Scratch Olympiad 2024 is held with technical, informational, methodological and organizational support from ROBBO Finland Oy and other interested organizations, institutions and individuals.
3 Organizing Committee of the final stage of the Scratch Olympiad 2024
3.1 The Organizing Committee of the final stage of the Scratch Olympiad 2024 includes delegates from organizations, institutions and individuals - partners of the Scratch Olympiad 2024.
3.2 The Organizing Committee approves the roadmap for the preparation and holding of the final stage of the Scratch Olympiad 2024.
3.3 The Organizing Committee considers and approves the final protocol of the winners of the Scratch Olympiad 2024.
4 Date, place and procedure for the conduct of the final stage of the Scratch Olympiad 2024
4.1 Final stage of the Scratch Olympiad 2024 is held online.
4.2 Official website of the final stage of the Scratch Olympiad 2024 is the official website of the Scratch Olympiad creativeprogramming.org.
4.3 Dates of the final stage of the Scratch Olympiad 2024:
Registration of participants - August 27 - September 27,2024.
Online broadcasting of the final stage - 09:00 UTC September 28, 2024.
Publication of tasks - 09:00 UTC September 28, 2024.
Acceptance of participants’ works in "Scratch" discipline - from 09:00 UTC September 28, 2024 until 09:00 UTC September 30, 2024.
Acceptance of participants’ works in "RobboScratch" discipline - from 09:00 UTC September 28, 2024 until 09:00 UTC October 5, 2024.
Announcement of the winners - October 28, 2024.
Receiving appeals - October 28, 2024 - October 30, 2024.
Publication of the final protocol - November 4, 2024.
4.4 Participation in the final stage of the Scratch Olympiad 2024 is individual and fee-based (20 euros).
4.5 The tasks of the final stage of the Scratch Olympiad 2024 will be published on the official website of the Scratch Olympiad.
4.6 The applications of the participants of the final stage of the Scratch Olympiad 2024 are accepted on the official website of the Scratch Olympiad.
4.7 One participant may submit only one application to participate in the final stage of the Scratch Olympiad 2024.
5 Participants of the final stage of the Scratch Olympiad 2024
5.1 The members of the national teams based on the results of the national selection stages of the Scratch Olympiad 2024 - students of educational organizations of any country over the age of 7, students of pedagogical specialties and pedagogical staff - can take part in the final stage of the Scratch Olympiad 2024.
5.2 The 1st, 2nd and 3rd place winners of the final stage of the Scratch Olympiad 2023 can take part in the final stage of the Scratch Olympiad 2024 without preliminary qualification.
5.3 Participants of the final stage of the Scratch Olympiad 2024 pass compulsory preliminary registration with payment of the registration fee on the official website of the Scratch Olympiad. The spelling of the participant's name during the registration must exactly match the English spelling of his or her name in the protocol of the national selection stage of the Scratch Olympiad 2024. The email address of the participant specified by the participant during registration should be unique and not used by other participants of the final stage of the Scratch Olympiad 2024.
5.4 The age of the participant of the final stage of the Scratch Olympiad 2024 is considered as of September 28, 2024.
6 Disciplines and nominations of the final stage of the Scratch Olympiad 2024
6.1 The final stage of the Scratch Olympiad 2024 is held in two disciplines:
- Scratch - creative programming on Scratch or RobboScratch;
- RobboScratch - creative programming on RobboScratch using ROBBO Kit mobile robots and ROBBO Lab digital labs.
6.2 Within each discipline of the Scratch Olympiad 2024 participants are distributed according to their age. Each nomination has its own task and its own definition of results.
6.3 Discipline "Scratch"
6.3.1 The projects of participants in the discipline "Scratch" can be implemented on Scratch or on RobboScratch.
6.3.2 Detailed information about Scratch is available on scratch.mit.edu.
6.3.3 Detailed information about RobboScratch is available on www.robbo.world/apps.
6.3.4 Nomination "ScratchKid"
The applications of 7-8 years old participants - the members of the national teams based on the results of the national selection stages of the Scratch Olympiad 2024 and the winners of the final stage of the Scratch Olympiad 2023, who passed the preliminary registration for participation in the final stage of the Scratch Olympiad 2024, are accepted for participation in the nomination. Spelling of participant's name when submitting the application should exactly match the spelling of his or her name when registering for participation in the final stage of the Scratch Olympiad 2024.
