
Saturday, 25 April 2026 — 26 April 2026
Prize Pool
₹65,000
Registration Deadline
24 Apr 2026
Team Size
1 – 4 members
BugBash 2026 is a high-intensity 24-hour national hackathon organised by Newton School of Technology in Bengaluru, Karnataka. This innovation sprint focuses on problem-solving, debugging, and
building impactful tech solutions, with a strong emphasis on AI and practical implementation. It challenges participants not just to build, but to break, fix, and improve systems under pressure. Who Should Apply Open to undergraduate and postgraduate students, both solo participants and teams of up to 4 members. Cross-college teams are allowed, encouraging diverse collaboration. Tracks / Themes Participants can choose from two distinct tracks: Track 1 — Build an AI Agent: Design and develop an autonomous AI system capable of identifying, analyzing, and solving real-world workflow problems independently. Track 2 — Build Something Using AI: Create a functional product where AI plays a central role in solving a defined problem or improving an existing system. Official problem statements will be revealed at the start of the hackathon. Format & Timeline The hackathon runs continuously for 24 hours, commencing at 12:00 PM on April 25th, 2026, and concluding at 1:00 PM on April 26th, 2026. The event includes an opening ceremony and problem statement reveal, three mini-challenges (debugging / rapid build rounds) during the event, a final submission window before Hour 23, and final judging and a closing ceremony at Hour 24. Prizes A total cash prize pool of ₹65,000 is available, distributed among the top winners. The 1st Prize winner receives ₹40,000, winner certificates, and exclusive goodies. The 2nd Prize winner receives ₹25,000, certificates, and goodies. Runner-ups will receive goodies and certificates. All finalists will receive certificates and may be considered for networking or internship opportunities (subject to availability). Additional awards include Best Debugging Solution, Best Innovation, Best Social Impact, and Mini-Challenge Champion. Eligibility Open to undergraduate and postgraduate students. Teams can consist of 1 to 4 members (solo participants are allowed). Each participant can be part of only one team. A valid college ID or government ID is mandatory for registration. How to Apply Registration requires a valid college or government ID and confirmation. Participants are strongly advised to review the official rulebook before the event. The registration deadline is April 24, 2026.
Open to undergraduate and postgraduate students. Teams can consist of 1–4 members, including solo participants. Cross-college teams are permitted.
1st Prize
₹40,000 + Winner Certificates + Exclusive Goodies
2nd Prize
₹25,000 + Certificates + Goodies
Runner Ups
Goodies + Certificates
Participation
Certificates for all participants
Prize Pool
₹65,000
Registration Deadline
24 Apr 2026
Team Size
1 – 4 members
Up to ₹10L equity-free seed support + TBI 2.0 incubation at KLE Tech Belagavi — for MedTech, AgriTech, AI/ML & Smart Manufacturing founders across Karnataka, Goa & Maharashtra.
₹3–5L equity-free grant + 4-week AI prototype sprint for Andhra Pradesh startups & MSMEs.
Maritime startup seed grant of up to 30 Lakhs by IIMK LIVE and Cochin Shipyard Ltd
Platform for early-stage women founders with 33%+ equity to learn, connect, and scale.
Up to ₹1 Cr in grant, debt, or equity for healthtech and climate-tech startups at TRL 4+.
4-month virtual accelerator for revenue-generating women-led startups by ISB I-Venture.
Non-dilutive pre-seed grant up to 5L for farmers, students, youth with agri-business ideas.
Non-dilutive seed grant up to 25L (85% funding) for MVP-stage agri startups at R-ABI incubators.
Non-dilutive student grant up to 4L per student for transforming agri-business ideas into ventures.
Prototype grant up to ₹10L from NIT Srinagar's DST-iTBI incubator (GIF) for science & tech-based startup ideas.
Notion for Startups
Rs. 5 Lakhs+ in Notion creditsZoho for Startups
Up to ₹1.86 lakhs in Zoho Wallet credits (Stage 1 + Stage 2)Google for Startups Cloud Program
Up to $350,000 in Google Cloud credits over 2 yearsMicrosoft for Startups Founders Hub
Up to $150,000 in Azure creditsHuawei Cloud Startup Program
Up to $150,000 in Huawei Cloud cash credit vouchersMixpanel for Startups
Up to $145,000 (first year free on the Startup Plan)Razorpay Startup Perks
Up to ₹1 Cr in benefits (VC-funded: ₹30L domestic + ₹20L intl payment credits + ₹50L SaaS benefits; Angel-funded: ₹3L + ₹3L payments + ₹20L SaaS)Akamai Cloud Rise Start-Up Program
Up to $120,000 in cloud credits in year oneDigitalOcean Hatch
Up to $10,000/month in DigitalOcean credits for 12 months (AI-native startups)IBM for Startups
Up to $120,000 in IBM Cloud creditsAWS Activate
Up to $100,000 in AWS Activate Credits (Portfolio); $1,000 (Founders)Datadog for Startups
Up to $100,000 in credits over one yearOpenAI Developer Community — Aman Mogal
Marwadi University (MU), Gujarat
Hackhere
sans
Ministry of Tribal Affairs (Government of India) via Startup India
Ministry of Tribal Affairs, Government of India
Splunk
Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Bombay

