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, BengaluruRegistration Fee: ₹200 per teamPrizes: ₹15,000 (1st) | ₹10,000 (2nd) | ₹7,000 (3rd)