Opportunity brief
HACK IN HILLS '26, MANALI
Not a Marathon. A Mountain Sprint.
Hack in Hills '26 is a 24+ hour offline hackathon in Manali, bringing together developers, designers, marketers, and Web3 and gaming creators to build, collaborate, and solve problems with the Himalayas as the backdrop.
The team behind Hack in Hills has organized 300+ events, supported 15,000+ hackers, built communities of 50,000+ members, and worked with 50+ Web3 and gaming partners.
What to Expect:
- 40+ selected hackers
- 20,000+ registration target
- 35+ Web3 and Gaming partners
- 24+ hours of building
- Mentors, speakers and judges
- Networking with builders and ecosystem leaders
- 50,000 INR bounty pool
- Offline finale in Manali
The hackathon follows a three round journey, starting with idea submission, moving to prototype development, and ending with the final offline hackathon in Manali.
Round 1: Idea and PPT Submission
10 September to 30 September 2026
Online:
Submit a PPT or PDF covering:
- Problem statement
- Proposed solution
- Innovation and uniqueness
- Target users and use case
- Technology or tech stack
- Expected impact
- Implementation roadmap
The best ideas will be shortlisted for the Prototype Round.
Shortlisting: 1 to 3 October 2026
Round 2: Prototype Development
4 October to 31 October 2026
Online
Shortlisted teams will build a functional prototype or MVP based on their submitted idea.
Teams may submit:
- Working prototype or MVP
- Demo video
- GitHub or repository
- Documentation
- Prototype or demo link
Projects will be evaluated on innovation, technical execution, feasibility, usability and potential impact.
Finalists announced: 3 to 5 November 2026
Round 3: Grand Finale
20 November 2026
Manali, Himachal Pradesh
24+ Hours | Offline
Finalists will come together in Manali for the final hackathon.
Teams will build, improve and present their projects with access to mentors, judges and ecosystem leaders.
Projects will be evaluated on:
Innovation, Technical Execution, Impact, Scalability, Problem-Solution Fit, User Experience and Final Presentation.
The final round will compete for the 50,000 INR bounty pool.
Important Dates
Stage
Date
Mode
Round 1: PPT Submission
10 Sep to 30 Sep
Online
Round 1 Shortlisting
1 to 3 Oct
Online
Round 2: Prototype
4 Oct to 31 Oct
Online
Finalists Announcement
3 to 5 Nov
Online
Round 3: Grand Finale
20 Nov 2026
Manali, Offline
Ready to Build?
Take your idea from PPT to Prototype to the Mountain Finale.