Guidelines & Rules

01Eligibility

• Open to students of Grades 6–11.
• Teams of 1–3 students, registered together by the Team Leader. You can register alone or with up to 2 teammates; a team cannot have more than 3 students.
• A student may belong to only one active team.
• The final shortlist selects the Top 20 teams under each challenge track.

02Team formation & registration

• One member signs in as Team Leader and registers the whole team on the Register page, entering every member’s details. Teammates can sign up with the email the Team Leader entered to follow the team’s progress; only the Team Leader can edit or submit.
• Choose one of the five challenge tracks.
• There is no limit on the number of teams that can register for a track.

03Rounds & submissions

• Registration opens on 12 Oct. Team registration, the Round 1 abstract and the Round 1 PPT all close on 31 October 2026. Round 1 needs BOTH: your idea abstract (up to 500 words) AND your presentation, a Google Drive link to a 6-slide deck on the official RISE template, for your selected challenge. The presentation is required; Google Slides links are not accepted.
• Register early. Creating a team close to the deadline does not guarantee enough time to finish the abstract and PPT.
• Round 1 shortlisted teams are announced on 4 Nov. Round 2 video submission opens on 5 Nov and the last date is 14 Nov.
• Round 2: share a Google Drive, YouTube or Vimeo link to a video showing the prototype working, set to “Anyone with the link” (or Unlisted on YouTube). Videos are not uploaded to this site.
• The final shortlist, Top 20 teams under each challenge track, is announced on 17 Nov. Industry mentoring and final prototype development run 17–24 Nov.
• Grand Finale (28 Nov): selected teams finalise and adapt their prototype in the working session, then demonstrate it and present their solution before the respective jury. Venue: The Pupil Saveetha Eco School, 4/68 Thiruverkkadu Road, Behind Saveetha Dental College, Poonamallee, Chennai, Tamil Nadu – 600056.
• Late submissions are not guaranteed to be evaluated. Keep a copy of everything you submit.
• Round 1 abstract: maximum 500 words.
• Each finalist team receives one 15-minute session with an industry expert. Extra guidance can be requested from Team RISE at risehackathon.support@thepupil.in.

04Originality & conduct

• Work must be the team’s own. Cite any open-source parts, libraries or tutorials you use.
• Mentors guide; they do not build, code or write presentations for teams.
• Treat teammates, mentors, jury and organisers with respect. Unsafe or disruptive behaviour can lead to disqualification.
• Follow lab and electrical safety instructions at all times.

05Evaluation

• Each round has its own 100-mark rubric (see Judging above).
• Round 1 qualifies teams for Round 2; Round 2 selects the Top 20 teams of each track; Grand Finale scores determine the awards.
• Mentoring is not scored. Payment never affects scores.
• The decisions of the organisers and jury are final.

06Cost

• Initial registration and prototype video submission need no fee.
• Teams selected as finalists confirm participation with one payment per team.
• The fee is ₹500 per team, paid once by the Team Leader, whether the team has 1, 2 or 3 students. A solo team pays the same ₹500.
• Payment opens only after the Top 20 announcement on 17 November 2026 and must be completed before 24 November 2026.
• Mentoring slot booking is locked until the payment succeeds and unlocks automatically afterwards. Each finalist team gets one 15-minute industry mentoring session.
• Refund and tax details will be published only once officially approved.

07Bonafide certificate (finalists only)

• Submission opens on 17 November 2026 with the results announcement: each selected student submits a bonafide certificate issued by their school (PDF, JPG or PNG) in the finalist dashboard. The last date is 24 November 2026. It is required for school confirmation and Grand Finale participation, and it is separate from the ₹500 payment and from mentoring booking: it does not unlock or block either.
• Detailed verification criteria will be confirmed separately. It is not asked at registration.

08Communication & privacy

• All official communication happens through risehackathon.support@thepupil.in.
• Coordinator phone/WhatsApp numbers are for quick help only; decisions and records are by email.
• Participant details are used only to run the event. Public pages never show student personal data.

09Five problem statements

There are five problem statements — one per challenge track. Each is a real problem drawn from industry and engineering practice. Teams choose one track and respond with a working solution.

• 01Robotics, Embedded Systems & AutomationDevelop an IoT-based smart packaging system that checks every component placed in a shipping box against a packing list, alerts the operator to missing or incorrect items in real time and keeps a digital record.
• 02Applied STEM & Engineering InnovationDesign an innovative energy generation or harvesting solution that captures available energy and converts it into useful power for a real-world application, using engineering, sensing, data or automation.
• 03UAVs, Aerospace & Autonomous SystemsDesign and develop a system that estimates the distance of objects across a defined field of view: at least 80° horizontally and 30° vertically. Estimating distance, not just detecting objects, is the task.
• 04Industry 6.0 & Intelligent Industrial SystemsDesign and develop an intelligent, IoT-enabled electrical fault detection and localisation system that monitors several independent electrical loads using a limited number of sensors.
• 05Open Innovation & Real-World EngineeringHave an idea that does not fit the other four challenges? This track is open. Choose any genuine problem from your school, home, community or industry and engineer a working solution. You choose the problem, the technology and the approach.

How a team works

1. Choose a track. Pick the problem that excites your team. A team works on one track only.
2. Understand the problem. Study the context: who is affected, what the constraints are, what already exists.
3. Propose a solution. Round 1 needs BOTH: an idea abstract of up to 500 words (your whole idea: the problem, methodology, approach and technical details) AND a Google Drive link to a 6-slide presentation on the official RISE template. The presentation is required. Registration, the abstract and the presentation all close on 31 October 2026.
4. Build and show it works. Round 2: share a Google Drive, YouTube or Vimeo link to a video showing your prototype working. The Top 20 teams of each track refine it with industry mentoring.
5. Adapt and defend. Grand Finale: finalise your prototype in the working session, then demonstrate it and present your solution before the jury.

How teams are judged

Every team is judged on the same three published rubrics, each out of 100: Round 1 selects teams for the prototype video stage, the prototype video selects the Top 20 teams of each track, and the Grand Finale determines the awards. Each track is judged by its own mentors. Mentoring is not scored.

What the judges look for:

• A clear understanding of the real problem
• A solution that actually works, shown with evidence
• Sound engineering and reliable execution
• Originality in the idea or approach
• The ability to explain every decision — and to adapt on the day

Mentors and experts from industry organisations (such as e-con Systems, Caterpillar and L&T) mentor the Top 20 teams and form the Grand Finale jury. These organisations are not partners or sponsors, and individual experts are not named publicly.

10Recognition & Exciting Rewards

Exciting gifts and special recognition await outstanding teams. More details about the awards will be announced by the organisers.

Award details to be announced by the organisers.

• Gifts
• Special recognition
• Certificates

11Contact

The one official channel for registration, submissions, eligibility questions, payments and event instructions:

risehackathon.support@thepupil.in