ET AI Hackathon 2.0

The ET AI Hackathon 2.0, in partnership with Unstop, is a flagship nation-scale innovation challenge designed to discover and celebrate India’s brightest emerging AI talent. Building on the success of its first edition, this platform brings together sharp minds to solve real-world AI problem statements across business innovation, social impact, and open innovation domains.

Who Should Apply This hackathon is open to students, professionals, and AI enthusiasts across India. Participants can join individually or form teams of 1 to 4 members. Cross-college, cross-discipline, and cross-year teams are encouraged. It is ideal for developers, designers, and product thinkers passionate about building impactful AI solutions.

Tracks / Themes Participants will tackle real-world AI challenges categorized into:

• Business Innovation
• Social Impact
• Open Innovation

Format & Timeline The hackathon unfolds across a multi-phase journey. It begins with an online AI assessment to test foundational knowledge. Qualified teams then advance into an intensive prototype build sprint, where they develop their AI solutions. The journey culminates in a high-energy Grand Finale where top teams present their transformative AI solutions to an industry jury.

Prizes The total prize pool for ET AI Hackathon 2.0 is ₹10,00,000, distributed as follows:

• Winner: ₹5,00,000
• 1st Runner-Up: ₹3,00,000
• 2nd Runner-Up: ₹2,00,000

Beyond the cash prizes, top-performing candidates will gain opportunities for Pre-Placement Interviews (PPIs), internships, and jobs with leading AI-first companies. All participants who successfully submit in Phase 2 will receive a Certificate of Participation, and finalists and winners will receive national recognition across ET platforms. Finalists also get direct access to industry experts, founders, and AI practitioners, with opportunities to present their ideas to industry leaders and hiring teams.

Eligibility Open to students, professionals, and AI enthusiasts across India. Teams must consist of 1 to 4 members. Each participant can be part of only one team. All ideas, code, documents, and assets must be original and created during the hackathon. Plagiarism or use of pre-built projects will lead to disqualification.

How to Apply Participants must register on the Unstop platform and form their teams before the Phase 1 assessment. The journey involves completing an MCQ assessment, getting shortlisted for Phase 2, picking a problem statement, building and submitting a prototype, and finally, presenting at the Grand Finale.