Frequently Asked Questions | Power BI DataViz World Championships

[slindsay]

Post updated: 27 Feb 2025

Frequently Asked Questions

⬅️Take me to the Power BI DataViz World Championships Home Page.

We want to make sure that everyone who wants to participate in the Power BI DataViz World Championships is able! If you have a question that isn't answered here, please add it to the comments and we'll answer it as soon as we're able! Happy vizzing!

General Questions

What is the Power BI DataViz World Championships?

• The Power BI DataViz World Championships is a global competition where data enthusiasts (you!) showcase your skills in data visualization using Power BI.
• The competition consists of four qualifying rounds, culminating in a grand finale at the Fabric Community Conference in Las Vegas.

Participation and Eligibility

Who can participate in the competition?

• Anyone who is passionate about data visualization using Power BI can participate. This includes data analysts, data scientists, business intelligence professionals, and enthusiasts.

Do I need to be a member of the Fabric Community to participate?

• Yes, you must join the Fabric Community to participate in the competition. To join, select register in the top right corner of this page!

Competition Details

How do I enter the competition?

• To enter, join the Fabric Community, read the challenge requirements for each week, create your Power BI visualization, and submit your entry as specified in the challenge details.

Can I participate in multiple qualifying rounds?

• Yes, you can participate in all four qualifying rounds. Each round is a separate opportunity to win. You have four chances to win a conference package for the Fabric Community Conference in Las Vegas on March 31st!

What are the key dates for the competition?

• The competition starts on February 14th, with each qualifying round opening and closing on a Friday. Winners will be announced the following Tuesday. The grand finale will be held on March 31st.

Submission Guidelines

How do I submit my entry?

• Each week's challenge will provide submission details. You can submit either a Publish to Web URL or a Power BI Desktop file (.pbix).
• Please preface your submission with the week number. For example, week 4 entries should be titled "Week 4 - your title here"
• Read the submission post for more details on how to submit to the contests gallery.
• Note: you must fill out all the required fields including the thumbnail image.

How do I get my report embedded so that people can see it and interact with it?

• If you made your submission with a .pbix upload rather than a publish to web URL, our team will create a URL for you so that participants can interact with your report! This will happen prior to judging each week.

Data and Tools

What data should I use for my visualization?

• You can use any external data sources as long as they are publicly available for use. Websites like Data.World, Kaggle, Data.gov, and the World Bank Open Data repo are great places to start.

Can I use Deneb for my visualizations?

• Yes, you can use Deneb to create custom visuals in your Power BI reports. Remember that you must have at least one Power BI Core Visual in your report.

Can I use additional assets (like images sourced from the internet) in my report?

• Yes, you can use any data and/or images that you're able to find that enhance your report! The contest requires that you cite your data sources, and that remains true for assets like images. The citation for your primary data source must appear on the main page(s) of the report. You can add an additional page for a complete list of citations, including additional images. The key is that we want readers to understand where your content was sourced from and for proper attribution.

Is data modeling required for the competition?

• Data modeling is not explicitly required for this competition and will not be judged, however, building functional interactive reports isn't possible without a solid data model. Judges will not look at anything other than the front-end of the report.

Collaboration and Assistance

Can I get help from others while creating my visualization?

• No, all submissions must be individual work. Collaboration with others is not allowed.

Judging and Criteria

How will my submission be judged?

• Submissions will be scored out of 30 points based on insightfulness, visual effectiveness, and accessibility. Detailed judging criteria will be provided in the challenge requirements.

Who are the judges for the competition?

• The judging panel will consist of industry experts and data professionals. Specific details about the judges will be announced closer to the competition dates.

What are the official contest rules?

• Download the official contest rules.

Prizes and Recognition

What are the prizes for the competition?

• Finalists will receive a conference pass and hotel accommodation at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. The grand champion will compete in a live challenge and gain global recognition.

Will my work be showcased?

• Yes, top entries from all rounds will be featured on the Power BI Community Website, giving you an opportunity to showcase your work to a global audience.

Technical Support

What if I encounter technical issues during submission?

