HACKATHON — 3 ROUNDS

CodeZen India 2026

A national online hackathon across three rounds: read the brief, plan it, build it, finish it. Teams of 1 to 6, with ₹30,000 in prizes, incubation and paid internship opportunities for the top three teams.

Date
14 Nov — 26 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.
agentic aifull-stackonlinethree rounds

CodeZen India 2026 is a national online hackathon run across three rounds, from a problem statement to a product someone could use.

Each round is scored on its own published sheet, out of 100, and all three are on this page 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.

3

Rounds

Free

Registration

₹30,000

Prize pool

1–6

Per team

[ Brief ] // What you are being asked to do

Carry the problem statement you are given from a plan to a product that runs, 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 from Round 2 onwards — Round 2 completion, national finalist, or winner with the rank on it
  • Something to show that is yours rather than a tutorial's

Team size

1 to 6. Every participant belongs to one team only.

Who can come

Undergraduate and postgraduate students across engineering, management, arts, commerce and the sciences. Registration is open online.

[ Schedule ]

  1. Until Fri 13 Nov, 07:00Registration open. Form a team of one to six and join the official group.
  2. Sat 14 Nov, 09:00The problem statement and the official PDF format go out, to everyone at the same moment.
  3. Sat 14 Nov — Sun 15 NovRound 1. The idea and the plan are due by 18:00 on the 15th, and the result is emailed the same day.
  4. Tue 17 Nov — Fri 20 NovRound 2. Seventy-two hours from 10:00 to turn the proposal into a product whose central workflow runs; the result is emailed the day it closes.
  5. Mon 23 Nov — Thu 26 NovRound 3. Two clear days after the Round 2 result, then seventy-two hours from 10:00 to finish it — including the three improvements you named.
  6. After the eventFinal results once the submitted projects and participant eligibility have been verified.

[ What you get ]

  • ₹30,000 in prizes, shared among the top three teams — awarded as cash, as AI or platform credits, or as a combination of them
  • Paid internship opportunities for the top three teams
  • Incubation and product-development opportunities for the top three teams
  • A complimentary .XYZ domain for every eligible participant
  • $100 in Inkloom AI credits for every eligible participant
  • $500 in Adaption credits for every eligible participant
  • $100 in ASI credits for every eligible participant
  • 100+ reward recipients across the hackathon
  • A Round 2 Completion Certificate for a valid Round 2 submission
  • A National Finalist Certificate for finalists with a valid Round 3 submission, printing the rank your team earned
  • A Winner Certificate naming the rank, for the three winning teams

[ 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. Every participant submits. The project is filed once per member rather than once per team: each person makes their own entry for the round, names the role they held on it — Backend, Frontend, AI / ML, Design / UI-UX, Product / Research or Presentation / Demo — and writes in their own words the part they built. Those two answers are what your certificate prints, so a member who files nothing has nothing recorded and is not issued one. 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; 300 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
  • Your own role on the project, and the part you built, in your own words — these are the two lines your certificate prints

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 ]