The application is a general test and execution of 2 tasks on Scratch or onRobboScratch programming environment: the solution of the algorithmic task and the creative task.
6.3.5 Nomination "ScratchChild"
The applications of 9-10 years old participants - the members of the national teams based on the results of the national selection stages of the Scratch Olympiad 2024 and the winners of the final stage of the Scratch Olympiad 2023, who passed the preliminary registration for participation in the final stage of the Scratch Olympiad 2024, are accepted for participation in the nomination. Spelling of participant's name when submitting the application should exactly match the spelling of his or her name when registering for participation in the final stage of the Scratch Olympiad 2024.
The application is a general test and execution of 2 tasks on Scratch or onRobboScratch programming environment: the solution of the algorithmic task and the creative task.
6.3.6 Nomination "ScratchTween"
The applications of 11-12 years old participants - the members of the national teams based on the results of the national selection stages of the Scratch Olympiad 2024 and the winners of the final stage of the Scratch Olympiad 2023, who passed the preliminary registration for participation in the final stage of the Scratch Olympiad 2024, are accepted for participation in the nomination. Spelling of participant's name when submitting the application should exactly match the spelling of his or her name when registering for participation in the final stage of the Scratch Olympiad 2024.
The application is a general test and execution of 2 tasks on Scratch or on RobboScratch programming environment: the solution of the algorithmic task and the creative task.
6.3.7 Nomination "ScratchTeen"
The applications of 13-14 years old participants - the members of the national teams based on the results of the national selection stages of the Scratch Olympiad 2024 and the winners of the final stage of the Scratch Olympiad 2023, who passed the preliminary registration for participation in the final stage of the Scratch Olympiad 2024, are accepted for participation in the nomination. Spelling of participant's name when submitting the application should exactly match the spelling of his or her name when registering for participation in the final stage of the Scratch Olympiad 2024.
The application is a general test and execution of 2 tasks on Scratch or on RobboScratch programming environment: the solution of the algorithmic task and the creative task.
6.3.8 Nomination "ScratchYouth"
The applications of 15-18 years old participants - the members of the national teams based on the results of the national selection stages of the Scratch Olympiad 2024 and the winners of the final stage of the Scratch Olympiad 2023, who passed the preliminary registration for participation in the final stage of the Scratch Olympiad 2024, are accepted for participation in the nomination. Spelling of participant's name when submitting the application should exactly match the spelling of his or her name when registering for participation in the final stage of the Scratch Olympiad 2024.
The application is a general test and execution of 2 tasks on Scratch or on RobboScratch programming environment: the solution of the algorithmic task and the creative task.
6.3.9 Nomination "ScratchMaster"
The application of the participants of 18 years old and older - the members of the national teams based on the results of the national selection stages of the Scratch Olympiad 2024 and the winners of the final stage of the Scratch Olympiad 2023, who passed the preliminary registration for participation in the final stage of the Scratch Olympiad 2024, are accepted for participation in the nomination. Spelling of participant's name when submitting the application should exactly match the spelling of his or her name when registering for participation in the final stage of the Scratch Olympiad 2024.
The application is a general test and execution of 2 tasks on Scratch or on RobboScratch programming environment: the solution of the algorithmic task and the creative task.
6.3.10 Final stage task
Participant:
а) Chooses a nomination according to his/her age, taking into account clause 5.4 of these Rules.
b) Independently passes the general test, published on the official website of the Scratch Olympiad, in accordance with the selected nomination.
c) Independently performs the tasks published on the official website of the Scratch Olympiad, in accordance with the selected nomination.
The first task is to solve an algorithmic task.
