Upcoming hackathons in India for students: 2026–27 guide

Upcoming hackathons in India are announced in a dozen places at once: platforms like Unstop and Devfolio, college fest pages, company career sites, Instagram posts and WhatsApp groups. If you’re a student looking for hackathons in India in 2026 and 2027, the hard part isn’t a shortage of events. It’s seeing them in time, before registration closes. This guide covers where hackathons for students in India are listed, how the main platforms differ, what each part of the academic year tends to look like and a simple weekly routine so you stop hearing about good events a day too late.

Where are upcoming hackathons in India announced?

Most events show up in at least one of these places:

• Listing platforms. Unstop, Devfolio, Devpost, MLH and HackerEarth host or list a large share of student hackathons.
• College websites and fest pages. Tech fests and coding clubs often run hackathons that are announced only on their own site or social handles.
• Company and community pages. Startups, developer communities and larger tech companies run hackathons to find talent or get developers to try a product.
• Government and institutional programmes. National events such as Smart India Hackathon usually begin with internal rounds inside colleges, so keep an eye on your own institute’s notices as well.
• Social media and chat groups. Instagram and LinkedIn posts, plus WhatsApp, Discord and Telegram groups, are where many smaller college events spread first.

Checking all of these every week is a chore. That’s why HackathonFinder brings them into one list with filters for city, theme, deadline, team size, mode and prize. Each listing links back to its source, so you always register on the organiser’s own page.

How do Unstop, Devfolio, Devpost, MLH and HackerEarth compare?

Each platform has its own flavour. These are broad patterns rather than rules, and any platform can host any kind of event.

Unstop

An Indian platform that lists hackathons alongside case competitions, quizzes and hiring challenges. Many company-sponsored and college-run events use it, and multi-round formats are common: an online idea or quiz round first, then a shortlist for the build round.

Devfolio

Popular with student-run hackathons in India, including many in-person events organised by college communities. You build a profile once and apply to events with it. Some events review applications before confirming your place, so a filled-in profile with links to past work helps.

Devpost

A global platform with a lot of online hackathons run by companies and communities. It’s useful when you want events you can join from anywhere, but deadlines are often shown in a foreign time zone, so convert them to IST carefully.

MLH

Major League Hacking is a student hackathon league. It partners with member events around the world, including some in India, and runs its own online events. MLH-affiliated events follow a shared code of conduct, which many first-timers find reassuring.

HackerEarth

Known for company-run hackathons and coding challenges that are often linked to hiring. Worth watching if you’re in your final year or a recent graduate and want events where recruiters are actually paying attention.

You don’t have to pick one. Most active students end up with accounts on two or three. The real problem is keeping track of deadlines spread across all of them, which is where a single list and a calendar view help.

What does each season of the year usually look like?

Every year is different and organisers move dates around, but the Indian academic calendar does create some patterns worth knowing.

July to September: a new semester

Colleges reopen, clubs recruit new members and internal hackathons start up. It’s a good window for first-years and second-years to try a small campus event. Some national programmes run their internal college rounds around this time too.

October to December: busy and crowded

Plenty of college and community events cluster here, alongside open-source drives. Mid-semester exams also land in this stretch, so check event dates against your academic calendar before you commit.

January to March: fest season

Many college tech fests happen in these months, and fests often include offline hackathons, sometimes with overnight venues or travel support. If you want the full in-person experience, this is often the richest window.

April to June: exams, then summer

End-semester exams make April and May quieter for offline events. Once exams are over, online hackathons and company challenges tend to fill the summer, which suits students who are at home and have time to build.

Treat these as tendencies, not a timetable. The only dates you can rely on are the ones on the organiser’s official page.

How do you find hackathons for students in India before deadlines pass?

A ten-minute routine once a week is enough for most students:

1. Start from one list. Open all hackathons and filter by what matters to you: online or offline, your city, a theme, free entry or team size.
2. Sort by deadline. Registration often closes weeks before the event itself. Sorting by the closest deadline shows what needs action this week.
3. Check what’s close by. Hackathons near me shows in-person events nearest first, so you can spot ones you can reach without a long trip.
4. Plan on the calendar. The calendar puts events side by side, so clashes with internals, fests or other hackathons are easy to see.
5. Save and track. Save the events you like and move each one from saved to registered to submitted as you go.
6. Let the list come to you. The weekly digest sends open hackathons for your cities and themes, plus deadlines closing soon, every Monday.

Which hackathons should you actually pick?

Choose based on what you want from the event, not the biggest prize on the page.

• To learn: beginner-friendly online events with mentors and a longer build window. Our guide to free online hackathons for beginners covers where to start.
• To meet people: offline events in or near your city. The online vs offline guide walks through the trade-offs.
• For your resume: any event where you can finish something real and demo it. Finishing matters more than the event’s size.
• For a specific field: filter by theme, such as AI/ML, fintech, healthtech or climate, and look for events with tracks that match.

Short of teammates? Post on the Team Finder board with your skills and the event you have in mind. Before registering anywhere, run through our checklist before you register: eligibility, fees, dates, team rules and submission format.

How do you avoid fake or outdated listings?

The most common trap isn’t a scam. It’s an old page from last year’s edition that still ranks in search results. Check the year on every date, look for a named organiser and an official page, and be wary of anyone asking for fees through a personal payment link or an unofficial form.

On HackathonFinder every listing shows its source and a “last checked” time, and duplicates from different platforms are merged into one card. You can read more in how HackathonFinder finds hackathons. If you spot an event we’ve missed, or one that looks wrong, submit it or raise it in the community.

Frequently asked questions

Where can I find upcoming hackathons in India?

On listing platforms such as Unstop, Devfolio, Devpost, MLH and HackerEarth, on college fest and club pages, and on social media. HackathonFinder brings these into one searchable list with filters for city, theme, deadline, team size and prize, and links every listing back to its source.

Are there hackathons for first-year students in India?

Yes. Many college, community and online hackathons are open to all years, and some are aimed at beginners. Check the eligibility section on the organiser’s page, because a few events are limited to certain years, branches or colleges.

When do most hackathons happen in India?

They run all year, but some patterns repeat. Campus events pick up after colleges reopen, many tech fests with offline hackathons fall between January and March, and online events tend to fill the summer break. Always confirm exact dates on the official page.

Do I have to pay to join a hackathon?

Many hackathons are free to enter. Some charge a fee per person or per team, especially offline events that include food or stay. Use the free filter on HackathonFinder if you only want free events, and never pay through an unofficial channel.

Which hackathon platform is best for Indian students?

There isn’t a single best one. Unstop and Devfolio carry many Indian events, Devpost and MLH are strong for online and international ones, and HackerEarth is often linked to hiring. Most students use two or three, or one aggregator that covers them all.