20 Upcoming Hackathons in Jaipur & for Jaipur Students (2026): Prize Money, Fees, Dates & Registration

Looking for the best upcoming hackathons in Jaipur in 2026? September and October are unusually active months for student developers, designers, AI enthusiasts and aspiring entrepreneurs. Jaipur is hosting events at institutions including Manipal University Jaipur, Amity University Rajasthan, UEM Jaipur, JECRC Foundation and Poornima Institute of Engineering & Technology, while several major national and online hackathons are also open to students studying in Jaipur.

This guide goes beyond simply listing event names. For every hackathon, we have checked the available information about dates, registration status, team size, eligibility, fees, prize money, competition format, submission requirements, judging criteria and how to apply. Where organisers advertise a large “prize pool” that includes internships, credits, courses or goodies rather than cash, we clearly distinguish those benefits from actual cash prizes.

Important accuracy note: as of 8 September 2026, there are not 20 separately verified future hackathons physically hosted in Jaipur with complete public information. To avoid inventing events, this guide contains two sections: 10 Jaipur-hosted or Jaipur-linked opportunities and 10 major national/online hackathons that students in Jaipur can participate in. Some Jaipur events are still upcoming but have already closed registration; their status is clearly marked so students do not waste time trying to apply.

Upcoming Hackathons in Jaipur 2026: Quick List

#	Hackathon	Date	Mode / Location	Prize	Fee	Status on 8 Sep
1	MUJ HackX 4.0	11–12 Sep	Manipal University Jaipur	₹6 lakh+ advertised pool	Round 1 free; ₹999/team if selected	Verify immediately
2	Build with Gemini – Gen Recruiter	10 Sep	Jaipur	Non-cash swags/goodies	Not publicly stated	Listing accepts participation
3	Clash of Coders 3.0	12 Sep*	JECRC Foundation, Jaipur	₹2 lakh advertised pool	₹450/team venue/accommodation fee	Registration closed
4	HackIndia Spark-12 Jaipur	18–19 Sep	PIET Jaipur	40K Sharp Tokens	Free	Registration closed
5	AMIHACKS 2026	24–25 Sep	Amity University Rajasthan, Jaipur	₹70,000+	₹300/₹400 per team + charges	Open
6	HACKNIMA 2026	26–27 Sep final presentations	Online; Poornima University Jaipur	₹36,000 cash	Free	New registrations closed
7	HackPulse 2026	4 Oct	UEM Jaipur	₹60,000	Free	Open
8	Hypnexis 2026	24–25 Oct	Manipal University Jaipur	₹10 lakh+ advertised; ₹2.25 lakh disclosed cash	₹699/₹849 per team; $50 international	Open
9	Bitmela Launchpad: Ideathon 01	30–31 Oct	Jaipur finale	₹2 lakh cash + sponsor rewards	Free	Applications closed
10	International Innovation Challenge 3.0	8–9 Sep	Manipal University Jaipur	₹7 lakh+ advertised; ₹2.25 lakh disclosed cash	₹699/₹799/team; $50 international	Ongoing today
11	First Commit – Bharat Builds Tour	17–20 Sep	Online across India	₹4.5 lakh disclosed cash + AWS credits/rewards	Free	Open
12	TigerGraph Agentic GraphRAG Hackathon	Sep–7 Oct	Online	₹70,000	Free	Open
13	Hack Devengers 2.0	19–20 Sep	Online	₹50,000 cash	Check listing	Open
14	Amazon ML Challenge 2026	25–27 Sep; finale 7 Oct	Online	₹2.25 lakh cash + credits/PPI opportunities	No participation fee listed	Open
15	Smart India Hackathon 2026	Grand finale expected Dec	College selection + national nodal centres	₹1.5 lakh per winning problem statement	College nomination route	Campus selection period
16	CodeSlayer 2.0 – NIT Delhi	24–25 Oct finale	Online qualifier + offline finale	₹55,000 disclosed top-3 cash + special awards	Not disclosed publicly	Open
17	PRYSM’26	9–10 Oct finale	Online qualifier + offline final	₹50,000+	Check registration page	Open
18	NeuraX Hackathon 3.0	19–20 Sep	CMR Technical Campus	₹50,000 listed on Unstop; official site pending confirmation	Round 1 free; ₹349/person finalist round	Open
19	ORION 1.0	18–19 Sep	Chennai finale	₹1 lakh total pool	₹100/team + ₹250/finalist	Deadline-sensitive
20	Graph Hacks – Next-Gen RAG	October 2026	Worldwide online	$10,000	Free	Open

