Hackcache'26 at Government College of Engineering and Technology, Jammu

Opportunity brief

HackCache '26 — 48-Hour Online Hackathon

USE CODE UNSTOP250 TO GET ₹250 OFF (valid till 15th Oct , 2026)

OPEN TO SCHOOL STUDENTS TOO

HackCache '26 is a 48-hour, fully online hackathon organised by CachedInfo in collaboration with GCET Jammu.

Whether you're a developer, designer, researcher, student with an idea, or simply someone who wants to build something, HackCache is open to you.

You do not need to be from Computer Science or even an engineering background.

CS • IT • ECE • Mechanical • Commerce • BBA • MBA • Arts & Humanities • Other Streams

Build solo or with a team, use AI and other tools, and turn your idea into something real.

HACKATHON AT A GLANCE

Hackathon: 23–24 October 2026

Duration: 48 Hours

Format: 100% Online

Registration Deadline: 20 October 2026

Team Size: 1–3 Members

Registration Fee: ₹600 per team

WHY PARTICIPATE?

₹1,22,000 Prize Pool including ₹80,000 CASH PRIZES

Plus:

₹15,000 in paid internship opportunities
Fully sponsored 2-day McLeod Ganj experience for the winning team
Hackathon Merch For Top 3 Teams
Recommendation letters from all judges
Mock interviews and resume-building
AI resources and problem-solving guides
Verifiable participation certificate for every team that submits

WHO CAN PARTICIPATE?

HackCache '26 is open to:

College students from any branch
School students
Engineering and non-engineering students
Freshers
First-time hackathon participants
Students from any college or academic background

You don't need prior hackathon experience or a specific technical background.

TEAM SIZE: 1–3 MEMBERS

Solo participation is allowed
Inter-college teams are allowed
Inter-branch teams are allowed
Participants can join from anywhere in India

You can build a team with students from different colleges, branches or academic backgrounds.

HACKATHON THEMES

01. REIMAGINE GOVERNMENT

Rethink how citizens interact with government websites and digital services. Build solutions that simplify access, improve usability and make government services easier to navigate.

02. SOCIAL IMPACT

Build technology addressing real-world problems involving accessibility, education, healthcare, sustainability, communities or everyday life.

03. BANKING & FINANCE

Reimagine how people save, spend, invest, borrow and manage money. Build simpler, smarter and more accessible financial experiences.

04. OPEN INNOVATION

No predefined problem category. Bring your own idea and build something useful, innovative or unexpected.

WHAT CAN YOU BUILD?

You can explore areas such as:

AI & Automation
Web Development
Mobile Applications
Developer Tools
Education
FinTech
Social Impact
Productivity
Open Innovation

You are not limited to a particular technology or development stack.

AI IS ALLOWED & ENCOURAGED

Participants can use:

AI coding assistants
Generative AI
No-code and low-code tools
Automation platforms
Frameworks and other development resources

The only requirement is that participants should understand and be able to explain what they have built.

RESOURCES FOR EVERY TEAM

To make the hackathon accessible to beginners, participating teams will receive:

AI Prompt Packs
Problem-Solving Playbooks
Ideation Guides
Curated Technical Resources
No-Code Tool Resources
Pitch Deck Templates
Support Resources during the hackathon

The goal is simple: less time figuring out where to start, more time building.

PROBLEM STATEMENTS

Problem statements and resources will be released to registered teams on 22 October 2026, one day before the hackathon begins.

Participants will then have the full 48 hours to develop their solution.

WHAT YOU NEED TO SUBMIT

Every participating team must submit:

Public GitHub Repository
Live Working Project URL
Maximum 5-Minute Demo Video
Short Pitch Deck

Projects should be created during the official hackathon period based on the released problem statements.

JUDGING

Every submission will be independently evaluated using the same five criteria.

Innovation — 10 points Technical Execution — 10 points Design & UX — 10 points Impact — 10 points Presentation — 10 points

TOTAL: 50 POINTS

The scores from the judges will be averaged to determine the final ranking. No single judge can independently determine the result.

The judging panel includes professionals and academics from organisations including Metropolis Healthcare, Thapar Institute of Engineering & Technology, GCET Jammu, Aditya Birla Capital, Sharda University and C-DAC India.

PRIZES & OPPORTUNITIES

1ST PLACE

The winning team receives:

Cash prize
3 paid internship opportunities
₹5,000 per person
₹15,000 total internship payout
Fully funded 2-day McLeod Ganj trip with the founders
Free mock interview
Resume-building session
Recommendation letters from judges
Hackathon T-shirts

The internships are remote and flexible, with work assigned through a dedicated internship platform.

2ND & 3RD PLACE

Cash prize
Free 1-on-1 mock interview
Resume-building session
Recommendation letters from judges
Hackathon T-shirt

EVERY TEAM THAT SUBMITS

Every team that completes a valid submission receives:

AI prompt packs
Strategy and problem-solving guides
Pitch deck templates
Support resources
Verifiable participation certificate

MCLEOD GANJ EXPERIENCE

The winning team receives a fully funded 2-day McLeod Ganj experience with the CachedInfo founders.

Travel, accommodation, breakfast and dinner are covered.

Travel is arranged from Jammu, while participants travelling from outside Jammu are provided suitable travel arrangements.

KEY DATES

24 August 2026 — Registrations Open

20 October 2026 — Registration Deadline

22 October 2026 — Problem Statements & Resources Released

23–24 October 2026 — 48-Hour Hackathon

REGISTRATION

₹600 PER TEAM

Whether you have 1, 2 or 3 members, the registration fee remains the same.

REFERRAL DISCOUNT

Friend pays ₹500 Referrer receives ₹100 credit

The referral discount is applied during checkout and is valid on CachedInfo.

USE CODE GCET100 FOR ₹100 OFF

REGISTER NOW

https://cachedinfo.in/hackathon

IMPORTANT RULES

Team size: 1–3 members
Solo participation is allowed
Inter-college teams are allowed
Participants from different branches can form a team
Participants can join from anywhere in India
Public GitHub repository is required
Working project URL is required
Demo video must be a maximum of 5 minutes
Pitch deck is required
AI tools are permitted
Participants must be able to explain their project and implementation
Projects should be created during the hackathon period
Plagiarism or misrepresentation is not permitted
Judging follows the published five-category scorecard
Registration fees are non-refundable after payment confirmation
Slot transfers to another team member are permitted
In case of cancellation by the organisers, registered participants receive a full refund
If the event is postponed, registrations will be carried forward to the revised dates

WHY HACKCACHE?

HackCache is designed not only for experienced developers, but also for students who want to learn by building.

You don't need to know how to code to participate. Teams can divide responsibilities across development, design, research, product, content, business and other areas.