Yes, the European Statistics Awards for Nowcasting are open for participants from all continents. Please refer to the eligibility overview sections of the competitions:
Unlike a traditional hackathon, teams do not get any particular data to use for the European Statistics Awards for Nowcasting. To edge out your competitors, you are free to use whichever auxiliary data you think are the most predictive ones – but finding them will be a challenge!
You can only submit nowcasts for countries. To maximise your chances to win, we encourage you to submit for as many countries as possible.
You are not obliged to make a submission for June 2023. Your first submission can be as late as October 2023. However, you are strongly encouraged to make your submissions as soon as possible as this will increase your chance at success and lower the probability that a submission will be invalid.
To get a higher accuracy score, you might modify the model that you use for an entry. Please note, however, that if you are in the running for the reproducibility awards, then the best integrity scores are awarded if you consistently apply the same model.
In order to make your submission, create a zip file containing
Zip the files directly, not in a folder.
Next,
The system returns an error in case you are uploading the json file instead of a zip file.
The system returns an error in case you are uploading the json file instead of a zip file. In the zip file, the files have to be directly in the root, not in a subfolder.
In addition, the returned error shows how the zip file should be structured.
For further details, see how to submit.
Yes, the submission must be made in JSON format – but the JSON files must be embedded in a zip file.
For further details, see how to submit.
Yes – each monthly submission must be accompanied by an Accuracy_Approach_description file – but you do not need to change it between submissions if you are using the same approach. If you adjust your method between submissions, then the Accuracy_Approach_description file should be updated to reflect this.
Yes – In order to be eligible to compete for the Accuracy award, each monthly submission must be accompanied by an Accuracy_Approach_description file that outlines the approach. You do not need to change it between submissions if you are using the same approach. If you adjust your method between submissions, then the Accuracy_Approach_description file should be updated to reflect this.
Only the last submission counts – it supersedes all previous submissions.
Before the first release of European statistics for a given reference month, the performance ranking
Once the European statistics have been released (and the entries have been evaluated) for the time series in question, the performance ranking
Questions can be sent to the competition management team (at info@statistics-awards.eu) at any time during the competition. All questions will be answered in a timely manner. Those relevant for other competitors will be added to the FAQ. However, in order to avoid bias, questions that arrive 3 days prior to each submission deadline date will be answered after the deadline. Following each monthly deadline, the answering of questions will resume normally.
Specific submission issues can be reported to the competition management team (at info@statistics-awards.eu) any time during the competition. However, please note that the mailbox is only monitored on a best-efforts basis during working hours on regular working days (thus excluding any public holidays in Slovenia; see https://www.gov.si/en/topics/national-holidays/).
While every effort will be made to support teams with their submissions, late response by the competition management team cannot be invoked as a mitigating circumstance in case a team fails to achieve a submission within the time limits. Teams are thus encouraged to do whatever they can to avoid last-minute submission problems.
Teams are also encouraged to familiarise themselves with the submission interface and submission requirements, and to (at least for the first reference period) make a mock submission to ensure that their submission is correctly structured and transmitted. This mock submission will be superseded by the “real” submission of the reference period.
Moreover, as support is not provided on a 24/7 basis, teams are encouraged to make their submissions early, well ahead of the deadline.