• If you face any technical issues, please contact the support team through the provided contact information in the challenge details.

Additional Information

Where can I find more details about the competition?

• Stay tuned for updates and additional information on the Fabric Community website and the official competition page.

[ToniSkolik]

Count me in 😎

[edchuy]

The prize will be "a conference pass and hotel accommodation". I would love to be among the 4 finalists, so I can attend the conference. Participating in the final would be the cherry on top! "Gaining recognition" and having my entry showcased would definitely be an honor as well.

[slindsay]

@edchuy I'm happy to hear you're excited about the prize! Can't wait to see your submissions!

[vaishnavijadhav]

Hi, I have joined the fabric community, where to register for the competition?

[y-dubourg]

Hello, thanks for organizing this great contest!
Will there be a global or overall ranking? In addition to announcing the weekly winner, will there be a published ranking for top submissions?
Will participants receive feedback on their scoring each week? For example, details on points awarded or suggestions for improvement?

[slindsay]

@y-dubourg - there won't be a published ranking and unfortunately we won't be able to share feedback. But! You raise a great idea - perhaps we can encourage community feedback in the gallery. All entries will be displayed in the gallery and winners will be featured. Our team will have a think about how we can handle feedback - thanks for the suggestion!

Participants are able to email pbidatavizwc@service.microsoft.com for a full list of winners after the contest is complete.

[slindsay]

@vaishnavijadhav - the instructions for submission will be shared each week! For week 1 you can find them at aka.ms/pbidvwc/week1.

[phunglengocvan]

Hi, I cannot find a place to submit the .pbix file in the contest gallery. Can you please show me how to do it?

[Nirea]

Dear Memebers of coordinators ,

First of all thank you for the opportunity

Regarding to the source of datasets, 1)  is there any support from you in case  access to external datasource is not possible due to some criteria (example from Dallup where I am not able to sign because of some credentials) 

2) It it possible to use dataset made ready using AI app?

Thank you!

[patriciafeloch]

Hi.. I want to use image URLs to represent product photos in my dashboard, but these photos are not in the public dataset. Can I include external images for illustration purposes, or would that lead to disqualification?

[slindsay]

@patriciafeloch great question! You can use additional data that you're able to source (including photos), as long as you cite where those came from. Citations for individual assets can be located on a separate page of your report, which will not be judged. Great question and one that I'll add to the FAQs.

[slindsay]

@Nirea - you are welcome to prepare the data in any manner that you prefer! So, yes, you can use AI to help you prepare the data. That part of the contest (the data prep and modeling) won't be explicitly judged. As far as sourcing data, the most simple route might be to use either Data.World or Kaggle, and download the data to Excel that you can use as your source. You're welcome to use APIs and get more technical, but that is not required!

[Nirea]

Dear coordinates,

I believe the compitition is going well.

On my side, despite of using PBI desk top and Microsoft Fabric, I am not progressing much. This is because i could not the tools efficiently, probably due to my PC's low  capacity. The  problem includes power bi not opened or just start and in between sget tackad at some level, and regarding MS Fabric, though I was able to import dataset using Lakehouse but when I try to use Data flow Gen2 it did not opwn-simply spinning.

Inaddition, provided my limitted experiences with the tools, and the dataset I choosed it become a challenge. So, this just to request support from the coordinating team or from any community memebr.

Sincerely

Nirea

[Rufyda]

I'm so excited to participate in the Power BI DataViz World Championships! 🚀 Can't wait to challenge myself, explore creative data visualizations, and see all the amazing insights from the community. Let’s make data storytelling inspiring! 🎉📊

[slindsay]

@Nirea - I'm so glad to hear the competition is going well! And I'm sorry to hear that you're struggling. I hope others jump into this thread to offer suggestions. 

I might suggest, work only with Power BI desktop and a small dataset. You can build something insightful with only a couple thousand rows of data! Check out the people who have already submitted - you'll see that some people even created small datasets with AI! aka.ms/pbidvwc/gallery

Good luck and I can't wait to see what you create!