HACKATHON — 3 ROUNDS
WCC Forge 48
Three rounds to turn one problem statement into a product that runs. National and online, with ₹25,000 in cash and PPO opportunities for the top three teams.
- Date
- 30 Oct — 10 Nov 2026
- Starts
- 18:00
- Joining
- Details sent to everyone who registers
- Kind
- hackathon
- Who it is for
- Students, developers, designers, AI builders and first-time hackers.
WCC Forge 48 asks for one thing: a working product. Not a deck, not a concept, not an idea you would build if you had more time — something a person can open and use by the time the last round closes.
Three rounds to find a problem that genuinely exists, choose the single journey through it that matters most, and build that journey until it runs reliably. Scope is the hard part. Teams here rarely run out of ideas — they run out of decisions.
Projects are judged on whether they work and whether they are worth using. A narrow product with one dependable workflow beats a broad one held together with screenshots.
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
₹25,000
Cash prize
100+
Reward recipients
1–4
Per team
[ Brief ] // What you are being asked to do
Take the problem statement and build the one workflow that solves it, 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 member registers individually under the same team name.
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.
- Fri 30 Oct — Sat 31 OctRound 1. The official PDF format goes out; two days to submit the idea and the plan.
- Tue 3 Nov — Thu 5 NovRound 2. Three days to turn the proposal into a product whose central workflow runs.
- Sun 8 Nov — Tue 10 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 ]
- ₹25,000 in cash, shared among the top three teams
- PPO opportunities for the top three teams
- 100+ reward recipients across the hackathon, giveaways and mini-challenges
- Special awards for exceptional projects
- Lovable Premium, AI tools and a .XYZ domain
[ 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 live 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.
- 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 ]
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 problem statement is written so that a first project and an experienced team can both find something to build in it.
Who submits for the team?
The team leader, once per round. Members do not submit separately.
Does every team member have to register?
Yes, individually — and everyone must use the same team name so the entries can be matched up.
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.
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, along with any reused code, APIs and datasets, in your submission.
Can I bring an existing project?
Not as it stands. The main solution has to be built during the event, and an old project resubmitted without significant new work does not qualify.
Is deployment compulsory?
Strongly recommended. If you cannot deploy, provide a reliable executable the judges can run.
Where are results announced?
In the official group: the three winning team names, along with the live URL 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.
When are results announced?
Rounds 1 and 2 are judged in-house by the organising team, so those results come back quickly, and every team that submitted is emailed its result for those rounds, selected or not. The final round is judged by Inkloom, and final results are declared one week after the hackathon ends, once every eligible submission has been reviewed. Certificates follow within 10 days of the results being announced.
Will everyone get a certificate?
Everyone who makes a valid submission holds one certificate, at the highest round they completed — Round 1 completion, Round 2 completion, national finalist or winner. Registering without submitting does not qualify, and clearing a round upgrades your certificate rather than adding a second one.
How is the cash split?
Across the top three teams. The exact split is announced before the hackathon begins.
Are the PPO opportunities guaranteed?
No. They are subject to the recruiting partner's own eligibility requirements and selection process.
[ Partners ]
Title sponsor
Official event partner
Domain partner
[ Register ]
Register on Unstop
Open to teams of one to four. Registration closes 29 October at 23:59 IST, and every member registers individually on Unstop under the same team name.
[ 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.