Breakpoint Hackathon 2026

About the Hackathon:

Everything works - until it doesn't. Find the failure. Build the fix.

Breakpoint Hackathon is about challenging you to find something that isn't working as well as it should - a frustrating workflow, inefficient process, outdated product, accessibility gap, or overlooked problem in technology and society.

Your mission is simple: identify the breakpoint and build a meaningful improvement.

Don't build something just because you can. Find a real problem, understand why the existing system fails, and create a solution that makes it faster, simpler, smarter, safer, or more accessible.

From software and AI to healthcare, education, finance, transportation, and everyday life - the breakpoint is yours to find.

Tracks:

• AI & Intelligent Systems
• Software & Developer Tools
• Healthcare & Wellbeing
• Education & Learning
• Finance & Commerce
• Social Impact & Accessibility
• Mobility & Urban Systems
• Open Innovation

Why Participate?

• Solve a real-world problem.
• Build something with practical impact.
• Challenge existing systems and conventional thinking.
• Work with technology across any domain.
• Showcase your engineering and problem-solving skills.
• Turn a frustrating experience into a working solution.

The winning project isn't necessarily the most complicated one.

It's the one that finds a meaningful breakpoint and creates the most compelling solution around it.

Eligibility:

• Students.
• Software developers.
• Engineers.
• Researchers.
• Professionals.
• Open-source contributors.
• Anyone interested in software engineering, from any country.

Team Size: 1 - 4 members

Event Format:

Round 1 - Idea Submission

Identify a real-world breakpoint - a weakness, inefficiency, bottleneck, or failure in an existing system.

Submit a short PPT presentation covering:

• Slide 1 - The project Title/Theme, Team Name and members.
• Slide 2 - The existing system or problem.
• Slide 3 - The specific breakpoint you identified.
• Slide 4 - Who is affected and why it matters.
• Slide 5 - Your proposed solution.
• Slide 6 - How It Works
• Slide 7 - How your solution improves the existing system.
• Slide 8 - Basic implementation approach.

The strongest and most promising ideas will advance to the final round.

Round 2 - Final Submission

Shortlisted teams will turn their idea into a working solution or functional prototype.

Final submissions will include:

• Working project/prototype.
• GitHub repository.
• Final presentation.
• Live demonstration.
• Brief documentation explaining the problem, solution, and implementation.

Teams will present their solution to the judging panel and demonstrate how effectively they have moved from identifying a breakpoint to building a better system.

Rules and Guidelines:

• Team size must be 1 - 4 members.
• Solo participation is allowed.
• Teams of 2–3 are recommended.
• Cross-college teams are allowed.
• Cross-disciplinary teams are allowed.
• Participants must adhere to the event timeline and submit their solutions before the deadline.
• Any form of plagiarism, copied projects, pre-built submissions or unfair practice will result in disqualification.
• Teams must clearly present their solution, approach, and impact during the final evaluation.
• The decision of the judges will be final and binding.
• AI tools and coding assistants are allowed.

Judging Criteria:

Round 1 – Idea Evaluation:

• Problem Identification & Breakpoint – 25%
• Innovation & Originality – 20%
• Problem-Solution Fit – 20%
• Impact & Improvement Potential – 15%
• Feasibility & Implementation Approach – 10%
• Idea Explanation & Clarity – 10%

Round 2 – Final Evaluation:

• Breakpoint Understanding & Problem Depth – 15%
• Solution Effectiveness & Improvement – 25%
• Technical Implementation & Functionality – 20%
• Innovation & Originality – 15%
• User Experience & Usability – 10%
• Demo & Presentation – 15%

Rewards:

Top-performing teams will receive:

• Winner/Runner Up Certificates for top 3 teams.
• Certificates of Merit for top 10 teams.
• Internship & Networking Opportunities.
• Participation Certificates for all eligible participants.
• Open Source Recognition.