The creative task is to choose one of the important world tasks proposed by the organizers of the final stage of the Scratch Olympiad 2024 and create a Scratch or RobboScratch project in a free form to attract public attention to its relevance or its solution.
All tasks are performed in the official language of the final stage of the Scratch Olympiad 2024.
d.1) Inserts a filled-in official title page of the final stage of the Scratch Olympiad 2024 in the algorithmic task and in the creative task projects; title page form is published on the official website of the Scratch Olympiad.
d.2) Inserts a filled-in official “Instructions” page of the final stage of the Scratch Olympiad 2024 in the algorithmic task and in the creative task projects, containing a short instruction on the start and usage of the ready project for examiners; “Instructions” page form is published on the official website of the Scratch Olympiad.
d.3) Inserts a filled-in official “Notes and Credits” page of the final stage of the Scratch Olympiad 2024 in the algorithmic task and in the creative task projects, containing an information about the usage of other authors' materials in the projects such as pictures, backgrounds, sprites, music, etc.; “Notes and Credits” page form is published on the official website of the Scratch Olympiad.
e.1) If the project is created on Scratch - places the project on the scratch.mit.edu platform making it publicly available (the "Share" button); places in the "Instructions" section a short instruction on the start and usage of the ready project for examiners from clause 6.3.10.d.2; places in the "Notes and Credits" section an information about the usage of other authors' materials in the project from clause 6.3.10.d.3.
e.2) If the project is created on RobboScratch, the participant saves the project in sb3 format; the maximum allowed size of the project file is 100 Mb; and either uploads it to the scratch.mit.edu platform similarly to clause 6.3.10.e.1, or attaches it to the application for participation as a file (for more details, see clause 6.3.10.f).
f.1) Submits an application for participation in the final stage of the Scratch Olympiad 2024 through the registration form via the link received from the Organizing committee of the Scratch Olympiad to the email specified by the participant when registering for the final stage of the Scratch Olympiad 2024. Any changes to the projects are prohibited, projects with a date of the last change later than the date of submission of the application are disqualified.
f.2) If for any reason it is impossible to comply with clause 6.3.10.f.1, sends the email with detailed task description to scratch@creativeprogramming.org and agrees on with the organizers an alternative method of the submission his or her application for participation in the final stage of the Scratch Olympiad 2024.
6.4 Discipline "RobboScratch"
6.4.1 The projects of participants in the discipline "RobboScratch" can be implemented on Scratch or on RobboScratch for the algorithmic task and must be implemented on RobboScratch using ROBBO Kit mobile robots and ROBBO Lab digital labs for the engineering task.
6.4.2 Detailed information about Scratch is available on scratch.mit.edu.
6.4.3 Detailed information about RobboScratch is available on www.robbo.world/app.
6.4.4 Detailed information about ROBBO Kit mobile robots and ROBBO Lab digital labs is available on www.robbo.world/products.
6.4.5 Nomination "RobboChild"
The applications of 7-10 years old participants - the members of the national teams based on the results of the national selection stages of the Scratch Olympiad 2024 in the discipline "RobboScratch" and the winners of the final stage of the Scratch Olympiad 2023 in the discipline "RobboScratch", who passed the preliminary registration for participation in the final stage of the Scratch Olympiad 2024, are accepted for participation in the nomination. Spelling of participant's name when submitting the application should exactly match the spelling of his or her name when registering for participation in the final stage of the Scratch Olympiad 2024.
The application is a general test and execution of 2 tasks on Scratch and on RobboScratch programming environments: the solution of the algorithmic task and the engineering task.
6.4.6 Nomination "RobboTeen"
The applications of 11-14 years old participants - the members of the national teams based on the results of the national selection stages of the Scratch Olympiad 2024 in the discipline "RobboScratch" and the winners of the final stage of the Scratch Olympiad 2023 in the discipline "RobboScratch", who passed the preliminary registration for participation in the final stage of the Scratch Olympiad 2024, are accepted for participation in the nomination. Spelling of participant's name when submitting the application should exactly match the spelling of his or her name when registering for participation in the final stage of the Scratch Olympiad 2024.
