Hackspiration' 26

Hackspiration' 26 is a high-impact Web3 hackathon where students and developers come together to turn bold ideas into real, working decentralized applications on the Algorand blockchain. And the best part? It’s 100% FREE to participate, zero entry fee.Organized in collaboration with Algorand as the title sponsor, this hackathon is all about building at the intersection of Blockchain, Finance, and Artificial Intelligence, and exploring real-world use cases powered by Algorand’s fast, secure, and scalable infrastructure.With a total prize pool of ₹60,000, Hackspiration challenges participants to ideate, develop, and deploy solutions across two focused tracks: Decentralized Finance and AI on Blockchain.Whether you’re new to Web3 or already building, Hackspiration is your chance to learn, build, compete, and take your first step into the Algorand ecosystem.Discord:  https://discord.gg/zRFTss2UzWhatsapp Community: https://chat.whatsapp.com/KQFLCu0H5Ep2FrCzx8sZx4 Rewards & Prizes (₹60,000 Prize Pool): Winner: ₹20,000 Runner-Up: ₹10,000 Special Mention Awards: AI Grants for outstanding projects in each track Additional benefits: Certificates of Merit for finalist teams Mentorship and exposure to the Algorand ecosystem Lunch and snacks on Final Day of Hack. Exclusive swags and goodies for participating teams Networking opportunities with Web3 builders and mentors Eligibility Criteria Open to students and developers across India. Participants must register in teams of 1–4 members. Inter-department, inter-college teams allowed. Each participant may be part of only one team. All projects must be built on the Algorand blockchain. Hackathon Tracks: Track 1: Future of Finance: Students and campus communities rely heavily on cashless payments, shared expenses, event ticketing, and fundraising platforms that are controlled by centralized intermediaries. These systems often lack transparency, charge unnecessary fees, and provide limited control to users. The challenge is to design simple, user-friendly decentralized applications on Algorand that enable students to send and receive payments, split expenses, save funds, raise money, and manage event access using blockchain wallets, tokens, and smart contracts. Solutions should focus on real campus use cases, low transaction complexity, and clear user experience rather than advanced financial mechanisms. Track 2: AI and Automation in Blockchain: Campus systems such as voting, attendance tracking, feedback collection, certification, and group coordination often suffer from lack of trust, manual verification, data tampering, and privacy concerns. Centralized systems require users to trust authorities while offering little transparency or auditability. The challenge is to build beginner-friendly blockchain applications on Algorand that improve trust, verification, and coordination for campus activities. Solutions should demonstrate how blockchain can enable fair participation, verifiable records, privacy-preserving systems, and simple automation without relying on centralized control.Presentation Template: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1Ns74rGOvzLxtAvUFik8UcUj2NCA7inKd/edit?usp=drive_link&ouid=113754875439130301439&rtpof=true&sd=true  Rules and Guidelines: Team formation must be completed within the registration window. No changes to team members will be allowed after registration closes. All code, documents, and assets must be original and created during the hackathon period. Pre-built projects or plagiarism will lead to immediate disqualification. Open-source tools, libraries, and frameworks are allowed. Participants may use licensed tools or datasets only if they have valid authorization. Projects must be deployed or demonstrated on the Algorand blockchain. The organizing committee reserves the right to disqualify teams violating rules or ethical guidelines. Judging Criteria: Projects will be evaluated based on: Technical implementation and code quality in the submitted GitHub repository. Effective and justified use of Algorand blockchain features. Relevance of the solution to the chosen problem statement. Feasibility and scalability of the proposed solution. Clarity of documentation and final presentation. Timeline: 3 Feb 2026 Phase 1: Registration & Submissions Begin Team registrations and project idea submissions open for both hackathon tracks. Teams can start preparing and refining their ideas. 10 Feb 2026 Phase 2: Registration Deadline Last date to register for the hackathon. No new team registrations will be accepted after this date. 12 Feb 2026 Phase 3: Idea Submission Deadline Registered teams must submit their final project ideas aligned with one of the two tracks. Submissions will be evaluated for clarity, feasibility, and relevance. 13 Feb 2026 Phase 4: Shortlisting of Top 30 Teams Top 30 teams will be shortlisted based on idea evaluation and announced for the hackathon. 14 Feb 2026 Phase 5: Hackathon Kick-off & Mentoring (Online) The hackathon officially begins with an opening session followed by online mentoring to help teams refine their approach and technical implementation. 15 Feb 2026 Phase 6: Offline Hackathon & Final Evaluation (VIT, Pune) Shortlisted teams will build, demo, and present their projects offline before the jury panel. 15 Feb 2026 Phase 7: Prize Distribution & Closing Ceremony Winners and special mention teams will be announced, followed by the closing ceremony and certificate distribution. Note: Detailed schedule for 14th and 15th February will be shared shortly.