*Hackathon schedules can be revised after registration. Clash of Coders has had conflicting date notices, while several other events show different deadlines between official sites and listing platforms. Always reconfirm the latest organizer notice before booking travel or paying a non-refundable fee.

Best Hackathons in Jaipur You Can Still Target

If you have not registered anywhere yet, three Jaipur events currently deserve particular attention. HackPulse 2026 is the simplest low-risk option because entry is free, registration opened on 8 September and participants have until the end of September to apply. AMIHACKS 2026 is another strong option for college students seeking a structured 24-hour offline competition. Hypnexis 2026 has the largest advertised Jaipur prize pool among the currently open events in this list, although only ₹2.25 lakh of its ₹10 lakh+ value is specifically disclosed as top-three cash prizes.

1. MUJ HackX 4.0 – Manipal University Jaipur

MUJ HackX 4.0 is a 36-hour hackathon organised by the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at Manipal University Jaipur in collaboration with campus innovation bodies. The 2026 edition is scheduled for 11–12 September 2026 and advertises a ₹6 lakh+ prize pool.

• Venue: Manipal University Jaipur
• Duration: 36 hours
• Team size: 3–4 members
• Round 1 fee: Free
• Selected-team fee: ₹999 per team
• Prize pool: ₹6 lakh+ advertised value; the current official page does not provide a complete cash-prize split
• Themes: Fintech, EdTech, Healthcare, Blockchain for Social Good, Smart Infrastructure, Supply Chain & Logistics, Environmental Sustainability, Cybersecurity & Defense Systems and Open Innovation

How to apply: use the official MUJ HackX registration portal. The official site still displays a registration option and says Round 1 is free; however, a third-party event listing previously showed a 4 September deadline. Because the hackathon begins on 11 September, students should treat registration availability as urgent and rely on the official portal rather than an older listing.

How winners are selected: the current public MUJ HackX page promotes real-world problem solving and project building but does not publish a complete weighted judging rubric or exact top-three cash breakdown. Do not assume unofficial prize splits circulating on unrelated HackX pages apply to MUJ HackX 4.0.

2. Build with Gemini – Gen Recruiter, Jaipur

This one-day Jaipur hackathon is scheduled for 10 September 2026 and focuses on creating an intelligent recruitment solution using Google Gemini. Participants can work on resume analysis, candidate matching, interview preparation, recruitment chatbots, job recommendations, hiring dashboards or other AI-powered HR ideas.

• Location: Jaipur
• Team size: 1–4
• Eligibility: participants above the legal age of majority in their country/territory, subject to event exclusions
• Cash prize: none disclosed
• Reward: non-cash swags and goodies for four winners
• Required technology: Google Gemini APIs

Submission: Devpost project, public GitHub repository, project description, screenshots, technology stack and a 2–5 minute demonstration video. A live demo is optional but recommended.

Judging: innovation and creativity, technical implementation, and impact/practicality. Registration involves the linked MLH organizer registration as well as the Devpost process, so complete both requirements rather than assuming a Devpost account alone confirms your entry.

3. Clash of Coders 3.0 – JECRC Foundation Jaipur

Clash of Coders 3.0 is a national-level hackathon associated with Hacker’s Unity and the Marvel Cart coding club at JECRC Foundation. Registration closed on 5 September 2026, so this entry is useful primarily for participants who have already registered.

