National Hackathon: Tech for Agriculture

The ACM Student Chapter of Jain (Deemed-to-be University), Bengaluru, in association with IBM, proudly presents the National Hackathon: Tech for Agriculture, a one-day national-level innovation challenge aimed at leveraging technology to solve real-world agricultural problems. The hackathon seeks to bring together student innovators from across the country to develop impactful solutions addressing challenges in sustainable agriculture, food security, farmer empowerment, and smart resource management. Participants will design and build functional prototypes aligned with key thematic tracks such as AI for Zero Hunger, Climate Smart Agriculture, Water Intelligence for Farming, Sustainable Supply Chains, Crop Health Monitoring, and Smart Price Prediction Systems. The competition will be conducted in two phases: an online screening round followed by an offline grand finale at Jain (Deemed-to-be University), Bengaluru. Eligibility Criteria: Open to undergraduate and postgraduate students from any recognized institution in India. Participants must register in teams. Each team must consist of 2 to 4 members. Interdisciplinary teams are encouraged. Each participant can be part of only one team. Team Rules: All members must be currently enrolled students. One member must be designated as the Team Leader. Teams must ensure original work; plagiarism will lead to disqualification. Solutions should align with at least one hackathon theme. Hackathon Themes: To encourage focused and impact-driven innovation, the hackathon will feature the following thematic tracks: AI for Zero Hunger – AI solutions to improve crop productivity, reduce food wastage, and strengthen food distribution. Climate Smart Agriculture – Technologies supporting climate-resilient and sustainable farming practices. Water Intelligence for Farming – Smart irrigation and water optimization systems. Sustainable Supply Chains & Fair Pricing – Solutions for transparent logistics and better market access for farmers. AI-Driven Crop Health & Pest Management – Intelligent systems for crop monitoring and early pest detection. Smart Price Prediction & Crop Planning – Data-driven tools for market forecasting and crop planning. Open Innovation – Any impactful solution benefiting agriculture, farmers, and rural livelihoods. Hackathon Structure: Phase 1 – Online Screening Round All submissions will be evaluated by the review panel based on the following criteria: Problem Relevance & Theme Alignment – 20 Marks Innovation & Uniqueness – 20 Marks Technical Feasibility – 15 Marks Impact on Farmers & Rural Livelihood – 15 Marks Accessibility, Language & Inclusivity – 30 Marks Based on the evaluation, the Top 30 teams will be shortlisted for the offline grand finale. Phase 2 – Offline Grand Finale Judging The offline evaluation will be conducted in two stages by a distinguished panel of IBM industry experts. Stage 1 – Prototype Evaluation Round (Total: 100 Marks) Teams will present their working solutions and will be evaluated based on: Working Prototype & Implementation – 20 Marks Real-World Applicability – 20 Marks Accessibility & Language Enablement – 25 Marks Impact, Scalability & Sustainability – 15 Marks Presentation & Jury Q&A – 20 Marks Based on this stage, top-performing teams will advance to the final selection stage. Stage 2 – Final Jury Deliberation In this stage, the jury panel will conduct a comparative evaluation of shortlisted teams based on overall performance, innovation depth, feasibility, and real-world impact to determine the final winner and runnerup. Note: Active ACM Student Chapter members will receive a 20% cashback on the registration fee, which will be processed within 14 days after the completion of the event. (Kindly fill this form to claim, TOS applied - https://forms.gle/UaHSuURWoKLuvcFZ6) Additional Rules: All solutions must align with at least one of the specified hackathon themes. Submissions must be original and developed specifically for this hackathon. Shortlisted teams must be available to participate in the offline finale in Bengaluru. The intellectual property rights of the winning solutions will remain with Jain (Deemed-to-be University) for further development and implementation. The decision of the jury panel will be final and binding. Notes: All Participants will get participation certificates, winner and runner up team will receive cash prize along with trophies.