I think it's very tricky to pitch things well in a video format that aren't already very graphically pinned down: and yes, it seems in this case that you had stuff that was well prepared for the "let's look at interesting mechanics" pitch whilst that wasn't what the judges were looking for which is a pity.
I felt things could have done with repetition now and again too from watching the video - like laying out the turn structure (with visual bullet points as well as verbal words), then going through the actions within it, then recapping might have provided a bit more mental framework to keep the viewer engaged, I found that I was having to try and stitch each rule slowly into the framework as I went along rather than being shown what the framework was, if that makes sense.
Maybe we should run a design innovation challenge here? That would be something I'd have some interest in, though I guess the struggle might be that I'm not sufficiently immersed in boardgame design and culture to have a really good idea of what is and isn't innovative in style etc. I think there's a definite thing of boardgamer circles/culture being a thing, and I always worry about commenting on stuff as a boardgame-interested person, because I don't really regularly go to conventions or play new games when they come out or whatever.