• Venue: JECRC Foundation, Jaipur
• Grand finale: current Unstop information lists 12 September; some organizer/community notices have shown an extended 12–13 September schedule
• Eligibility: students, professionals and independent developers aged 18+
• Team size: 1–3
• Fee: ₹450 per team, non-refundable, described as covering food and venue/accommodation access
• Advertised prize pool: ₹2 lakh
• Tracks: Applied AI, Cybersecurity/Cloud, HealthTech/Bioinformatics, IoT/Robotics and Responsible/Explainable AI in EdTech

The public reward presentation is not sufficiently clear to safely claim a particular first-place cash amount. It shows a ₹50,000 “Top 3” reward and a further ₹1.5 lakh pool for top teams. Treat the overall ₹2 lakh as the advertised pool rather than converting it into an invented winner/runner-up split.

Judging: final presentations are assessed on presentation quality, implementation, scalability and impact. Projects must be original and developed within the competition timeline; plagiarism or fully pre-built solutions can lead to disqualification.

4. HackIndia Spark-12 Jaipur – PIET

HackIndia Spark-12 Jaipur is a 36-hour in-person innovation sprint hosted with Poornima Institute of Engineering & Technology. The event takes place on 18–19 September 2026 at PIET in Sitapura, Jaipur.

• Entry: Free
• Team size: 2–5
• Prize: 40K Sharp Tokens, not ₹40,000 cash
• Tracks: AI/ML, Web3, Blockchain, hardware/IoT/embedded systems, cloud and Open Innovation
• Format: in-person for shortlisted teams
• Status: registration closed 6 September

Only teams shortlisted through the evaluation process are invited to the in-person Jaipur hackathon. Participants build practical working prototypes and present their solutions to an expert judging panel. The current public page does not disclose a detailed weighted judging formula, so students should follow the instructions sent to shortlisted teams.

5. AMIHACKS 2026 – Amity University Rajasthan

AMIHACKS 2026 is one of the strongest currently open Jaipur hackathons. The 24-hour national event runs on 24–25 September 2026 at Amity University Rajasthan and welcomes students from recognised colleges and universities across India.

• Team size: 1–4
• Amity student fee: ₹300 per team + GST/payment gateway charges
• Other college fee: ₹400 per team + GST/payment gateway charges
• Prize pool: ₹70,000+
• Exact winner/runner-up cash amounts: not publicly disclosed on the current official page
• Theme: Open Innovation
• Technology: any suitable stack; AI tools and LLMs are expressly permitted

Eligibility and teams: participants must be enrolled in a recognised college or university. Cross-branch, cross-year and cross-college teams are permitted. One person may belong to only one team. Teams with at least one female member are eligible for additional evaluation points under the event policy.

What must you submit? A GitHub repository, source code, architecture diagram, deployment link where applicable, README, team contribution information, an 8–10 slide presentation and a working prototype or demonstrable MVP. Previously built projects, significant proprietary pre-written code, purchased solutions, outsourced development and unregistered external coding assistance are prohibited.

How winners are chosen: the headline judging focuses on innovation, impact and execution. The rulebook also specifies tie-breakers in this order: higher NGO Impact Score, higher Technical Complexity Score, higher Functional Completeness Score and finally the jury panel’s decision. Fake demos, fabricated AI/ML results, plagiarism, missed submissions and team substitution can result in disqualification.

How to register: first make the required registration payment, then complete the official registration form and upload the payment screenshot. Registration is confirmed only after successful payment verification.

6. HACKNIMA 2026 – Poornima University Jaipur

HACKNIMA 2026 is an online international hackathon organised by Poornima University’s Faculty of Computer Science & Engineering with ECLearnix. New registrations are already closed, but selected participants remain active in the later rounds.

• Mode: Online
• Team size: 1–6
• Registration: Free
• Current official cash prize: ₹36,000 total
• Round 2 submission: 7–20 September
• Round 2 presentations: 26–27 September
• Final result: October 2026

Its four domains are Open Challenge Solutions, AI Enhancement Solutions, Student Community & Networking Innovation Challenge and AI-Driven IT Solutions. Every member must have a valid Hackathon ID for the participation certificate, although the team leader acts as the single point of contact for evaluated submissions.