The application is a general test and execution of 2 tasks on Scratch and on RobboScratch programming environments: the solution of the algorithmic task and the engineering task.
6.4.7 Nomination "RobboYouth"
The applications of 15-18 years old participants - the members of the national teams based on the results of the national selection stages of the Scratch Olympiad 2024 in the discipline "RobboScratch" and the winners of the final stage of the Scratch Olympiad 2023 in the discipline "RobboScratch", who passed the preliminary registration for participation in the final stage of the Scratch Olympiad 2024, are accepted for participation in the nomination. Spelling of participant's name when submitting the application should exactly match the spelling of his or her name when registering for participation in the final stage of the Scratch Olympiad 2024.
The application is a general test and execution of 2 tasks on Scratch and on RobboScratch programming environments: the solution of the algorithmic task and the engineering task.
6.4.8 Nomination "RobboMaster"
The applications of the participants of 18 years old and older - the members of the national teams based on the results of the national selection stages of the Scratch Olympiad 2024 in the discipline "RobboScratch" and the winners of the final stage of the Scratch Olympiad 2023 in the discipline "RobboScratch", who passed the preliminary registration for participation in the final stage of the Scratch Olympiad 2024, are accepted for participation in the nomination. Spelling of participant's name when submitting the application should exactly match the spelling of his or her name when registering for participation in the final stage of the Scratch Olympiad 2024.
The application is a general test and execution of 2 tasks on Scratch and on RobboScratch programming environments: the solution of the algorithmic task and the engineering task.
6.4.9 Final stage task
Participant:
а) Chooses a nomination according to his/her age, taking into account clause 5.4 of these Rules.
b) Independently passes the general test, published on the official website of the Scratch Olympiad, in accordance with the selected nomination.
c) Independently performs the tasks published on the official website of the Scratch Olympiad, in accordance with the selected nomination.
The first task is to solve an algorithmic task.
The second task is to solve a conditional engineering task using RobboScratch and ROBBO Kit mobile robots and ROBBO Lab digital labs together. Using any handy materials for creativity is allowed and encouraged. Participant programs the ROBBO Kit mobile robot and the ROBBO Lab digital lab together to demonstrate the project in the RobboScratch environment.
All tasks are performed in the official language of the final stage of the Scratch Olympiad 2024.
d.1) Inserts a filled-in official title page of the final stage of the Scratch Olympiad 2024 in the algorithmic task and in the creative task projects; title page form is published on the official website of the Scratch Olympiad.
d.2) Inserts a filled-in official “Instructions” page of the final stage of the Scratch Olympiad 2024 in the algorithmic task and in the creative task projects, containing a short instruction on the start and usage of the ready project for examiners; “Instructions” page form is published on the official website of the Scratch Olympiad.
d.3) Inserts a filled-in official “Notes and Credits” page of the final stage of the Scratch Olympiad 2024 in the algorithmic task and in the creative task projects, containing an information about the usage of other authors' materials in the projects such as pictures, backgrounds, sprites, music, etc.; “Notes and Credits” page form is published on the official website of the Scratch Olympiad.
e.1) If the algorithmic task’s project is created on Scratch - places the project on the scratch.mit.edu platform making it publicly available (the "Share" button); places in the "Instructions" section a short instruction on the start and usage of the ready project for examiners from clause 6.4.9.d.2; places in the "Notes and Credits" section an information about the usage of other authors' materials in the project from clause 6.4.9.d.3.
e.2) If the algorithmic task’s project is created on RobboScratch, the participant saves the project in sb3 format; the maximum allowed size of the project file is 100 Mb; and either uploads it to the scratch.mit.edu platform similarly to clause 6.3.9.e.1, or attaches it to the application for participation as a file (for more details, see clause 6.3.9.h).
f) Saves the engineering task’s project in a sb3 file; the maximum allowed size of the project file is 100 Mb.
g) Takes up to video presentation in accordance with clause 7.9 of these Rules; the maximum allowed size of each video file is 250 MB.