  1. The product must be built inside the official hackathon window. Work that existed before the clock started does not count.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. You may research, plan and discuss ideas before the event. Thinking is not building.
  5. Existing libraries, APIs, frameworks and open-source components are allowed.
  6. Templates or code you wrote earlier must be clearly disclosed in the submission.
  7. Only work done during the event counts towards judging.
  8. AI, no-code and low-code tools are allowed, and the significant ones must be disclosed.
  9. Every participant belongs to one team only.
  10. The project must be the team's own work.
  11. Plagiarised, copied or misleading submissions are disqualified.
  12. Respect software licences, intellectual property and user privacy.
  13. Projects must not promote illegal, harmful or discriminatory activity.
  14. More than 1,000 teams start in Round 1 and all of them compete. Round 2 is limited to 300 teams. 100 teams qualify for Round 3, which has 50 seats offered first and the rest filled by roll-out. Three teams win. Qualification is competitive: clearing a round's requirements does not by itself carry a team into the next one.
  15. A finalist is a team that is selected for Round 3, has reserved its seat, and takes part in the final round.
  16. The teams ranked 1st to 50th in Round 2 are mailed first. Any seat not confirmed and paid for within 12 hours goes to the teams ranked 51st to 100th, and we send a new round of mails every 12 hours until the seats are filled or all 100 have been mailed.
  17. Everything on each round's submission list has to arrive before that round's deadline.
  18. One submission per participant per round, not one per team. Every member files their own entry for the same project, names the role they held on it and states the part they built; a second entry from the same person is not counted.
  19. A participant who files no entry of their own is not recorded as having taken part in that round, and is not issued a certificate for it, even where the team's project was submitted by somebody else.
  20. Missing a round's deadline ends the event for that team. There is no late window.
  21. The three major improvements named at Round 2 are what Round 3 is measured against — name substantial work, then deliver it.
  22. Judges may ask for repository access or other proof of development at any point.
  23. Organisers may remove anyone who disrupts the event or breaks community guidelines.
  24. 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.
  25. 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.
  26. The judges' decision is final.
  27. For internship opportunities, Inkloom will personally contact you and guide you on the further process.
  28. We will announce the top 3 teams in the official group, along with the project URL 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.
  29. The top 3 teams are announced in the official group with their project URL, and nothing further is made public. Every finalist is told their own rank, and only their own, by email on the day the certificates are distributed, and it is printed on their certificate.
  30. Scores, judging sheets, internal notes and comparative breakdowns are not shared, and there is no personal feedback, re-evaluation or second presentation.
  31. We understand the wish for transparency, but that does not mean we share every detail of every round. We have automated the sending of mails and we follow that system as it is, as already stated on this event page. For transparency, we announce the top 3 in the official group itself, and that is the most important part. This is how much transparency we will deliver, and not more than that, because we have more events to manage. What we have promised, we will always deliver.
  32. 100 teams qualify for Round 3 and 50 seats are offered first, to the teams ranked 1st to 50th in Round 2. Seats are held in the order payments are received. Seats not confirmed within 12 hours are rolled out to the teams ranked 51st to 100th, in a new round of mails every 12 hours.
  33. About the prize pool: it is the total value of the prizes shared among the winners. A prize may be given as cash, as AI credits, as both together, or as just one of them. It means the same for every event, whether the event charges a fee or is free.

[ Certificates ]

Three levels, and you hold one of them: the highest you reach, and they start from Round 2.

  • Your certificate names the role you declared and the part you built, in the words you submitted them in. That is why every member files their own entry rather than one per team, and why a member with no entry of their own is not issued a certificate.
  • Round 2 Completion Certificate — for a valid Round 2 submission.
  • National Finalist Certificate — for finalists who make a valid Round 3 submission. It records that your team reached the final round, and it prints the rank your team earned.
  • Winner Certificate, naming the rank — first, second or third — for the three winning teams.
  • Clearing a round upgrades the certificate you will be issued rather than adding another one beside it. A team that reaches Round 3 and does not take part keeps its Round 2 Completion Certificate.
  • The top 3 teams are announced in the official group with their project URL, and nothing further is made public. Every finalist is told their own rank, and only their own, by email on the day the certificates are distributed, and it is printed on their certificate.
  • A Finalist or Winner Certificate requires successful registration, payment where applicable, and a valid Round 3 submission. Qualifying for the final round does not by itself earn one.
  • Each participant receives one certificate only.
  • 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. 300 go through to Round 2 and 100 qualify for Round 3, where 50 seats are offered first and the rest by roll-out. 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?

Everybody, separately. Each member files their own entry for the same project every round, names the role they held — Backend, Frontend, AI / ML, Design / UI-UX, Product / Research or Presentation / Demo — and says what they built. Nobody submits on anyone else's behalf, and a member who files no entry is not recorded as having taken part and is not issued a certificate.

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 six.

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 from Round 2 onwards: a Round 2 Completion Certificate for a valid Round 2 submission, a National Finalist Certificate for finalists with a valid Round 3 submission, and a Winner Certificate naming your rank if you finish in the top three. Every finalist is told their own rank, and only their own, by email on the day the certificates are distributed, and it is printed on their certificate. Only the top three are announced publicly.

Where are results announced?

We will announce the top 3 teams in the official group, along with the project URL of what each of them built. That is the whole public announcement. Every finalist is told their own rank, and only their own, by email on the day the certificates are distributed, and it is printed on their certificate. 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, selected or not, without a score or a position. 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

[ 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.

Read the terms and agreements in full