The current official page states a ₹36,000 cash pool but does not disclose a fixed winner-by-winner split. Older promotional posts showed ₹30,000; use the newer ₹36,000 figure when publishing because it is the current official event-page value.

7. HackPulse 2026 – UEM Jaipur

HackPulse 2026 is particularly attractive for students who missed earlier September deadlines because registration opened on 8 September 2026 and remains scheduled to run until 30 September.

• Date: 4 October 2026
• Venue: University of Engineering & Management, Jaipur
• Duration: 12 hours
• Fee: Free
• Team size: 1–4; solo participation allowed
• Prize pool: ₹60,000
• Eligibility: open broadly to students, developers, designers, AI enthusiasts and other innovators

HackPulse has two tracks: Open Innovation and Agentic Harness, the latter focused on AI agents, autonomous decision-making, tools and workflows.

Judging: innovation/originality, understanding of the problem, technical implementation, use of technology or AI, impact/usefulness, feasibility/scalability, UI/UX and final presentation. Projects must be original and developed/presented during the hackathon. The judging panel’s decision is final.

8. Hypnexis 2026 – Manipal University Jaipur

Hypnexis 2026 is one of the most valuable open Jaipur opportunities to watch. It is a 36-hour AI-focused hackathon at Manipal University Jaipur with an advertised ₹10 lakh+ prize pool.

• Registration deadline: 15 October 2026
• Aptitude assessment: 16 October
• Aptitude results: 17 October
• Offline hackathon: 24 October
• Grand finale: 25 October
• Team size: 1–4
• Eligibility: students across disciplines; cross-institution teams permitted

Fees: ₹699/team for MUJ students, ₹849/team for non-MUJ Indian students, and US$50/team for international students. The fee is explicitly non-refundable. Incorrect payment category, invalid transaction details or missing proof may cause rejection or disqualification.

Actual cash prizes: ₹1,00,000 winner, ₹75,000 first runner-up and ₹50,000 second runner-up — ₹2.25 lakh disclosed cash in total. The remaining ₹7.75 lakh of the advertised ₹10 lakh+ pool is described as placement incentives, paid internships, courses, rewards, hampers, vouchers, incubation opportunities and letters of recommendation. Students should therefore not interpret ₹10 lakh+ as ₹10 lakh of cash.

Selection: all registered candidates complete a 60-minute aptitude assessment testing analytical thinking, programming fundamentals, problem solving and emerging technologies. Shortlisting considers overall score, accuracy, time as a possible tie-breaker, leaderboard ranking and consistency across technical domains. Qualified teams then build solutions during the 36-hour event and present to a grand jury.

9. Bitmela Launchpad: Ideathon 01 – Jaipur Finale

Bitmela’s Launchpad is an ideathon focused on the intersection of money and AI. Applications are closed, but the competition remains active and ends with a live Jaipur pitch on 30 October, followed by winner announcements on 31 October.

• Tracks: Bitcoin, UPI and Agentic Payments
• Eligibility: Indian residents; students, builders, early founders and first-timers
• Team size: solo or up to 4
• Entry fee: Free
• Finalists: Top 5
• Final venue: Bitmela main stage, Jaipur

Top-five cash split: ₹1,00,000 winner, ₹50,000 first runner-up, ₹20,000 second runner-up, ₹15,000 third runner-up and ₹15,000 fourth runner-up. A separate sponsor reward provides three ₹5,000 rewards in sats.

Applicants originally submitted a short form and a roughly 90–120 second idea pitch. The five finalists receive four weeks of mentorship before the Jaipur stage. Selection emphasises originality, feasibility and genuine integration of money with AI. Food and accommodation in Jaipur are covered for finalists, but travel to Jaipur is not.

