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Ministry of Education Innovation Cell + AICTE · HackathonSmart India Hackathon 2026
The Government of India's flagship national hackathon — and the window to get in is right now: colleges run their internal selection rounds through September, and only the teams your college nominates reach the national stage. Ask your SPOC this week, not next month.
Dates & timeline
Prizes
- ₹1,00,000 per winning team per problem statement in the 2024 software edition
- 2026 prize amounts not yet published on sih.gov.in — confirm on the portal
- Government of India's flagship hackathon, running since 2017
- Each college nominates a maximum of 30 teams + 5 waitlisted from its internal round
Why it's worth your time
Smart India Hackathon is the largest hackathon in the country, run by the Ministry of Education's Innovation Cell with AICTE since 2017. Ministries and industry publish real problem statements, and student teams build working solutions against them in a 36-hour national finale.
The structure is the part most students discover too late: you cannot register yourself on sih.gov.in. Your college's SPOC runs an internal hackathon first, the college finalises its best 30 teams (plus 5 waitlisted), and only those team leaders register on the portal. Miss the internal round and your SIH is over before it starts — which is why the useful deadline is in September, months before the finale.
For a Tier-1 student the value is twofold: winning teams take home a cash prize per problem statement, and a working build against a ministry's real problem statement is a concrete, verifiable line that interviewers ask about — the problem statements and winners are public record.
How to apply
Find your college's SIH SPOC (single point of contact / faculty coordinator) — every participating institute has one registered on the portal.
Enter your college's internal hackathon this month with a team; that round decides everything.
If your college nominates your team, your team leader registers on sih.gov.in and submits your idea against a published problem statement.
Shortlisted ideas go to the 36-hour Grand Finale in December at a nodal centre.
Frequently asked questions
Can I register on sih.gov.in directly?
No. Registration flows through your college: the SPOC runs an internal hackathon, the college finalises its best 30 teams plus 5 waitlisted, and only nominated team leaders register on the portal.
Does it cost anything?
No — participation is free at every stage.
What if my college isn't running an internal hackathon?
Ask the training & placement cell or innovation cell who the registered SPOC is — colleges must conduct the internal round to nominate teams, and most Tier-1 campuses participate every year.
Official links
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