EchoSphere 2026
KNOTiC
📌About the Event
EchoSphere 2026 is a hybrid conversational AI hackathon hosted by KNOTiC for students, developers, researchers, startups, and AI enthusiasts. Participants must build a functional, real-time voice AI solution using Agora Conversational AI as the primary interaction layer. Teams will compete across five problem statements, receive online mentorship, and present their prototypes through online evaluations, with finalists advancing to an offline Grand Finale in Delhi.
ℹ️ Event Details
- Mode: Hybrid
- Online stages: Registration, idea screening, mentorship, development, project submission and evaluation
- Offline stage: Grand Finale in Delhi
- Team size: 2–4 members
- Core technology: Agora Conversational AI must be the primary real-time voice interaction platform.
- Additional tools allowed: LLMs, speech models, vector databases, cloud platforms, APIs and backend technologies
- Total prize pool: $3,000
📅 Important Dates
- Registration opens: July 21, 2026
- Registration closes: August 25, 2026
- Idea submission and screening: August 26–28, 2026
- Online mentorship and development sprint: August 29–September 3, 2026
- Final project submission: September 4, 2026, by 11:59 PM IST
- Online evaluation: September 5–6, 2026
- Finalists announcement: September 7, 2026
- Finale preparation: September 8–11, 2026
- Offline Grand Finale: September 12, 2026, in Delhi
🎯 Eligibility & Rules
- Eligibilty:
- Open to students, professionals, researchers, startups and independent developers.
- Participants should be interested in AI, voice AI, conversational AI or software development.
- Each team must have 2–4 members.
- Both beginners and experienced AI developers can participate.
- Teams must select one of the five official problem statements.
- Agora Conversational AI must remain central to the solution.
- A basic chatbot wrapped with speech-to-text and text-to-speech will not qualify.
- Projects must demonstrate real-time conversation, interruption handling, contextual memory, API or tool integration and at least one meaningful action.
🏆 Benefits for the Participants
- Winner: $1,100
- First runner-up: $800
- Second runner-up: $600
- Third runner-up: $500
- Total prize pool: $3,000
- Eligible participants will receive participation certificates.
- Finalists and winners will receive special recognition.
- Participants will also receive workshops, technical mentorship and expert guidance.