CodeAstra 2.0 – 24-Hour Offline Hackathon

Department of Information Technology, Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Technology (RGIT), Mumbai Overview CodeAstra 2.0 isn't your standard hackathon. Carrying the banner of "GO BEYOND", it challenges developers, designers, and innovators to push past conventional boundaries. Over 24 intensive offline hours, teams will build, adapt, and collaborate under real-world pressure through structured mentoring checkpoints, surprise technical twists, and a pioneering cross-domain convergence round. Domains AI & ML: Transform real-world data into high-impact, intelligent solutions. Web & Product Development: Architect sleek, user-first digital experiences and resilient, production-ready web products. Cybersecurity & Blockchain: Engineer robust defensive postures, cryptographic protocols, decentralized apps, and tamper-resistant architectures. Cloud Computing & Distributed Systems: Deploy high-availability, fault-tolerant, and horizontally scalable backends on modern cloud infrastructure. Prize Pool – ₹1,00,000 Cash Rank / Category Prize Amount 1st Place (Winners) ₹40,000 2nd Place (1st Runner-Up) ₹28,000 3rd Place (2nd Runner-Up) ₹20,000 Convergence Prize ₹12,000 (₹6,000 per winning paired team) Incubation Support: The most promising project will receive incubation support worth ₹2,00,000! Career Opportunities: Exclusive internship opportunities for top-performing participants and standout projects! Eligibility & Team Guidelines Team Size: 3 to 4 members. Team Leadership: Each squad must designate one official Team Leader for communication and submissions. Single Affiliation: An individual can participate as a member of only one team. Mode: Round 1 is Online; Round 2 is Offline at Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Technology (RGIT), Andheri (W), Mumbai. Rounds & Structure Round 1 – Online Idea Submission (Elimination Round) Submit an idea presentation strictly adhering to the official Problem Statements and PPT template (maximum 6 slides, including the title slide) (PS are attached in the attchments) : Slide 1: Team Details (Team ID, Team Name, Leader & Member info, Selected Domain, Problem Statement) Slide 2: Problem Analysis & Market Pain Points Slide 3: Proposed Solution & Core Features Slide 4: Technical Architecture, Tech Stack & Innovation Quotient Slide 5: Measurable Impact, Market Viability & Future Scope Slide 6 (Optional): Supporting Information (System diagrams, wireframes, user flows, or references) Shortlisting Criteria: Problem Clarity → Solution Robustness → Innovation → Technical Feasibility → Impact. Round 2 – 24-Hour Offline Hackathon (RGIT Campus) Time Milestone 08:00 AM Reporting, Security Check & On-Desk Registration 10:00 AM Official Problem Statement Reveal & Kickoff 10:30 AM Build Phase 1: Architecture, Wireframing & Core Dev 03:00 PM Mentoring Checkpoint 1 (Directional feedback, non-evaluative) 04:30 PM Convergence Round Announcement & Pairing 05:30 PM Build Phase 2: Feature Build & Cross-Team API/Module Hookup 08:30 PM Mentoring Checkpoint 2 (Working prototype validation & design review) 10:30 PM Trial & Reward Round (Surprise technical constraint) 11:30 PM Build Phase 3: Advanced Logic, Security Hardening & Edge Cases 03:00 AM Build Phase 4: Final Polish, System Testing & Deployment 09:30 AM Code Freeze, GitHub Repo Submission & Demo Stall Setup 10:30 AM Final Judging: Live Demos & Technical Jury Defense Followed by  Prize Distribution & Closing Ceremony Note: Round 2 will feature brand-new, domain-specific problem statements revealed on-site, distinct from the Round 1 idea submission track.Special Challenge Rounds 1. The Convergence Round The Concept: Two independent teams. Two distinct domains. One unified integration. The Task: Paired teams (e.g., AI/ML + Web, or Cloud + Blockchain) must integrate a functional component of each other's solution via REST/gRPC endpoints, microservices, smart contracts, model inferencing layers, or distributed pipelines. Condition: Cosmetic or surface-level integrations will be penalized. Points are awarded for architectural coherence, cross-domain utility, and real-world value. 2. Trial & Reward (Surprise Pivot Challenge) At the stroke of 10:30 PM, every domain receives a live operational curveball with ~2 hours to adapt: AI & ML: Shift in underlying dataset distribution, novel metric constraints, or latency ceilings. Web & Product: Emergent enterprise client feature request or extreme responsive accessibility revamp. Cybersecurity & Blockchain: Simulated zero-day exploit/vulnerability patch or stricter auth mechanism. Cloud & Distributed: Simulated traffic spike requiring rapid horizontal autoscaling, replication, or cost caps. Incentive: Winning teams lock in a strategic advantage during final judging. Failure to complete the pivot does not result in disqualification. Evaluation Rubric (100 Marks Total) Presentation Format: 5 min pitch + 3–5 min live working demonstration + 2 min jury Q&A. Working Prototype & Core Functionality: 25 Marks Problem-Solution Alignment & Relevance: 15 Marks Technical Depth & Code Quality: 15 Marks Innovation & Competitive Moat (USP): 15 Marks Feature Completeness & UI/UX Design: 10 Marks Real-world Viability & Scalability: 10 Marks Clarity of Pitch, Live Demo & Q&A Defense: 10 Marks Deliverables at Code Freeze: Clean public GitHub/GitLab repository, comprehensive README.md with setup/deployment instructions, system design overview, declared tech stack, and live hosting/demo link (if applicable). Rules & Code of Conduct Fresh Codebase Only: Every line of code must be authored inside the 24-hour window. Pre-built templates, boilerplate starter packs beyond standard scaffolding tools (create-react-app, cargo init, etc.), and pre-existing apps are strictly barred. Open Source & Libraries: Publicly accessible open-source libraries, frameworks, open datasets, and official SDKs are permitted. AI Tool Policy: Tools like GitHub Copilot, Cursor, ChatGPT, and Claude are allowed for efficiency. However, teams must be capable of walking through and defending every block of generated code. Using unverified or wholesale generated apps will invite immediate scrutiny. Attribution: Explicitly cite all external third-party assets, APIs, pre-trained base models, and libraries in your documentation. Hardware & Infrastructure: BYOD (Bring Your Own Device). Participants must bring their own laptops, chargers, extension cords, and testing hardware. Zero-Tolerance Violations: Immediate disqualification applies for plagiarism, toxic conduct, sabotage, spoofed commits, or tampering with evaluation pipelines. Decisions: Jury and organizing committee rulings are final and binding. Contact & Helpdesk Student Event Heads: Mahi Shaik: +91 78994 03775 Mrinal Sah: +91 81694 23715 Saiesha Kotian: +91 90043 13126 Yuvraj Chavan: +91 77384 91719 ABIT Council Executive Board: Durgesh Tiwari (President): +91 93266 30158 Harsh Singh (General Secretary): +91 98190 79710 Chetna Sinha (Managing Director): +91 83693 72064