Hackathon Paradise 2026 – Artificial Intelligence Innovation Challenge

Hackathon Paradise 2026 is a professional, college-level Artificial Intelligence innovation challenge designed to encourage structured problem-solving, research-oriented development, and scalable AI system design. The event aims to provide participants with hands-on exposure to real-world AI applications across sustainability, cybersecurity, healthcare, urban systems, governance, autonomous technologies, and public impact domains. This hackathon is structured to simulate real industry and research environments where participants identify a defined problem, design a systematic AI-based solution, develop a working prototype, validate performance, and present measurable outcomes. The objective is to bridge academic knowledge with practical implementation. Participants will gain technical exposure, portfolio-building opportunities, and structured project experience aligned with internship-level expectations in AI system development. Official Problem Statements (Choose Any ONE) Participants must select any one of the following problem statements and build an AI-driven solution aligned with the selected domain. AI for Sustainable Infrastructure & Climate Resilience AI-Enabled Cybersecurity & Digital Trust AI-Powered Healthcare Intelligence Smart Urban Intelligence Systems Responsible & Explainable AI Governance Autonomous Intelligent Decision Systems AI for Social Equity & Public Impact The selected problem statement must remain consistent throughout all rounds. Teams will indicate their chosen problem statement during registration. How the Hackathon Works: The competition is structured in two phases to simulate real-world project development. In the first phase, teams must clearly define the problem scope, outline their AI methodology, present a system architecture overview, and explain the expected impact. Submissions will be screened for clarity, feasibility, and technical depth. Shortlisted teams will proceed to the final development phase, where they must build a functional AI prototype within the specified duration. Teams must demonstrate model implementation, validation methodology, performance metrics, and practical feasibility. The final submission must include working code, documentation, and a structured demonstration of the solution. Internship-Level Exposure & Learning Outcomes: This hackathon is designed to function similarly to an applied AI internship experience. Participants will gain: Hands-on exposure to AI system architecture design Experience in model training, validation, and evaluation Understanding of responsible AI deployment practices Practical implementation skills beyond theoretical coursework Structured project documentation and presentation skills Top-performing teams may receive recognition for technical excellence and innovation. Eligibility Criteria: The hackathon is open to currently enrolled undergraduate and postgraduate college students from recognized institutions. Participation is strictly team-based, with a minimum of 2 members and a maximum of 4 members per team. Individual participation is not permitted. A participant may be part of only one team. All rounds will be conducted in online mode. Certification and Recognition: All eligible participants who successfully complete the hackathon will receive official digital certificates recognizing their participation in the Artificial Intelligence Innovation Challenge. Top-performing teams will receive merit-based recognition for technical excellence, innovation, and implementation quality. Certificates will include official event details along with sponsor acknowledgment. Outstanding teams may also be considered for internship opportunities, project incubation support, or further technical collaboration discussions, subject to evaluation standards and sponsor discretion. The hackathon is designed to simulate real-world internship-level project development, providing participants with structured exposure to applied AI system design and professional presentation practices.