I chose what to build for the Meta hackathon with long-term value in mind, not just the chance to win. I wanted to leave with something worth keeping, improving, and putting in people's hands.
My criterion was that the project had to be something I'd want to keep working on even if I didn't win.
I wanted to build something competitive, but not lose its relevance the moment the hackathon ended.
The idea had to solve a problem I actually cared about, have a use beyond the submission, and leave room to develop further.
I still care about the outcome of the competition, but regardless of that outcome I want something worth keeping, improving and putting in people's hands.