10. International Innovation Challenge 3.0 – MUJ

The International Innovation Challenge 3.0 is already running on 8–9 September 2026 at Manipal University Jaipur, so new students cannot enter now. It is included because it is part of Jaipur’s current hackathon calendar and is useful for students tracking what major local events look like.

• Team size: 1–4
• MUJ fee: ₹699/team
• Other Indian students: ₹799/team
• International teams: US$50
• Advertised pool: ₹7 lakh+
• Winner cash: ₹1,00,000
• 1st runner-up: ₹75,000
• 2nd runner-up: ₹50,000

The remaining advertised value consists of internships, incubation support, courses, rewards and other benefits. Round 1 used a presentation of up to nine slides, with prototype/code/video components optional. Shortlisting considered originality, innovation, feasibility and impact. Plagiarism can lead to disqualification and judges’ decisions are final.

National & Online Hackathons Jaipur Students Can Enter

The next ten competitions are not all physically located in Jaipur, but they are important because a student living or studying in Jaipur can participate either online or through national-level qualification. This section is deliberately separated from the Jaipur-hosted list so the article does not create a false impression about event locations.

11. First Commit – Bharat Builds Tour

First Commit is one of the strongest online opportunities for university students in Jaipur because the entire competition is available from anywhere in India. It runs from 17–20 September 2026, with an optional in-person build day in Bengaluru on 19 September that does not affect judging.

• Eligibility: university students across India
• Team: 1–4
• Fee: Free
• Ship It prize: ₹2,00,000 cash + $3,000 AWS credits
• Build It prize: ₹1,50,000 cash + $2,000 AWS credits
• Best UI: ₹1,00,000 cash + $1,000 AWS credits
• Additional: four teams receive $1,000 AWS credits each; other gadgets/swags and potential fast-track Amazon interviews are advertised separately

Submission: public repository, three-minute demonstration video and short write-up. The project should be built during the official event period.

Judging: idea and impact, use of the required AWS/open-source ecosystem for prize eligibility, demonstrated learning, working execution and the demo video. A smaller real problem solved effectively can score better than an ambitious idea that does not work.

12. TigerGraph Agentic GraphRAG Hackathon

This free online hackathon is especially relevant to students interested in AI agents, RAG, GraphRAG and knowledge graphs.

• Eligibility: college students and working professionals
• Team: solo to 5 members
• Fee: Free
• Prize: ₹35,000 / ₹20,000 / ₹15,000 for the top three
• Total: ₹70,000
• Round 1 submission: 24 September
• Round 2 submission: 1 October
• Results: 7 October

The challenge requires teams to compare traditional RAG, GraphRAG and Agentic GraphRAG using a working system, GitHub repository, architecture diagram, demonstration video and metrics dashboard. The top 15 progress to the final round.

The listing shows a registration deadline of 14 September while its detailed timeline mentions 12 September. To avoid being caught by that discrepancy, register no later than the earlier date if possible.

13. Hack Devengers 2.0

Hack Devengers 2.0 is a fully online 24-hour Open Innovation hackathon running from 10:00 AM on 19 September to 10:00 AM on 20 September.

• Registration deadline: 18 September
• Mode: Online
• Eligibility: students, developers, designers, creators, innovators and technology enthusiasts
• Top cash prize: ₹50,000 for Rank 1
• Additional rewards: goodies, Lovable credits, .xyz domain benefits and certificates

Participants submit their project title, description and GitHub repository link; deployment link and PPT are optional. Organiser communication and the final submission form are distributed through the official WhatsApp channel.

Projects are evaluated on innovation/originality, problem-solving approach, technical implementation, functionality, user experience, real-world impact and scalability. The jury may inspect the GitHub repository to verify the work.

14. Amazon ML Challenge 2026

The Amazon ML Challenge 2026 is highly relevant to eligible Jaipur engineering students who want machine-learning experience and potential career exposure.

