The SIH Presentation: Make or Break
You can have the best code in the room, but if your 5-minute presentation is weak, you will lose to teams with better storytelling. Here’s the exact structure that wins.
The 8-Slide Formula
Slide 1: Problem Statement (30 seconds)
State the problem clearly. Use ONE statistic that shows the scale. Example: “3.2 crore patients wait 4+ hours in government hospitals due to manual appointment scheduling.”
Slide 2: Current Solutions & Gaps (30 seconds)
What exists today? Why does it fail? Show you’ve done your research. This proves you’re not reinventing the wheel.
Slide 3: Your Solution (60 seconds)
One sentence: what does your product do? Then show a screenshot or demo video. Visuals > text.
Slide 4: How It Works (60 seconds)
Simple architecture diagram. User flow: Step 1 -> Step 2 -> Step 3. Maximum 5 steps. Don’t show code.
Slide 5: Tech Stack (30 seconds)
Clean diagram of tools used. Mention AI/ML specifically. Judges in 2026 want to see: LLMs, computer vision, or predictive models.
Slide 6: Live Demo (90 seconds)
THE MOST IMPORTANT SLIDE. Show it working. Real data. Real interaction. If it crashes during demo, you lose.
Slide 7: Impact & Scalability (30 seconds)
Numbers: “Reduces wait time by 60%”, “Saves Rs 2 crore/year per hospital”. How does it scale to all of India?
Slide 8: Team & Next Steps (30 seconds)
Brief team intro (names + roles). What would you do with 6 more months? Revenue model (if applicable).
Common Mistakes
- Too much text on slides – max 6 words per bullet
- No live demo – never say “we couldn’t get it working”
- Reading from slides – know your content
- Explaining code – judges don’t care about your code, they care about impact
- Going over time – practice until you fit in 5 minutes exactly
Demo Tips
- Record a backup video in case live demo fails
- Use realistic test data (Indian names, Indian addresses)
- Show error handling (“what if the user enters wrong data?”)
- Have someone else operate the demo while you present