BuildForge Hackathon

About the Hackathon: Have an idea? Build it. Ship it. BuildForge is an open-innovation hackathon where participants turn their ideas into working products or functional prototypes. With no predefined problem statements, fixed domains, or technology restrictions, you are free to identify a problem, discover an opportunity, and build a solution that creates real value. Whether you're building with AI, software, healthcare, education, finance, productivity, cybersecurity, social impact, developer tools, or exploring an entirely new idea — the problem you solve and the product you build are yours to define. Don't build just because you can. Build something that solves a problem, improves an experience, creates value, or introduces a new possibility. Tracks: AI & Intelligent Systems Software & Developer Tools Healthcare & Wellbeing Education & Learning Finance & Commerce Social Impact & Accessibility ️Mobility & Urban Systems Cybersecurity & Privacy Productivity & Automation Open Innovation Tracks are provided for guidance only. Participants are free to build outside these categories. Why Participate? Turn an idea into a working product. Solve a problem you genuinely care about. Build something that can be used beyond the hackathon. Experiment with technologies and ideas without domain restrictions. Collaborate with developers, designers, AI/ML enthusiasts, and innovators. Build a project you can showcase in your portfolio. Get feedback from mentors and industry professionals. Demonstrate your ability to move from idea → execution → product. Connect with a growing community of builders. The winning project isn't necessarily the one with the most features or the most complex technology. It's the one that demonstrates the strongest combination of problem understanding, innovation, execution, usability, and real-world potential. Eligibility: Students Software Developers Engineers AI/ML Enthusiasts Researchers Entrepreneurs & Startup Builders Open-source Contributors Professionals Anyone interested in building with technology Team Size: 1 – 4 members Event Format: Round 1 – Idea Submission Start with an idea and demonstrate why it is worth building. Teams must identify a problem, opportunity, or user need and propose a product that addresses it. Submit a short PPT presentation covering: Slide 1 – Project Title, Theme, Team Name & Members Slide 2 – The Problem / Opportunity Slide 3 – Target Users & Why the Problem Matters Slide 4 – Existing Solutions / Current Approach Slide 5 – Your Proposed Solution Slide 6 – How It Works / User Flow Slide 7 – What Makes Your Solution Different Slide 8 – Basic Implementation Approach The strongest and most promising ideas will be shortlisted for the next stage. Round 2 – Mentor Evaluation Shortlisted teams will enter the Mentor Round, where they will present their idea and proposed solution to assigned mentors. Mentors will evaluate the teams based on: Problem understanding Innovation and originality Proposed solution Technical feasibility Potential impact Execution potential Mentors may also provide feedback and suggestions to help teams refine their ideas before the final evaluation. Based on the mentor evaluation, the top-performing teams will advance to the Final Evaluation. Round 3 – Final Evaluation The shortlisted teams will present their solution to the Final Judging Panel on the following day. Teams will be required to present: Final presentation Working solution or functional prototype GitHub repository Live demonstration Brief documentation explaining the problem, solution, technology, and implementation The judging panel will evaluate how effectively each team has transformed their idea into a practical, innovative, and meaningful solution. The final evaluation will focus on: What you built, how well it works, how effectively it solves the problem, and the value it creates. The top 3 teams will be selected as the winners based on the final judging scores. 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 encouraged. Participants can choose their own problem statement. There is no restriction on technology, framework, or programming language. Participants may build for any industry or domain. Teams must adhere to the event timeline and submission deadlines. Projects should demonstrate meaningful development during the hackathon. Any form of plagiarism, copied projects, or unfair practice will result in disqualification. Teams must clearly explain their problem, solution, implementation, and impact. The decision of the judges will be final and binding. AI tools and coding assistants are allowed. Judging Criteria: Round 1 – Idea Evaluation Problem / Opportunity Understanding – 20% Innovation & Originality – 20% Problem-Solution Fit – 20% Impact & Value Potential – 15% Feasibility & Implementation Approach – 15% Idea Explanation & Clarity – 10% Round 2 – Mentor Evaluation Problem Understanding & Depth – 20% Solution & Problem-Solution Fit – 20% Technical Approach & Feasibility – 20% Innovation & Differentiation – 15% Scalability & Potential Impact – 10% Execution Plan & Readiness – 15% Round 3 – Final Evaluation Problem Understanding & Relevance – 15% Solution Effectiveness & Value – 20% Technical Implementation & Functionality – 25% Innovation & Originality – 15% User Experience & Usability – 10% Demo & Presentation – 15% Rewards: Top-performing teams will receive: Winner / Runner-Up Certificates for the top 3 teams Certificates of Merit for the top 10 teams Internship & Networking Opportunities Participation Certificates for eligible participants Open Source Recognition Mentorship & Industry Connections