HACKATHON — 3 ROUNDS
CodeHack India
A national online technology hackathon: three rounds to build a working solution. Teams of one to four, with paid internship and incubation opportunities for the top three teams.
- Date
- 28 Oct — 8 Nov 2026
- Starts
- 10:00
- Joining
- Details sent to everyone who registers
- Kind
- hackathon
- Who it is for
- Students, developers, designers and first-time builders.
CodeHack India is a national-level online technology hackathon that asks for one thing: a working solution, planned, built and finished across three rounds.
Submissions are scored on the same eight published criteria as every other event in this series, and those criteria are published here before you start.
The problem statement is issued by the organisers one hour before the hackathon starts. Everyone receives it at the same time, and every team builds against the same brief.
1–4
Per team
3
Rounds
[ Brief ] // What you are being asked to do
Build a working solution to the problem statement you are given, across three rounds.
What you leave with
- A product that runs, and a repository anyone can open
- The thinking written down: the plan you started from and the roadmap you finished with
- One certificate at the highest level you reached — Round 1 completion, Round 2 completion, national finalist or winner, with where your team placed
- Something to show that is yours rather than a tutorial's
Team size
1 to 4. Every participant belongs to one team only.
Who can come
School and college students, developers, designers, AI and no-code builders, first-timers and early-stage teams. Registration is open nationally.
[ Schedule ]
- Before it startsRegistration open. Form a team of one to four and join the official channel.
- Wed 28 Oct — Thu 29 OctRound 1. The official PDF format goes out; two days to submit the idea and the plan.
- Sun 1 Nov — Tue 3 NovRound 2. Three days to turn the proposal into a product whose central workflow runs.
- Fri 6 Nov — Sun 8 NovRound 3. Three days to finish it — including the three improvements you named.
- Between roundsEvery team is emailed its Round 1 and Round 2 result, selected or not. Teams that go through receive the instructions for the next stage with it.
- After the eventFinal results once the submitted projects and participant eligibility have been verified.
[ What you get ]
- Paid internship opportunities for the top three teams
- Incubation and product-development support for the top three teams
- A complimentary .XYZ domain for every participant
- $100 in Inkloom AI credits for every eligible participant
- A Round 1 Completion Certificate for every valid Round 1 submission
- A Round 2 Completion Certificate for every valid Round 2 submission
- A National Finalist Certificate naming where the team placed, for finalists with a valid Round 3 submission
- A Winner Certificate naming the rank, for the winning teams
- A functional product you can put on a résumé or in a portfolio
[ How the three rounds run ]
Three rounds, each asking for something the last did not. The problem statement is released by the organisers one hour before the event begins, so every team starts from the same brief at the same moment. Round 1 and Round 2 results are sent to every team by email, whether or not the team has been selected — you hear from us either way — and the teams that go through receive the instructions for the next stage in the same email. One submission per round per team, made by the team leader — not one per member. No promotional posts, no social links and no video demonstrations are required; only the documents and project links listed here.
Round 1 — The plan
Two days to make the case for what you are going to build. One PDF, on the format we provide: the problem, who has it, how you intend to solve it, what you will build and in what order. This round is the thinking — you are judged on how clear, original, feasible and promising the plan is, and the code comes in the rounds that follow. More than 1,000 teams are in this round and every one of them competes; 500 go through to Round 2.
What you submit
- Your reading of the problem statement you were given
- Who the users are
- Your proposed solution
- The product workflow
- The main features you intend to build
- The technology stack you plan to use
- Who on the team is responsible for what
- A development plan for the three rounds
- The impact you expect it to have
- Where the product could go after the event
- Team and participant details
How this round is scored — out of 100
Understanding of the problem statement25 points
Have you read what was actually asked? Who holds this problem, what it costs them today, and which part of it you are taking on rather than all of it.
The proposed solution25 points
Does the solution follow from the problem, or is it a product you wanted to build anyway? Is the main workflow specific enough to picture someone using it?
