Format, judging, and what you can win.
Format
A national, on-site hackathon across two days at BSides Ahmedabad. You register as a team, pick a problem, and if shortlisted, you receive the full brief and sample data ahead of the event so you arrive ready to build. The build sprint runs across 26 and 27 September, with final demonstrations, judging, and awards on the 27th.
Who can take part
Anyone in India, from students to seasoned professionals. Teams of two to four. Free to enter. You choose one of two tracks at registration.
Fit and relevance to the problem statement
Technical soundness and security rigour
Feasibility and deployability
Innovation and originality
Demonstration and clarity
₹50,000
Cash prize
per track
₹25,000
Cash prize
per track
₹10,000
Cash prize
per track
Beyond the prize, this is work that goes toward strengthening the country’s cyber defenses. The strongest solutions also get an incubation window with PSY9 mentorship, fast-tracked interviews and internships through partners, recognition and certificates, and entry to a vetted talent pool the wider ecosystem can hire from.
All work is done in sandboxed or synthetic environments. No probing of live production systems. Responsible disclosure and DPDP-compliant data handling are built in. Shortlisted teams sign conduct, IP, and data agreements before the event.