Grad Slam Competition Rules & Regulations

Sonoma State will align the competition rules and regulations with those associated with the CSU Grad Slam event

Eligibility

  • Competitors must be enrolled in a Sonoma State graduate program.

Virtual Presentation

  • Initial presentations will be made virtually, via Zoom or similar digital platform
  • Presentations are delivered in oral presentation style in English (i.e. no poems, rap, or songs or dance).
  • Presentations are limited to 3 minutes maximum, and competitors exceeding 3 minutes will be disqualified. The timer will start as soon as the presenter starts speaking.
  • Depending on the number of participants, presenters may have to give their presentation more than once during the competition with a possibility of preliminary (1pm) and final round (2:45pm) presentations.
  • Presentations must be done from memory (no notes)
  • Participants must include one PowerPoint slide in their presentation (see slide specifics below).
  • Presentations will be recorded.
  • Presenters may use hand gestures.
  • Competitors should dress in business casual or business professional attire

PowerPoint Slide

  • The single competition slide will have to be in a 4:3 aspect ratio. Other slides will not be accepted. No animations or 'movement' of any kind are allowed.
  • It is strongly recommended to keep the slide simple. Do not use complex composites. Make the image as big as possible and, if possible, do not include text. 
  • Ideally, limit the use of text on the slide.  The images, not the text or title should dominate the slide
  • If a label is necessary, use of a large font is recommended.
  • If photos, graphics, graphs, or illustrations included on the slide were not solely created by the presenter, a reference to the original source must be included at the bottom of the slide.
  • A pointer may not be used; clear and descriptive language should make the slide self-explanatory.
  • The focus is on the presenter’s speech, which should be informative and comprehensible to a lay audience - even without a slide.