• Registration: 7–20 September
• 72-hour ML challenge: 25–27 September
• Virtual grand finale: 7 October
• Team size: 3–4
• Cross-college teams: Allowed
• Winner: ₹1,00,000
• First runner-up: ₹75,000
• Second runner-up: ₹50,000

Eligibility is restricted: participants must be full-time PhD, M.E., M.Tech., M.S., MS by Research, B.E. or B.Tech students at engineering campuses in India with graduation year 2027 or 2028.

Teams work for 72 hours on the supplied machine-learning problem and dataset, submit their solution/code plus a short approach document, and are ranked on the challenge leaderboard. The top 10 teams are invited to present virtually to Amazon scientists. The top 50 teams are advertised as eligible for pre-placement interviews for Applied Scientist Intern opportunities, subject to Amazon’s eligibility requirements.

15. Smart India Hackathon 2026

Smart India Hackathon (SIH) 2026 is one of the most important competitions for Jaipur college students, but students cannot simply register themselves directly for the national stage.

• Team: exactly 6 students
• Institution: all members must belong to the same college
• Female representation: at least one female member is mandatory
• National prize: ₹1,50,000 per winning problem statement
• Path: internal college hackathon → institutional selection → SPOC nomination → national evaluation/finale

Manipal University Jaipur, for example, conducted its internal SIH round on 7–8 September with more than 500 teams and planned to nominate its top teams onward. Students at other Jaipur colleges should immediately contact their institution’s SIH SPOC or innovation cell because internal deadlines are college-specific.

Ideas are generally assessed for novelty, clarity, feasibility, sustainability, impact, user experience and potential future development. A team may typically submit against a limited number of published problem statements, and the formal nomination has to go through the institution.

16. CodeSlayer 2.0 – NIT Delhi

CodeSlayer 2.0 begins with an online idea/PPT round and takes shortlisted teams into a 36-hour offline finale scheduled for 24–25 October 2026.

• Registration deadline: 29 September
• PPT deadline: 5 October
• Team size: 3–4
• Eligibility: B.Tech, M.Tech, B.Sc., BCA, MCA and related CS/technology students
• Cross-college teams: Allowed
• Winner: ₹30,000
• First runner-up: ₹15,000
• Second runner-up: ₹10,000

Five additional special-category winners are also promised cash awards, but the amounts were not specified on the public listing reviewed. Round 1 requires the official presentation template, with a maximum of seven slides and a project-explanation video link. Shortlisting considers quality, feasibility, innovation and potential.

17. PRYSM’26

PRYSM’26 is a student hackathon with an online qualifier followed by an offline 24-hour final for the top 50 teams.

• Registration / Round 1 deadline: 1 October
• Results: 2 October
• Offline final: 9–10 October
• Team: 2–4
• Tracks: AI, Blockchain, Web3 and Open Innovation
• Winner: ₹25,000
• Second: ₹15,000
• Third: ₹10,000

The online idea is assessed on innovation, problem-solving approach, feasibility and potential real-world impact. The public listing does not clearly disclose a participation fee, so confirm the final registration/shortlisting conditions before making travel arrangements for the offline final.

18. NeuraX Hackathon 3.0

NeuraX 3.0 is a 24-hour AI hackathon scheduled for 19–20 September 2026 at CMR Technical Campus.

• Team: 3–4
• Eligibility: at least one team member must be a currently enrolled student; cross-institution teams allowed
• Round 1: online and free
• Final round fee: ₹349 per participant
• Tracks: AI in Industry Automation, AI in Cybersecurity and AI in Smart Cities

There is currently a prize-information discrepancy: Unstop displays a ₹50,000 pool while the event’s own website says the total prize pool is still to be disclosed. Until the organiser updates its primary page, students should treat ₹50,000 as a listing-platform figure rather than a fully confirmed official cash split.

Round 1 requires an original idea/abstract. Finalists receive the main problem statement and build a complete working project during the hackathon. Judging covers innovation, technical depth, execution and impact, followed by a five-minute live demo and Q&A.

19. ORION 1.0 – Microsoft Club SIST

ORION 1.0 is a national student hackathon whose top 70 teams advance from an online qualifier to a 24-hour offline finale at Sathyabama Institute of Science and Technology, Chennai.

