Student groups or associations, companies, universities, and government bodies usually organize these hackathons all over India. There can be university-level, state-level, and national-level hackathons depending on the target audience and specific goals.
Phases of Hackathon:
1. Pre-Hackathon Phase:
This phase focuses on event preparation, announcements, equipment handling, etc.
From creating problem statements and challenges for participants to solve and sending invitations to final reminders and pre-check-in steps, this phase covers all.
2. The Main Event or The Live Hackathon Phase:
The main event or the live hackathon takes over 24-72 hours of time, depending on the finalized scheduled and decided event format. In this phase, the teams brainstorm and identify possible solutions to their assigned challenges and continue solving the further statements allotted to them until the given time duration is over.
3. Post-Hackathon Phase:
In the post-hackathon phase, the scores and results are evaluated. In the case of solution-based hackathons, all attendees – individual and team participants – are required to present their solutions.
Whether it is final winner announcements, prize distribution, or any other follow-up process, all are part of the post-hackathon phase.
Famous Hackathons of India
1. Smart India Hackathon (SIH)
The Smart India Hackathon (SIH) is one of the prestigious hackathons in India. This event is organized by the Ministry of Education’s Innovation Cell in collaboration with AICTE.
The Smart India Hackathon (SIH) has two editions:
- Software Edition: This focuses on digital solutions.
- Hardware Edition: This focuses on tangible prototypes.
2. AngelHack India
AngelHack is India’s premier hackathon series, bringing together tech innovators and entrepreneurs on a common platform. This hackathon provides amazing networking opportunities with peers & global investors, fosters collaborations, and offers several rewards, including mentorship, funding opportunities, etc.
3. NASSCOM Product Conclave Hackathon
Organized by NASSCOM, the premier IT industry body in India, it focuses on solving industry-specific challenges and fosters collaboration between corporates and developers. It collaborates with tech giants such as Microsoft, IBM and TCS to present challenges that are directly relevant to industry needs.
4. HackerRank India Challenges
HackerRank is known among hackathon enthusiasts for its programming contests and skill assessments. The hackathons test participant’s coding, algorithmic and problem-solving skills on a global platform. Organized by Goldman Sachs India, HackerRank India Challenges is structured around algorithmic challenges and real-world problem statements.
5. JHUB Hackathon
This hackathon is organized by Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University Hyderabad. It focuses on bridging the gap between theoretical knowledge and practical application.
6. T-Hub Hackathon
It is recognized as India’s largest innovation hub and startup incubator. T-Hub Hackathons are highly regarded for their industry relevance and focus on entrepreneurship.
7. IndiaHacks
IndiaHacks by HackerEarth is a global leader in developer assessment. The participants will get several opportunities, from hands-on experience with the latest technologies to enhance their technical skills and foster connections.
8. IBM Call for Code Hackathon
The IBM Call for Code Hackathon is organized by IBM, which has gained immense popularity across India. It aims at using technology to solve humanitarian challenges.
Below you will find a curated list of upcoming major Indian hackathons.
Upcoming Major Indian Hackathons 2026
Event Name | Date/Location | Overview |
20 January-8 March 2026 | The iqigai AI Fellowship Challenge 2026 stands as India’s Largest AI and Data Tech Hunt. It is a national-level skill-based competition organized by Analytics Vidhya in partnership with Fractal Analytics—and is taking place from 20 January to 8 March 2026. It gathers India’s best GenAI, AI, ML, data engineering, and analytics professionals to
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19 January-16 February 2026 Grand Finale: Dr Ambedkar International Centre New Delhi, India | India AI Impact Buildathon is a nationwide hackathon by HCL GUVI as a part of the India AI Impact Summit 2026 and is scheduled to take place from 19 January to 16 February 2026. In this competition, teams of 2-4 students, graduates, and working professionals come together to
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January-November 2026 | HackWithInfy 2026 is a large-scale coding competition and hackathon by Infosys which will take place from January to November 2026. It is designed for engineering students and aspiring programmers to showcase their technical skills and to compete for career opportunities as well as rewards. The hackathon offers
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21-22 February 2026 Online | Kaggle Royale is an online data science challenge hosted as a part of Colloquium—a flagship event by the Indian Society for Technical Education (ISTE) at Thapar Institute of Engineering and Technology, Patiala. Scheduled to take place from 21 to 22 February 2026, the event is open to all who are interested in AI, ML, analytics, coding, and problem-solving. From beginners to experienced data science professionals, all can participate. This is free to participate in and enables attendees to join individually or as a team of 1-3. | |
21-22 February 2026 AISSMS Institute of Information Technology, AISSMS Campus, Pune Maharashtra, India | Organized by the Innovation Foundation, Techathon 3.0 is a national-level hackathon which is scheduled to take place from 21 to 22 February 2026 at the AISSMS Institute of Information Technology, AISSMS Campus in Pune, Maharashtra. Recognized as the biggest hackathon competition in Pune, it brings together students as well as innovators from across the nation to tackle real-world problems. It is ideal for both technical and non-technical students. The problem statements will be based on the six subjects, such as
