Video summary

How to win Shipaton: What judges actually look for [Shipaton 26]

Main summary

Key takeaways

News and Commentary

Summary of the video (Ship-a-Thon 2026 judging + what it takes to win)

Opening + event format

  • The hosts launch the first live broadcast for Ship-a-Thon 2026, emphasizing it’s interactive.
  • Viewers can ask questions via:
    • Discord (Ship It On channel)
    • YouTube comments
  • Answers are handled live.

Hosts / roles

  • Charlie Chapman frames the stream as:
    • a “review” of Ship-a-Thon, and
    • a walkthrough of judging expectations.
  • Perttu Lähteenlahti explains he manages evaluation process logistics, including:
    • expecting potentially thousands of submissions
    • the resulting time pressure and workload.

Community spotlight + event momentum

  • Charlie publicly thanks creators already sharing Ship-a-Thon progress, including examples across:
    • animations
    • UGC
    • app development videos
    • investigations into App Store review delays
    • MVP-building
    • game creation
  • The hosts note a newly prominent “gaming” category, which may make judging “uniquely challenging”:
    • teams might spend too long playing rather than evaluating
  • In-person events are already happening globally (e.g., Japan, Manila, Vancouver, New York), with more planned.
    • Check: shipiton.com/events
    • They encourage local meetups.

What Ship-a-Thon 2026 requires (submission rules)

Ship-a-Thon runs Aug 1 through end of September. Evaluation is based on what’s available by the relevant deadlines.

Core requirements

  • Submit the first version of your app to an approved app store during the window:
    • Apple App Store
    • Google Play
    • Samsung Galaxy Store (new this year)
  • The app must use the RevenueCat SDK for monetization:
    • subscriptions
    • in-app purchases
    • advertising (there’s a dedicated ad-related category)

App/port rules

  • Simply adding new features doesn’t automatically count as a new entry—the app submission concept matters.
  • Porting between platforms/stores counts only if it’s treated as a new app.
  • Web apps are allowed, as long as the first mobile app release meets the window rules.

Updates and timing nuance

  • A major update after the initial August submission is allowed.
  • Qualification uses the first version, but evaluation considers what the app looks like when reviewed after Sept 30.
  • Releasing earlier is strongly encouraged because:
    • review/testing/approval delays can cause disqualification
    • earlier releases help with building and growth awards

Prizes and visibility

  • Prize pool is over $700,000 (expected to grow as sponsors are added).
  • Category winners receive:
    • prominent featuring (including a Times Square billboard for first place across categories)
    • trophies (“Shippies”)
    • attendance at a new awards ceremony (“Shippies red carpet awards”) in New York
    • conference tickets (App Growth Conference)
  • New this year: additional press coverage via sponsored posts on 9to5Mac and 9to5Google, targeting users more likely to download.

Categories: main, sponsor, and influencer awards

Main awards

  • Categories include those similar to last year, plus new ones such as:
    • Best Game Award
    • Cat Advertising Award

Sponsor categories

  • More sponsor categories than originally announced.
  • Sponsors provide additional cash prizes and have distinct judging rules per category.

Influencer awards (new mechanism)

  • Designed for builders who don’t yet have an app idea or audience.
  • Influencers (not necessarily app developers) create app-category “briefs” aimed at their existing audiences, including details like audience demographics.
  • Key rule:
    • each app can target only one influencer category at a time
    • (you cannot target multiple influencer award tracks simultaneously)

Team vs individual; AI apps allowed

  • Participants may submit:
    • individually or as teams
  • AI-generated applications are allowed, and AI use is expected as part of modern development.
  • However, they discourage AI-written submission text that looks boilerplate, because judges notice repetitive patterns.

Submitting multiple apps / multiple DevPost entries

  • Submitting multiple programs is allowed as separate applications.
  • Rule:
    • do not cram multiple apps into one DevPost entry.
  • Clarification/exception:
    • if an app is truly designed for multiple platforms as one product, it may be handled differently, but generally they prefer separate entries for distinct apps.

Release version + disqualification risks

  • Apps must be available in the US app ecosystems so they can be tested.
  • Automatic disqualification triggers include:
    • release occurred after the evaluation window
    • missing or invalid required DevPost fields (e.g., working store links)
    • URL problems that make the app impossible to find/test
  • 14-day Android beta/testing note
    • Android can be harder due to testing requirements
    • publish earlier to avoid missing store/release requirements

“Show it in the video” rule

  • Judges aren’t required to download apps early on, so the submission video becomes critical:
    • judges watch the first ~2 minutes primarily
    • the video should demonstrate how the app works and match the eventual release

Judging process: stages and what the judges do

The process is described as a multi-stage pipeline:

  1. Auto filtering / qualification checks

    • confirm the app is released in time
    • links work
    • the app is accessible for testing

  2. Pre-screening by financial control specialists

    • review early portions of the video (again: first 2 minutes)
    • confirm basic suitability for categories
    • check what can be verified quickly from submissions

  3. Evaluation by judges (scoring)

    • judges score apps against a consistent rubric within targeted categories
    • judges may not download every app early, so video/description quality matters

  4. Final selection + sponsor influence

    • top apps are sent to sponsors, who choose favorites
    • RevenueCat also selects by major categories
    • Even high-scoring apps can be overridden
    • Final validation is done by RevenueCat reps downloading/testing the real app and confirming it matches the video and claims
    • If the real app doesn’t match, it can be disqualified at that stage

Advice to maximize scores (especially for “how to win”)

  • Don’t over-target too many categories—aim for a few and make them fit your app.
  • A repeated theme: judges reward storytelling and clarity over generic claims:
    • describe the problem/need your app solves (when applicable)
    • explain what makes it special in a category-specific way
    • use screenshots/video to demonstrate, not just claim quality
  • For games:
    • focus on what makes the game fun (the cycle/loop)
    • show it in action

AI voice-over + submission writing guidance

  • AI voice-over demos are considered acceptable.
    • Authentic recordings are preferred if possible
    • AI voice can work if recording is difficult
  • For written responses:
    • AI can help with grammar
    • fully AI-written text may be flagged as repetitive or not original

Other notable Q&A points

  • Minimum iOS version
    • must run on the current public iOS
    • can’t require iOS beta versions
  • Influencer brand usage in influencer categories
    • prohibited during the contest
    • no influencer images/brands in-app or marketing
  • No-code/low-code allowed
    • generally they don’t care how it’s built (except certain specialized categories like Kotlin-related ones)
  • Release version in video
    • the video must reflect a version that truly exists on the store during the contest timeframe
    • TestFlight builds don’t count if shown features aren’t available after review
  • iOS vs Android winning chances
    • not inherently better for iOS
    • likely reflects submission counts and Android disqualification risk (e.g., 14-day testing)
  • Monetization judging (RevenueCat integration)
    • they want monetization that’s novel/effective, not just standard subscriptions
    • creative options (including non-subscription approaches like lifetime unlock tiers) can qualify
  • Are winners judged on revenue/customers?
    • primarily for the grand prize / build-and-grow style category
    • they also guard against “gaming the system” by requiring overall quality and other factors
  • Free during the contest
    • they discuss “free” via long trials or promo-code/free structures
    • still requires RevenueCat monetization integration, including ad-based revenue

Presenters / contributors

  • Charlie Chapman — Developer Advocate, RevenueCat (host)
  • Perttu Lähteenlahti — Developer Advocate, RevenueCat (manages evaluation process)

Original video