Technical plan20 points
Is the stack a choice you can defend rather than a default? Have you named the hard part, and does the architecture account for it?
Originality of approach15 points
Every team has the same brief. What is different about your reading of it, or the angle you are taking on it?
Feasibility and scope15 points
Can this team build this in the days that are left? Scope you can finish scores higher here than scope that sounds impressive.
[ Rules ]
- The product must be built inside the official hackathon window. Work that existed before the clock started does not count.
- We verify this. Submissions are checked, judges may ask a team to evidence that the work was done inside the window, and we do not discuss how those checks are run.
- A project found to have been built before the event does not win, however good it is. There is no partial credit for this and no appeal.
- You may research, plan and discuss ideas before the event. Thinking is not building.
- Existing libraries, APIs, frameworks and open-source components are allowed.
- Templates or code you wrote earlier must be clearly disclosed in the submission.
- Only work done during the event counts towards judging.
- AI, no-code and low-code tools are allowed, and the significant ones must be disclosed.
- Every participant belongs to one team only.
- The project must be the team's own work.
- Plagiarised, copied or misleading submissions are disqualified.
- Respect software licences, intellectual property and user privacy.
- Projects must not promote illegal, harmful or discriminatory activity.
- More than 1,000 teams start in Round 1 and all of them compete. Round 2 is limited to 500 teams, Round 3 to 100, and three teams win. Qualification is competitive: clearing a round's requirements does not by itself carry a team into the next one.
- Everything on each round's submission list has to arrive before that round's deadline.
- One submission per round per team, made by the team leader. Individual members do not submit separately, and a second entry from the same team is not counted.
- Missing a round's deadline ends the event for that team. There is no late window.
- The three major improvements named at Round 2 are what Round 3 is measured against — name substantial work, then deliver it.
- Judges may ask for repository access or other proof of development at any point.
- Organisers may remove anyone who disrupts the event or breaks community guidelines.
- Do not ask an organiser, judge or volunteer to break a rule, waive a requirement or make an exception in your favour. You may ask once; when the answer is no, that is the answer.
- Pressuring, forcing, threatening or intimidating an organiser, judge or volunteer disqualifies the whole team, not only the person who sent the message. Where an organiser, judge or volunteer reports feeling threatened, the team is removed from the event without refund.
- The judges' decision is final.
- Results go up in the official group: the three winning team names, along with the GitHub repository of what each of them built. No participant's personal details, and nothing further from a team's submission, are shared or passed on unless we have that team's consent.
- Every team that takes part in the final round is ranked. The group announcement names the top three, and your own position comes to you rather than to the group — written in the email that delivers your certificate, and printed on the certificate itself.
- Scores, judging sheets, internal notes and comparative breakdowns are not shared, and there is no personal feedback, re-evaluation or second presentation.
[ Certificates ]
Four levels, and you hold one of them: the highest you reach. Clearing a round upgrades the certificate you will be issued rather than adding another one beside it.
- Round 1 Completion Certificate — for a valid Round 1 submission.
- Round 2 Completion Certificate — for a valid Round 2 submission.
- National Finalist Certificate, naming where your team placed — for finalists who make a valid Round 3 submission.
- Winner Certificate, naming the rank your team placed — for the winning teams.
- If you took part in the final round, you find out where your team placed when the certificate arrives: the email that delivers it names your position, and the certificate prints it. The group announcement carries the top three team names and a link to what they built.
- Certificates are issued separately for each completed round. Qualification for a subsequent round does not itself create eligibility for that round's certificate.
- Participants who complete Round 2 but withdraw from Round 3 will remain eligible only for the Round 2 Completion Certificate.
- Finalist and Final Round certificates require successful registration, payment where applicable, and a valid Round 3 submission.
- Withdrawal from Round 3 does not cancel a certificate already earned through valid participation in Round 2.
