So I was a judge for the Instructables Microcontroller Contest http://www.instructables.com/contest/micro/

First of all thanks! Very entertaining entries.

Tough judging. In order to maintain some kind of fairness, I used the following criteria to award a total of 9 points. I gave each project up to three points in each of three categories as follows:

Hardware:
0 -- stock hardware (Arduino, etc.) with no mods
1 -- straightforward additions: (LEDs, switches, servos)
2. -- substantial and sophisticated hardware
3. -- OMG HARDWAREGASM

Software:
0 -- replicated existing software entirely (POV, etc.)
1. -- Some straightforward tweaks
2. -- Substantial programming and/or interfacing
3. -- "Sufficiently advanced technology:" I learned some tricks!

Gonzo Points:
1. Neat hack!
2. Damn -- wish I had thought of this!
3. You are insane and I love you.