CHAOS [ 8-Hour Software Hackathon ]

Guidelines:

• Eligibility: Open to students interested in software development, programming, web/app development, AI/ML, cybersecurity, data science, UI/UX, and related technical fields.
• Team Size: Each team must consist of 2–4 members.
• Inter-College Teams: Inter-college teams are allowed, subject to successful registration and approval by the organizers.
• Inter-Specialization Teams: Inter-specialization/branch teams are allowed and encouraged. Students from Computer Science, Information Science, AI/ML, Electronics, and other relevant disciplines may form a team.
• Event Type: 8-hour on-site software hackathon.
• Number of Problem Statements: Teams will work on one problem statement, which will be revealed only on the day of the event.
• Problem Statement: The challenge will involve developing a working software solution for a real-world problem.
• Duration: 8 hours of development time.
• Development Format: Teams must build their solution from scratch during the event. Participants should not arrive with a pre-built solution for the announced problem.
• Submission: Teams must submit a working software solution within the allotted time.
• Judging: Solutions will be evaluated through a live demonstration/judging session at the end of the hackathon. Recorded demos or slide-only submissions are not accepted.
• Buffs & Debuffs: Four times during the event, a common wheel/spin will introduce either a helpful Buff or a challenging Debuff. The selected condition will apply to all teams for 30 minutes.
• Fairness: The same Buff or Debuff is applied to all participating teams simultaneously and does not directly affect the scoring.
• Technology: Teams may use appropriate programming languages, frameworks, development tools, APIs, and other permitted resources to build their solution.
• Registration: Registration requires organizer approval. The registration fee is ₹200 per team, paid online by the team lead.
• Venue: Ramaiah Technology Campus, Bengaluru.
• Event Dates: 14–16 October 2026; the specific CHAOS slot is as announced in the official schedule.
• Prizes: 1st – ₹15,000; 2nd – ₹10,000; 3rd – ₹7,000.

Rules:

• Each team must consist of 2–4 registered members.
• Teams must work only on the problem statement announced by the organizers on the day of the hackathon.
• The problem statement will be revealed at the start of the challenge; teams must develop their solution during the allotted hackathon period.
• Teams must build a working software solution rather than submitting only an idea or presentation.
• Previously developed solutions that directly solve the announced problem must not be submitted as the team's original work.
• Teams may use publicly available documentation, libraries, frameworks, APIs, and development resources unless specifically restricted by the organizers.
• All third-party libraries, APIs, datasets, or other external resources used in the project should comply with their respective licenses and usage conditions.
• Each team is responsible for ensuring that its submitted work is original and does not infringe the intellectual property of others.
• Teams must submit their working solution before the official submission deadline.
• Late submissions may be penalized or rejected at the discretion of the organizers.
• Every team must be prepared to demonstrate its working solution live to the judges.
• Recorded demonstrations or slide-only submissions will not be accepted as a substitute for a working solution.
• Teams must not receive unauthorized assistance from other teams or individuals during the competition.
• Sharing code or substantially assisting another team may result in penalties or disqualification.
• Teams must not intentionally disrupt another team's systems, workspace, network access, development environment, or progress.
• Participants must follow all instructions issued by the organizers and event coordinators.
• The Buffs & Debuffs wheel will be conducted four times during the event. The resulting condition will apply equally to all teams for the specified 30-minute period.
• Participants must follow the announced Buff or Debuff condition during the applicable period.
• Teams must not exploit a Buff or Debuff in a way that compromises another team's work, venue infrastructure, or event systems.
• Any form of cheating, plagiarism, unauthorized collaboration, malicious activity, or deliberate rule violation may result in immediate disqualification.
• Participants must not use their software skills to attack, damage, or gain unauthorized access to systems, networks, accounts, or data.
• Teams are responsible for maintaining backups of their project and source code.
• Participants must maintain proper conduct toward judges, organizers, volunteers, sponsors, and other teams.
• Any damage to venue property, equipment, or infrastructure caused intentionally or through serious negligence may result in penalties.
• Judges may evaluate submissions based on factors such as functionality, problem-solving approach, technical implementation, usability, creativity, and quality of the live demonstration.
• The judges' decision regarding evaluation, penalties, qualification, and final results will be final and binding.
• In case of a tie, the organizers may use additional evaluation criteria or a tie-breaker challenge/demonstration.
• The organizers reserve the right to modify the event procedure when required for technical, safety, or operational reasons.

Event Format:

• Team Size: 2–4 members
• Duration: 8 hours
• Event Type: On-site Software Hackathon

Challenge Flow:

• Problem Reveal
• The problem statement is announced at the beginning of the event. Teams start from scratch and develop a solution to the assigned real-world problem.
• Development Phase
• Teams design, code, test, and refine their software solution during the 8-hour hackathon.
• Buffs & Debuffs
• Four times during the event, a wheel determines a common challenge or advantage for the entire hall. Each Buff/Debuff remains active for 30 minutes.
• Examples of possible restrictions include:

-

• Voice-only coding
• No Enter key
• Whisper-mode communication

The same condition applies to all teams simultaneously.

• Submission
• Teams submit their completed working solution within the specified deadline.
• Live Judging & Dem
• Teams demonstrate their working product to the judges. Evaluation is conducted live rather than through recorded demos or presentation-only submissions.
• Results
• The highest-performing teams are selected based on the organizers' judging criteria.

Venue: Ramaiah Technology Campus, Bengaluru

Registration Fee: ₹200 per team Prizes: ₹15,000 (1st) | ₹10,000 (2nd) | ₹7,000 (3rd)