📌About the Event

Build for Billions 2026 is a 24-hour hackathon under INCUBATE 2026, NITK Surathkal, focused on building scalable, inclusive technology solutions for real-world problems that can impact millions or billions of people. The event invites student teams to work on emerging-tech solutions across areas like Agentic AI, Web3 & Privacy, and Digital Public Infrastructure, with a strong focus on accessibility, inclusion, trust, and social impact. The hackathon is jointly managed by IEEE NITK, IET NITK, and WEC at NITK Surathkal.

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ℹ️ Event Details

• Festival/Parent Event: INCUBATE 2026 – AbhyodAI, NITK Surathkal
• Event Type: 24-hour hackathon
• Mode of Conduct:
• Screening Round: Online proposal/PDF submission
• Final Hackathon: Offline 24-hour hackathon at NITK Surathkal for shortlisted teams
• Main Theme: Building technology solutions that can solve large-scale real-world problems
• Tracks:
  • Agentic AI for Billions
  • Web3 and Privacy for Billions
  • Reinvent Digital Public Infrastructure for Billions
• Team Size: 3–6 members
• Inter-College Teams: Allowed
• Shortlisting: Top 50 teams will move to the offline hackathon
• Prize Pool: ₹1,00,000

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📅 Important Dates

• Offline Hackathon Start: 26 September 2026, 10:00 AM
• Offline Hackathon End: 27 September 2026, 10:00 AM
• Final Submission Deadline: 27 September 2026, 10:00 AM
• Prize Announcement: 27 September 2026, 6:00 PM

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🎯 Eligibility & Rules

• Eligibilty:
• Open to undergraduate and postgraduate students
• Students from engineering, management, arts, commerce, science, law, medical, and other disciplines can participate
• Participants from different colleges and specializations can form a team
• Each participant can be part of only one team
• Participants must provide accurate registration details
• A valid student ID is required for entry as per the official INCUBATE page terms

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🏆 Benefits for the Participants

• Total Prize Pool: ₹1,00,000
• Main Track Prizes:
  • First Place: ₹20,000 + certificate
  • Second Place: ₹15,000 + certificate
  • Third Place: ₹10,000 + certificate
• Agentic AI for Billions Track:
  • First Place: ₹10,000 + certificate
  • Second Place: ₹5,000 + certificate
• Web3 and Privacy for Billions Track:
  • First Place: ₹10,000 + certificate
  • Second Place: ₹5,000 + certificate
• Reinvent Digital Public Infrastructure for Billions Track:
  • First Place: ₹10,000 + certificate
  • Second Place: ₹5,000 + certificate
• Additional Incentives: Swags and goodies worth ₹10,000 are also listed