The Arch: RAG and Agentic AI Hackathon, hosted on Unstop by the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kharagpur, is a high-stakes engineering challenge designed for the brightest minds in India. This competition pushes participants to build scalable, production-ready Agentic AI and Advanced RAG (Retrieval-Augmented Generation) frameworks. It's a comprehensive full-stack technical and business challenge, where the goal is to architect systems that demonstrate absolute contextual fidelity under rigorous stress tests and deliver clear, real-world utility, moving beyond basic wrappers.
Who Should Apply
This hackathon is open to all undergraduate and postgraduate students across India, regardless of their college, university, or academic background (including B.Tech, M.Tech, MBA, Statistics, etc.). While no prior production-level AI experience is strictly required, a strong technical grounding is highly recommended for participants to excel.
Team Structure
Teams must consist of 1 to 3 members. Inter-college teams and inter-specialization teams are highly encouraged to foster diverse perspectives and skill sets. Each participant can register with only one team; duplicate registrations will lead to disqualification. All team members must have an active Unstop account.
Problem Statement & Tracks
Participants are required to select one of the following domain tracks around which to build their AI system:
- Healthcare
- Finance
- FMCG (Fast-Moving Consumer Goods)
- Entertainment
- Manufacturing
- Legal Services
Evaluation Structure
The competition features a two-round evaluation process:
- Round 1: Architecture & Implementation Submission
Teams must submit a comprehensive case study in a PPT format (maximum 20 slides), production-ready code via a GitHub repository, and a live working demo link of their solution.
- Round 2: Grand Finale Presentation
Shortlisted teams will present their solutions live for 12 minutes, followed by an 8-minute Q&A session with an expert panel of judges.
Prizes
The winning team will be awarded a cash prize of ₹45,000.
How to Apply
Registration for The Arch hackathon closes on June 13, 2026. Interested students should register their teams through the official Unstop competition page.