Updated: h.1) Submits an application for participation in the final stage of the Scratch Olympiad 2024 through the registration form via the link received from the Organizing committee of the Scratch Olympiad to the email specified by the participant when registering for the final stage of the Scratch Olympiad 2024. Any changes to the projects are prohibited, projects with a date of the last change later than the date of submission of the application are disqualified.
h.2) If for any reason it is impossible to comply with h.1, sends the email with detailed task description to scratch@creativeprogramming.org and agrees on with the organizers an alternative method of the submission his or her application for participation in the final stage of the Scratch Olympiad 2024.
7 Projects Evaluation
7.1 The result of evaluation of a participant's project is composed of the results of evaluation of each part of it.
7.2 Participants are awarded points based on the results of the general test. The maximum score for the general test is 16.
7.3 The result of the general test is summed up with the results of execution of tasks in the Scratch or in the RobboScratch environment, according to nominations.
Updated: 7.4 For all nominations of the "Scratch" discipline:
Maximum score for solving an algorithmic task - 36.
Maximum score for performing a creative task – 54.
Maximum score in total – 106.
Updated: 7.5 For all nominations of the "RobboScratch" discipline:
Maximum score for solving an algorithmic task - 36.
Maximum score for performing a specific engineering task of the nomination – 54.
Maximum score in total – 106.
7.6 A participant's Creative task project in the "Scratch" discipline is evaluated according to the following criteria:
№ | Criteria | Description |
1 | Relevance to the nomination | The maximum score is given to a project that corresponds to the chosen topic for at least 80% of the total project time and which demonstrates the possibility of its practical application. Projects that correspond to the of the chosen topic for less than 50% of the total project time are disqualified. |
2 | Completeness of the project | The maximum score gets a project that can be viewed, listened to and played back in not less than 1 minute and not more than 7 minutes, that has a clear beginning and a clear ending, and is consistently repeatable when stopped/replayed from any point, and it also contains instructions that provide enough information to navigate the project. |
3 | Craftsmanship | The maximum score gets a project with user-friendliness, adequate instructions, buttons, sounds, pop-up prompts and other ways of helping the user to start and navigate the project, the use of high-quality and functional animation, the preservation of the project rhythm, thoughtful design, and a coherent project structure: introduction, main body, conclusion. |
4 | Creative approach | The maximum score is awarded for the use of new and unique sprites, backgrounds, music and project voiceover. |
5 | Code complexity | The participant gets points for using conditional loops, variables, lists, compound logical conditions, other blocks with parameters, a camera and microphone for interactivity in the code, using clones, messaging, running scripts on an event or background change, etc. |
6 | Code optimality | The maximum score is given to the participant for justified, optimal and appropriate use of program constructions, absence of artificial complications and non-executable commands and scripts. |
7 | Code culture | The maximum score is given to the participant for the absence of unused blocks or unfinished scripts, the presence of comments on each script of 20 lines or more and for significant scripts, the catchy naming of sprites, costumes, messages, backgrounds and variables, with scripts arranged without layering on top of each other. |
8 | Cyber security | The maximum score is given to the participant for not disclosing personal information of the project author and their family members (phone numbers, home address, social media passwords, payment information, information about family members, their life schedule, access codes of electronic systems, etc.) |
9 | Expert's Special Opinion | The maximum score is given to the participant for the uniqueness of the work in the opinion of a particular Expert. |
7.7 A participant's Engineering task project in the "RobboScratch" discipline is evaluated according to the following criteria:
№ | Criteria | Description |
1 | Relevance to the nomination | The maximum score gets a project that uses ROBBO equipment for at least 80% of the total project time. Projects in which ROBBO equipment is used for less than 50% of the total project time are disqualified. |
2 | Completeness of the project | The maximum score gets a project that has a clear beginning and a clear conclusion. |