- Each participant receives one certificate only. You are not sent a separate certificate for every round you clear — the one you are issued is upgraded to the furthest stage you completed.
- Rounds 1 and 2 are judged in-house by the We Code Coders organising team, which is why those results come back quickly. Every team that submitted is emailed its result for those rounds, selected or not.
- The final round is judged by Inkloom. An outside panel reviewing every finalist takes longer, and it is what picks the strongest winner rather than the fastest one — final results are declared one week after the hackathon ends.
- Certificates are distributed within 10 days of the results being announced, not from the day the event ends.
[ Questions ]
How does it run?
Three rounds: the plan, the build, then the finish. Dates for each round go out with the brief.
Are problem statements provided?
Yes. The organisers release the problem statement one hour before the hackathon starts, to everyone at once. There is nothing to prepare against beforehand.
What happens between rounds?
Every team that submitted is emailed its result, selected or not — you do not have to guess, and you do not have to wait for a group post. The teams that go through get the instructions for the next stage in the same email.
How many teams get through?
More than 1,000 teams start in Round 1 and every one of them competes. 500 go through to Round 2, 100 to the final round, and three teams win. Meeting a round's requirements does not by itself carry you into the next one — the places are competitive.
Who submits for the team?
The team leader, once per round. Members do not submit separately.
Do I need a working product in Round 1?
No. Round 1 is one PDF on the official format — the problem, the users, the solution, the workflow, the features, the stack and the plan.
What are the three improvements in Round 2?
At Round 2 you name the three major improvements you will make in Round 3. They have to be substantial work on the product, not cosmetic changes, and Round 3 is measured against delivering them.
Can I take part on my own?
Yes. Solo entries are allowed, and so are teams of up to four.
Can beginners enter?
Yes. The event is built for first-timers and experienced builders alike, judged on the same criteria.
Can my team come from different colleges?
Yes. Members can be from different institutions, cities or backgrounds entirely.
Can I use AI tools?
Yes. Disclose the significant ones in your submission.
Can I use something I built earlier?
No. The product has to be built during the event, and submissions are checked. Disclosed reusable components are fine; a finished project is not.
Is deployment compulsory?
From Round 2 you need a link judges can open and use. If you cannot deploy, provide a reliable executable the judges can run.
Are social media posts required?
No. Nothing on LinkedIn, Instagram or anywhere else is part of a submission, and no video demonstration is required.
What certificate do I get?
One certificate, at the highest stage you reach: a Round 1 Completion Certificate for a valid Round 1 submission, a Round 2 Completion Certificate for a valid Round 2 submission, a National Finalist Certificate naming where your team placed for finalists with a valid Round 3 submission, and a Winner Certificate naming your rank if you win. Clearing a round upgrades that certificate rather than adding a second one.
Where are results announced?
In the official group: the three winning team names, along with the GitHub repository of what each of them built. Positions are not posted there. Every team that takes part in the final round is ranked, and we tell each one where it placed in the email that delivers its certificate — the certificate prints it too. Nobody's personal details are shared without their consent.
Who judges, and when do results and certificates arrive?
Rounds 1 and 2 are judged in-house by the We Code Coders organising team, so those results come back quickly — and every team that submitted is emailed its Round 1 and Round 2 result, whether or not it has been selected. The final round is judged by Inkloom — an outside panel takes longer but picks the strongest winner, and final results are declared one week after the hackathon ends. Certificates follow within 10 days of the results being announced.
[ Partners ]
Title sponsor
Official event partner
Domain partner
Organised by
[ Terms and agreements ]
Entering Round 1 is acceptance. Taking part in Round 1 means you, and everyone on your team, accept these terms in full — the participation notice, the refund position, the certificate policy, judging and conduct. The link goes out with the Round 1 instructions, and every team is asked to read the whole page before submitting. This event has a paid round, and paying that fee is a further acceptance of the same terms.