Plain-language summary
Written in plain language. Where a detail has not been decided yet, this page says so rather than guessing.
About the event
RISE Hackathon 2026 is jointly hosted by The Pupil Saveetha Eco School and The Pupil International School. By registering a team, the Team Leader confirms that the team has read and accepts these terms and the Code of Conduct.
Who can take part
- Students in Grades 6–11.
- Teams of 1 to 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.
- There are 5 challenge tracks. The final shortlist selects the Top 20 teams under each track.
Registering
One member signs in as Team Leader and registers the whole team online, entering every member’s details and choosing one challenge track. Other members do not need an account. The Team Leader confirms that every member is eligible and that each member’s school or parent is aware of the registration. See Register.
Rounds and dates
- Registration (12–31 Oct): register your team, then submit for Round 1. Round 1 needs BOTH: your idea abstract (up to 500 words) AND your 6-slide presentation, shared as a Google Drive link. The presentation is required. Team registration, the abstract and the presentation all close on 31 October 2026; creating a team close to the deadline does not guarantee enough time to finish them.
- Round 1 shortlist (4 Nov): selected abstract teams are announced.
- Prototype video (5–14 Nov): shortlisted teams share a Google Drive, YouTube or Vimeo link to a video of their prototype working.
- Finalists (17 Nov): the Top 20 teams of each track are announced, followed by industry mentoring and final prototype development (17–24 Nov).
- The Grand Finale is on 28 November 2026: inauguration, a working session, final evaluation before the jury and the valedictory ceremony.
Late submissions are not guaranteed to be evaluated. See the full timeline.
Your own work
Work submitted must be the team’s own. Any open-source parts, libraries or tutorials used must be cited. Mentors guide teams; students remain responsible for the solution.
Evaluation
Each round is marked on its own published 100-mark rubric (see Guidelines). Mentoring is not scored and payment never affects scores. The decisions of the organisers and the jury are final.
Cost
Teams selected as finalists confirm participation with one ₹500 payment per team, made once by the Team Leader, whether the team has 1, 2 or 3 students. Payment opens only after the Top 20 announcement on 17 November 2026 and must be completed before 24 November 2026. Refund terms are to be confirmed by the organisers. The full rules are in the Payment Policy.
Mentoring slot booking is locked until the payment succeeds and unlocks automatically afterwards. Each finalist team gets one 15-minute industry mentoring session.
Bonafide 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.
Recognition
Outstanding teams are recognised through certificates, mementos and organiser- or partner-supported gifts, as confirmed by the organisers. No cash amount is attached to recognition.
Changes to the event
The organisers may change dates, rules or arrangements if they need to. Any change will be announced by the organisers.
Ownership of project work and use of material
Who owns a team’s project work, and whether the organisers may show submissions, photographs or recordings publicly, has not been decided. The organisers will state this clearly, and ask for any consent that is needed, before it applies.
Personal information
How information about teams and students is handled is explained in the Privacy Notice.
Questions
Write to the official email, the one channel for registration, submissions, eligibility, payments and event instructions: risehackathon.support@thepupil.in