📌About the Event

ORION 1.0 – Nationwide Hackathon is a two-stage innovation and technology competition organized by Microsoft Club SIST at Sathyabama Institute of Science and Technology (SIST), Chennai. Participants first compete in an online qualifier by proposing solutions to predefined problem statements or an open-innovation challenge. The Top 70 teams advance to a 24-hour offline hackathon at the SIST Chennai campus, where they build, validate, and defend their solutions before a jury

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ℹ️ Event Details

• Format: Two-stage hackathon – Online Qualifier + Offline Grand Finale.
• Round 1: Online idea/solution submission.
• Round 2: 24-hour offline hackathon at Sathyabama Institute of Science and Technology, Chennai.
• Finalists: Top 70 teams from the online qualifier.
• Team Size: 2–6 members.
• Teams can choose from 3 flagship problem statements or the Open Innovation track.
• Open-innovation areas include AI, Web3, cybersecurity, cloud, healthcare, IoT/hardware and other emerging technologies.

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📅 Important Dates

• Registration Deadline: 8 September 2026
• Round 1 / Online Qualifier: September 2026
• Jury Screening: 9–12 September 2026
• Top 70 Finalists Announcement: 13 September 2026
• Finalist Confirmation: 14–16 September 2026
• 24-Hour Offline Grand Finale: 18–19 September 2026

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🎯 Eligibility & Rules

• Eligibilty:
• Open to student participants across India.
• Teams must have minimum 2 and maximum 6 members.
• Each participant can be part of only one team.
• Participants may be required to show a valid college/university ID during the finale.
• Only the Top 70 teams qualify for the offline round

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🏆 Benefits for the Participants

• Total Prize Pool: ₹1,00,000
• Winner: ₹25,000 cash prize
• 1st Runner-up: ₹15,000
• 2nd Runner-up: ₹10,000
• Special recognitions include:
• Best AI Innovation
• Best UI/UX Experience
• Best Hardware Prototype
• Best Pitch & Architecture