Hey Data People,

To mark the 2 year anniversary of our first Data Playground Challenge and to celebrate the launch of our brand new Project Portfolios feature, we're announcing a new type of analytics competition: The Maven Portfolio Showdown.

For this special one-time competition, we're also offering up our biggest prize ever... a LIFETIME membership to our self-service learning platform (see official details below).

This time, contestants will use THE MAVEN SHOWCASE to build an analytics project portfolio and bring their data skills to life.

Every analyst should have a strong project portfolio. It's the best way to market your abilities to potential employers.

As Chris says...

You don't hire a photographer because their resume says they take great photos, you hire them based on real, tangible examples of their work. Why should hiring a data analyst be any different?

This competition is a great excuse to put your portfolio together and get it out there for the world to see.

You're welcome to use projects you've already built or put together brand new analyses. They can be submissions from prior Maven challenges, from another challenge, any projects you're proud of. We want you to assemble your best work, and put it out there on display.

The contest is free to enter. Anyone can join, and you do not need to be a paid Maven Analytics subscriber to enter.

Learn more about THE MAVEN SHOWCASE here, and check out the full competition details below.

How to play the Maven Portfolio Showdown

To participate in this contest, your task is to create your Analyst Portfolio using the Maven Analytics Project Portfolio builder, include 4 analytics projects, and share your work with the world!

Here’s how to submit your entry:

1. Share a LinkedIn post mentioning @Maven Analytics and the hashtag #mavenportfolioshowdown, with your single-page visual showing off your new portfolio (see the example below from Enrique).

2. Include a link to your Maven Analytics Portfolio page in the post.See Enrique's Portfolio page here

3. Complete the official challenge submission form to make sure you are entered for a chance to win!

Make sure to follow Maven Analytics on LinkedIn for updates on the contest and invite your connections to play along!

Check out Enrique's example submission (yes, just a clean screenshot works!):

How to win

For the Maven Portfolio Showdown, 10 finalists will be selected based on the number of reactions on their LinkedIn posts (likes, claps, hearts, etc). From there, the Maven team will conduct a live voting round where the winner will be selected based on who our instructors view as having the most effective Analyst Portfolio!

What you can win

As part of the Maven Portfolio Showdown, we'll be giving away 1 LIFETIME all-access Maven membership completely free of charge. The winner will get access to all of our Excel, Power BI, Tableau, SQL, Python, and Machine Learning courses, all with direct support and coaching from our expert instructors.

No purchase is necessary to participate. As always, this contest is open to both current Maven subscribers and everyone else.

Check out the official rules below...

Official Terms (Maven Portfolio Contest)

• Maven Analytics will give away LIFETIME subscription for an Individual account. Subscription is non-transferrable.

• No purchase is necessary to enter.

• Data Analyst Bootcamp is not included in this prize. That is a separate offering, and not eligible.

• The contest will close to new entries on Sunday, January 29th, 2023, at 11:59pm Eastern Standard Time. All entries must be submitted prior.

• Portfolios submitted with fewer than 4 projects will be disqualified.

• After the submission deadline, finalists with the highest number of LinkedIn reactions will be named by the Maven team.

• Maven Analytics will select 1 winner from the finalists, and will announce the winner on Tuesday, February 7th, 2022 at 10:00am Eastern Standard Time.

• The official winner announcement will be posted on LinkedIn from the Maven Analytics LinkedIn account.

Tips For An Effective Entry

• Submit your entry early. The earlier you submit, the more time for reactions to accumulate on LinkedIn

• Need a good data set? The Data Playground is a great place to look. Kaggle and Data.World are great, too.

• Tag friends who you think might be interested in playing along. @ mentions increase the reach of your posts on LinkedIn

Don't want to participate in the Maven Portfolio Contest? No problem. You can still build a portfolio on your own, and it's totally FREE.

Check out the Maven Showcase and get started: THE MAVEN SHOWCASE

Happy portfolio building!