3 | Virtual accompaniment | The maximum score gets a project with virtual accompaniment in the RobboScratch environment which meets the following requirements: - there are original backgrounds and sprites that reflect the legend and plot of the project; - the events of the virtual accompaniment are synchronized with the actions of the ROBBO equipment in the environment. |
4 | Environment | The maximum score gets a project with an original environment created by the author in accordance with point 6.4.7 of these Rules, which meets the following requirements: - layouts, fields and materials fully reflect the legend and plot of the project; - autonomous power supply of the original electronic components of the model; - additional modules and extensions to the main ROBBO equipment comprehensively reflect the legend and plot of the project. |
5 | Code complexity | The participant gets points for the use of loops and loops with a condition in the code, the use of variable values coming from 2 or more sensors, lists, compound logical conditions, triggers that run several scripts, subroutines with parameters, autonomy. |
6 | Code optimality | The participant gets points for the use of different types of sensors, in which their values influence events in the environment and virtual support, for the use of output devices on ROBBO equipment for the purposes of the project. It will be an advantage if all code is executed automatically after the start. |
7 | Code culture | The maximum score is given to the participant for the absence of unused blocks or unfinished scripts, the presence of comments on each script of 20 lines or more and for significant scripts,the catchy naming of sprites, costumes, messages, backgrounds and variables, with scripts arranged without layering on top of each other. |
8 | Quality of video presentation | The maximum score is given to the participant for video presentation that fully meet the requirements described in clause 7.9 of these Rules. |
9 | Cyber security | The maximum score is given to the participant for not disclosing personal information of the project author and their family members (phone numbers, home address, social media passwords, payment information, information about family members, their life schedule, access codes of electronic systems, etc.) |
10 | Expert's Special Opinion | The maximum score is given to the participant for the uniqueness of the work in the opinion of a particular Expert. |
7.8 Authors of projects found to have plagiarised or third-party participation in the creation of projects shall be disqualified.
7.9 Requirements for video presentation:
- The duration of the video is up to 5 minutes.
- If using a mobile phone, a horizontal camera orientation must be used.
- Demonstration of the environment must be clear and visual. Details of the environment - layouts, fields, optional modules and extensions, auxiliary equipment and materials should be clearly visible.
- The execution of the project (task/mission) must be filmed in one shot from start to finish. The video recording shall be without any editing splices.
- There should be a synchronous recording of the virtual accompaniment of the project (i.e. what happens in RobboScratch) and how the ROBBO equipment works in the physical environment.
- It is recommended to use a stabilisation function, tripod or stand for image stability. Shooting should be done in a well-lit room.
- The sound should be loud and clear enough for the viewer to hear. Also, no extraneous noise should be present when filming indoors.
- Video format - mp4.
- We recommend using free open source software for video editing and conversion.
8 Professional jury
The evaluation of the projects of the participants of the final stage of the Scratch Olympiad 2024 is entrusted to the professional and competent jury, which includes Scratch Olympiad experts.
9 Results of the final stage of the Scratch Olympiad 2024
9.1 All participants of the final stage of the Scratch Olympiad 2024, who have submitted their applications to the jury for consideration in full accordance with the requirements of these Rules, receive an electronic certificate of the participant of the final stage of the Scratch Olympiad 2024.
9.2 The winners of the final stage of the Scratch Olympiad 2024 are determined separately in each nomination.
9.3 The winners of the final stage of the Scratch Olympiad 2024 receive electronic diplomas and gifts from the organizers.
9.4 The winners of the final stage of the Scratch Olympiad 2024 get the opportunity to participate in the final stage of the Scratch Olympiad 2025, bypassing the national selection stages 2024.
10 Terms of funding
10.1 The final stage of the Scratch Olympiad 2024 is held at the expense of the organizers' own funds, registration fees of participants, partners' funds and other income.
10.2 Participation in the final stage of the Scratch Olympiad 2024 is fee-based, the organizational fee is 20 euros per participant.
11 Contact information
E-mail: scratch@creativeprogramming.org
Facebook: @ScratchOlympiad
See you at the Scratch Olympiad!