Evidence and Documentation Failures

Strong words with no proof read as wishful thinking. These documentation failures rarely show up in a quick read-through but reliably weaken a submission.

Failure 1 — The dead or locked link. For 2026 the documentation form and video are entered through the submission portal. The classic mistake: any linked Google Doc/Drive folder is set to 'restricted,' so judges hit a login wall.

Fix & test: set sharing to 'Anyone with the link — Viewer,' then open it in a private/incognito window with no account. If it opens cleanly, you're safe. Do this for any documentation link AND any video link.

Failure 2 — Missing or mismatched Doc IDs. The form requires you to 'Label each piece of documentation with a "documentation ID"' and attach the pieces 'in order of Documentation ID.' Submissions where the chart says ID-014 but no such file exists make the packet untrustworthy.

Fix: run a reconciliation — list chart IDs in one column, file IDs in another, and confirm a 1:1 match with no gaps. Page 1 is the chart; pages follow in ID order.

Failure 3 — Only self-generated evidence. A folder of your own Instagram screenshots proves you posted, not that you mattered. The form explicitly invites stronger types: 'letter, screenshot, photo, thank you card.'

Fix: aim for a majority of third-party, unsolicited proof — partner thank-you letters, grant award letters (5985 cites a '$125k government grant' and a '$512k STEM project'), press coverage, school or government letters. Ask partners for a short letter while the event is fresh; chasing it in January is too late.

Failure 4 — Unverifiable or inconsistent numbers. If your essay says you mentor 14 teams but your documentation lists 9, judges notice. The official Definitions warn teams not to 'embellish or exaggerate these numbers' and to 'estimate on the low end' when in doubt.

Fix: every headline number traces to a source — a tracker row, a TBA query, a sign-in sheet. Keep numbers consistent across executive summaries, essay, presentation, and documentation. When unsure, round down; a defensible 'mentored 9 teams' beats an indefensible '15'.

Failure 5 — Documenting everything except the small wins. Teams capture big events and forget the recurring small ones that prove sustained commitment.

Fix: the A-I-E tracker habit from the worked-examples module — log immediately after each activity. The best evidence is a quote captured the same day, not reconstructed months later.

Pre-submission documentation audit (run this once):

1. Open every submitted/linked item incognito — all load without login?
2. Chart IDs and file IDs reconcile 1:1 with no gaps?
3. Majority of evidence is third-party?
4. Every essay number has a source and matches the documentation?
5. All evidence dated within the last 3 years?

Five yeses, or you keep fixing.