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25 February 2026 Online Final Round 7-8 April 2026 Taj Mahal Hotel New Delhi, India | The ISMA SugarNxt Hackathon is a free, industry-focused innovation challenge. Taking place from 25 February to 8 April 2026, it aims at driving technology-led solutions for the Indian sugar and bioenergy sector. It welcomes students, developers, working professionals, and startups from across the nation to build real, scalable solutions. The problem statements includes
And more. | |
25 February-9 March 2026 Online | Chem-Ai-Thon 2.0 is organized by Dr. S. S. Bhatnagar University Institute of Chemical Engineering & Technology, Panjab University, Chandigarh. This national-level hackathon is taking place from 25 February to 9 March 2026. It is designed for undergraduates from engineering programs and Chemical + MBA students. The hackathon is centered around the theme “Sustainability using AI” and will be conducted in two stages
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28 February-1 March 2026 Kolkata, India | Diversion 2K26 is taking place from 28 February to 1 March 2026 in Kolkata, India. This 2-day in-person hackathon is organized by the IEM-ACM Student Chapter and brings together builders, innovators, and problem-solvers to collaborate, learn as well as create technology solutions in the domains that are shaping the future of tech, like
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6-9 March 2026 Online | FigBuild 2026 is an online student design-a-thon which is scheduled to take place from 6 to 9 March 2026. It unites together students from India, the United States, Canada, and Australia to create original digital designs and prototypes using Figma tools. The event features
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7-8 March 2026 DSCE, Bengaluru Karnataka, India | SandBox is recognized as India’s biggest cybersecurity hackathon. It is hosted by Aegis, the official student club of the Computer Science (Cybersecurity) Department at Dayananda Sagar College of Engineering. It brings together hackers, builders, and cybersecurity enthusiasts from across India to
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14-15 March 2026 JIET Jodhpur Rajasthan, India | RECKON 7.0 is a 24-hour innovation-driven hackathon which is set to take place from 14 to 15 March 2026. It brings together developers, entrepreneurs, and tech enthusiasts to tackle real challenges and to build creative solutions. The hackathon will be conducted in two phases, with phase 2—the Grand 24-Hour Hackathon being held at JIET Jodhpur. The participants will get the chance to
And more. | |
25-26 March 2026 Mumbai, Maharashtra India | HackNiche 4.0 will take place from 25 to 26 March 2026 at SVKM’s DJ Sanghvi College of Engineering in Mumbai. It welcomes tech enthusiasts of all skill levels to
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9 April 2026 Kolkata, West Bengal India | Hack Storm 2.26 by B.P. Poddar Institute is set to take place on 9 April 2026 in Kolkata. It brings together innovative minds, developers, designers, and problem-solvers to collaborate and build technical projects in a 10-hour hackathon challenge. Participants will get to
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17-19 April 2026 Online | AI Hackfest by Major League Hacking will take place on 17 to 19 April 2026 in virtual format. It brings together young enthusiasts, secondary/high-school students, university students, and working professionals to
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17-27 April 2026 Bengaluru, Karnataka India | Codorra is a cybersecurity-focused hackathon which is scheduled to take place from 17 to 27 April 2026 in Bengaluru. It unites students, professionals, and independent builders to build practical security tools and solutions. It features two rounds—online hackathon and an onsite demo day. The participants can build tools addressing the real problems in one of the following tracks:
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23-29 April 2026 Online | The Creative AI & Digital Media Hackathon is a global online competition taking place from 23 to 29 April 2026. It gathers hackers, designers, creators, and storytellers to examine how AI is changing the way we create, consume as well as share digital content. Participants are required to build AI-powered projects that push the boundaries of digital media. | |
8-9 May 2026 Lucknow, India | Hack4Good is taking place from 8 to 9 May 2026 in Lucknow. This is a 24-hour hackathon which focuses on hands-on
It brings together students, developers, and builders to design & build AI agents which can
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5-7 June 2026 Online | LaunchHacks V is an online global hackathon designed for high school student coders. Taking place from 5 to 7 June 2026, the hackathon offers a dedicated space to students to build cutting-edge solutions and showcase their technical skills. The hackathon will
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31 December 2026 Online | The “evensonarisnord” is an online hackathon scheduled to take place on 31 December 2026. It is open for participation from any country, including India. To be eligible to participate, you should be above the legal age of majority in the country of residence. The hackathon will offer a $150 cash prize. Note: The exact details of the hackathon and judging criteria are yet to be announced. |
Hackathons enable audiences to solve real-world challenges or problem statements, collaborate with industry experts and transform ideas into impactful solutions. Whether you are a student, a tech professional or an entrepreneur, participating in these hackathons is a rewarding experience and can help enhance your background.
Frequently asked questions
Core technical skills like coding, design and domain knowledge are necessary to succeed in a hackathon, along with other skills like teamwork, time management and creativity.
To prepare for a hackathon, you need to familiarize yourself with the theme, learn relevant technologies and practice building quick prototypes.