• Team: 2–6
• Round 1 fee: ₹100 per team
• Finalist confirmation: ₹250 per participant
• Final: 18–19 September
• Prize pool: ₹1,00,000
• Accommodation: free campus accommodation advertised for eligible/outstation finalists
• Hospitality: food, water, Wi-Fi and event facilities included for confirmed finalists

Recent organiser posts have shown an 8 September registration deadline while one live event portal shows 11 September. Since this article is being checked on 8 September, students interested in ORION should treat today as the safe deadline rather than relying on the later date.

The publicly disclosed main awards include ₹25,000 winner, ₹15,000 first runner-up and ₹10,000 second runner-up, with additional special recognitions contributing toward the stated ₹1 lakh overall pool. Registration and finalist fees are described as non-refundable in the event rulebook.

20. Graph Hacks: Building Next-Gen RAG

For Jaipur students interested in advanced generative AI, RAG and AI-agent engineering, Graph Hacks is an online worldwide challenge powered by FalkorDB and organised through WeMakeDevs.

• Mode: Fully online
• Period: October 2026
• Entry: Free
• Eligibility: worldwide developers
• Team: solo or up to 4
• Prize pool: US$10,000 across three tracks

The tracks cover Investigation & Risk, Agentic AI, and the GraphRAG SDK. Projects must use FalkorDB for a meaningful core feature rather than merely mentioning the technology. The final track-by-track cash breakdown was not yet published on the official page when this guide was checked.

Which Jaipur Hackathon Should You Apply for?

Your Goal	Best Current Option	Why
Free offline Jaipur hackathon	HackPulse 2026	Free, registrations newly opened, broad eligibility
Largest advertised Jaipur prize pool still open	Hypnexis 2026	₹10L+ advertised; ₹2.25L confirmed top-three cash
College hackathon with detailed rules	AMIHACKS 2026	Clear eligibility, deliverables and disqualification rules
Agentic AI	HackPulse / TigerGraph	Agentic Harness and GraphRAG tracks
Machine learning career exposure	Amazon ML Challenge	ML competition plus advertised PPI opportunity for qualifying teams
National government challenge	Smart India Hackathon	Large national programme and ₹1.5L per winning problem statement
Online student event with substantial cash	First Commit	₹4.5L disclosed cash across key awards and online participation from India

How Hackathon Winners Are Usually Selected

There is no single universal judging formula, but the 2026 events reviewed for this guide repeatedly evaluate several common areas. Understanding them helps even when an organiser has not disclosed percentage weights.

• Problem understanding: does the project solve a real, clearly defined problem?
• Originality: is the idea or implementation genuinely different?
• Technical execution: does the prototype actually work?
• Impact: who benefits and how meaningful is the improvement?
• Feasibility: could the solution realistically be deployed?
• Scalability: can it serve more users or a larger environment?
• UX: can a real user understand and operate it?
• Presentation: can the team demonstrate the working product clearly?
• Evidence: are AI accuracy claims, metrics and results genuine rather than fabricated?

A useful rule is simple: a small working prototype that solves a real problem usually beats an enormous idea that cannot be demonstrated.

Hackathon Eligibility: Who Can Participate?

Eligibility varies dramatically. Some Jaipur events such as HackPulse accept almost anyone interested in technology, while AMIHACKS requires recognised college/university enrolment. Smart India Hackathon requires a six-student same-institution team. Amazon ML Challenge is considerably narrower, with specified engineering degree programmes and graduation years.

Never assume that “student hackathon” automatically means B.Tech only. Several events also permit BCA, MCA, B.Sc., management, arts, commerce and other disciplines. Designers, presenters, researchers, product thinkers and domain experts can be valuable team members even when they are not the primary coder.

