In one year I competed at IIT Roorkee, IIT Kanpur, CSJMU and a community event run by MeetKats. They were all different in format, seriousness and what winning meant. Students ask me where to find hackathons; the better question is how to choose them.
Where events are announced
- College fest websites and their Instagram pages — technical fests at IITs, NITs and state universities run hackathons as flagship events.
- Hackathon platforms and listing sites where organisers post problem statements and registration.
- Developer communities — local groups like MeetKats in Kanpur, GDG chapters, campus clubs and LinkedIn communities such as TechVerse Enclave.
- Company-run events tied to a product or API, often with mentors from the company.
Signs of a serious event
- Named judges with real credentials and a published rubric.
- Problem statements with a user in them, not just a technology.
- Mentors available during the build, not only at the opening ceremony.
- Prizes that are stated precisely, and a schedule that includes rest.
Signs of a certificate mill
- A registration fee with no venue, mentors or judges named.
- "Participation certificate guaranteed" as the headline benefit.
- Judging by online vote.
Plan a season, not a spree
Two or three good events a semester beats ten weak ones. Pick one that is a stretch (a bigger institute, a harder theme), one that is local and repeatable, and one in a domain you care about. Between events, keep shipping the best project — Annapurna went from a BYTEBATTLE prototype to a real platform because we kept working on it (see after the hackathon).
And if your college is organising one and wants a judge or a mentor who has been on both sides recently, the invitation checklist is in inviting a hackathon judge.
— Pranjul Rathour, GenAI Engineer from Kanpur, India. Open to GenAI roles, hackathon judging, mentorship sessions and guest talks at any campus: pranjulrathour41@gmail.com.