Commit for Good | AI × Open Source × Public Good

COMMIT FOR GOOD is a three-day hackathon focused on building open-source AI solutions for real-world public-good challenges. The Hackathon is being organized under the Indo-Swiss Research Grant, with ETH Zurich, University of Lausanne, Indian Institute of Information Technology Allahabad (IIIT Allahabad), and Manipal University Jaipur (MUJ) as participating research institutions, alongside Techideate Qureka, Directorate of Student’s Welfare (DSW), Department of Information Technology, and WikiClub Tech. The event brings together students, researchers and collaborators to encourage innovation at the intersection of AI, open source and public good. Participants will explore broad challenge domains, identify real-world problems that deserve to be solved, research and validate those problems, and develop innovative AI-driven solutions. The hackathon emphasizes original thinking, practical implementation, collaboration, open-source development and social impact. Eligibility: Open to college students from recognized institutions. Students from any discipline can participate. Inter-college teams are allowed. Inter-specialization/inter-department teams are allowed. Students from Manipal University Jaipur and other institutions can participate. Team Formation: Participation is in teams of 1–3 members. Team members may belong to different colleges, universities or academic disciplines. Each participant can be a member of only one team. What is COMMIT FOR GOOD? COMMIT FOR GOOD challenges participants to go beyond simply solving a predefined problem. Teams will be given a broad problem domain or challenge theme and will be expected to independently explore it, identify a meaningful and well-defined problem, understand who is affected and why the problem matters, and investigate existing approaches before proposing their own solution. The hackathon progresses from problem discovery and validation to solution development, prototyping and open-source release. Participants are encouraged to explore overlooked problems, challenge existing approaches and develop AI-powered solutions with meaningful public impact. Event Format: The hackathon follows a hybrid format, combining offline and online phases for problem discovery, development, mentoring, evaluation and the grand finale. The event consists of: Day 1 – DISCOVER: Explore the given challenge domain, identify and validate a real-world problem, and propose an innovative solution. Day 2 – BUILD: Develop the proposed solution into a detailed solution and working prototype, with mentoring and evaluation. Day 3 – COMMIT: Finalize the solution, present the prototype and showcase the final open-source contribution. Detailed requirements and submission guidelines for each round will be provided in the respective round sections. Evaluation Criteria: Teams will be evaluated on: Problem Discovery & Significance Originality and Innovation Problem Validation and Research Solution Quality and Feasibility Effective Application of AI Practical Applicability and Potential Impact Quality of Prototype and Technical Implementation Final Presentation and Demonstration Rules: All submissions must be original work created by the participating team. Teams must independently identify and define the problem they wish to address within the given challenge domain. Any sources, datasets, research or existing solutions used by the team should be appropriately acknowledged. The use of AI tools is permitted; teams may use tools such as ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and other AI systems during the hackathon. Teams may be required to disclose how AI tools were used during the development of their solution. Teams must adhere to all submission deadlines and competition guidelines. Participants are expected to maintain meaningful contributions to their team's work. Organizers reserve the right to modify timelines, evaluation procedures or event details if required. The decision of the jury and organizing committee will be final and binding. Registration Fee: Registration Fee: Nil The hackathon is free for all participants. Prizes: Total Prize Pool: ₹20,000 First Prize: ₹10,000 Second Prize: ₹6,000 Third Prize: ₹4,000 Opportunities: Explore and identify real-world problems within a broad public-good challenge domain. Develop solutions to problems that you discover and define yourself. Receive mentorship and feedback from experts. Collaborate with participants from different disciplines and institutions. Build and showcase a functional AI prototype. Develop solutions with potential for further open-source development. Network with researchers, academics and industry professionals. Get an opportunity to take an idea from problem discovery to a working solution. Important Links Join the Official WhatsApp Community:https://chat.whatsapp.com/Dg8oXTQDiH8JqPhQQpJpt8