Documents You Should Keep Ready Before Applying

• College/institution ID
• Government ID if required for venue entry
• Active email and mobile number
• Team member names and college details exactly as required
• GitHub account
• LinkedIn/profile link where requested
• Payment screenshot and transaction ID for paid events
• Official PPT template where a qualifier uses one
• Short project description
• Team leader/SPOC details
• AWS Builder ID or other platform-specific account where required

Prize Pool vs Cash Prize: Read This Before Registering

A common mistake is to see “₹10 lakh prize pool” and assume the winner receives ₹10 lakh in cash. Hackathon organisers often combine cash, cloud credits, internships, course discounts, software licences, placement incentives, incubation, vouchers, certificates, merchandise and sponsor benefits into one advertised figure.

Hypnexis is a useful example: its ₹10 lakh+ pool currently includes ₹2.25 lakh specifically disclosed as top-three cash awards and ₹7.75 lakh of other stated benefits. International Innovation Challenge 3.0 similarly advertises ₹7 lakh+ but lists ₹2.25 lakh in top-three cash. HackIndia Spark-12 offers 40K Sharp Tokens rather than ₹40,000 cash.

Before paying any fee, check four things: exact cash component, when prizes are released, whether tax/TDS applies, and whether non-cash rewards have restrictions or expiry dates.

Are Hackathon Registration Fees Refundable?

Do not assume so. Hypnexis explicitly states its registration fee is non-refundable. Clash of Coders describes its ₹450 team fee as non-refundable. ORION’s rulebook also describes registration/finalist fees as non-refundable. Other events may use different policies.

Before paying, confirm the event date, venue, whether your team has already been shortlisted, whether payment is per person or per team, what accommodation actually covers, and the cancellation/refund conditions.

Can You Use ChatGPT, Gemini or AI Tools in a Hackathon?

It depends on the rulebook. AMIHACKS explicitly allows AI tools including LLMs while prohibiting pre-built projects and outside developers. Other events may require a particular model such as Google Gemini, or may impose disclosure requirements.

Using AI is not the same as submitting copied work. Keep your repository history, understand the code your team submits, attribute required open-source resources, and be prepared to explain every important component to judges.

Students who want to improve practical AI skills before competing can explore AI courses in Jaipur and hands-on prompt engineering training, especially for hackathons involving generative AI, agents or rapid prototyping.

7-Day Preparation Plan Before a Hackathon

1. Day 1: read the complete rules and judging criteria before deciding the idea.
2. Day 2: define the user, problem and one measurable outcome.
3. Day 3: assign team roles — backend, frontend, AI/data, design, presentation or research.
4. Day 4: test APIs, SDKs and deployment tools without building the prohibited final project in advance.
5. Day 5: prepare a clean repository structure, presentation outline and demo strategy.
6. Day 6: practise a two-to-five-minute explanation of the problem, solution, technology and impact.
7. Day 7: verify laptops, chargers, IDs, internet backup, accounts, cloud credits and travel arrangements.

What to Carry to an Offline Jaipur Hackathon

• Laptop and charger
• Phone and charging cable/power bank where permitted
• College ID and required government ID
• Registration confirmation
• Payment/shortlisting proof
• Required hardware, sensors or adapters for your project
• Personal medicines and basic toiletries for overnight events
• Light jacket/comfortable clothing for air-conditioned overnight venues
• Any extension board only if organisers permit it

Do not assume that accommodation means a hotel room. Some overnight campus hackathons provide shared rest areas rather than individual rooms. Check the organiser’s logistics message before travelling.

How to Avoid Disqualification

• Do not submit a previously completed project when rules require development during the event.
• Do not copy code or designs without permitted licences and attribution.
• Do not fabricate AI accuracy, user numbers, revenue, test results or impact metrics.
• Do not add or substitute team members after the deadline without organiser permission.
• Do not allow outsiders or paid freelancers to build your solution.
• Submit before the deadline and use the required template/file format.
• Keep the repository and demo accessible when judges need them.
• Attend mandatory checkpoints and final presentation rounds.
• Be capable of explaining your own architecture and implementation.

FAQ About Jaipur Hackathons 2026