SmartAIthon 2026
Karpagam College of Engineering
📌 About the Event
SmartAIthon 2026 is a multi-stage innovation challenge designed to bring together undergraduate and postgraduate students to architect scalable, AI-driven solutions for real-world urban bottlenecks. The hackathon bridges the gap between raw conceptual ideation and deployment-ready working prototypes.
🎯 CORE THEMES & PROBLEM STATEMENTS
Participants can engineer a solution for any of the following pre-set tracks or pitch their own via the open innovation track:
- Smart Traffic Management using AI: Computer vision and reinforcement learning to optimize vehicular flow, gridlocks, and signal timing.
- Air Quality Prediction & Monitoring: Machine learning regression models and geospatial analysis to map, forecast, and counter urban pollution.
- Smart Waste Management Systems: Automated sorting, route optimization for collection vehicles, or fill-level sensor tracking using IoT and AI.
- Disaster Prediction & Alert Systems: Early-warning systems for urban flash floods, structural failures, or climate extremes.
- Open Innovation: Any unique, unlisted AI-native solution addressing public safety, sustainable infrastructure, or municipal efficiency.
👥 ELIGIBILITY & TEAM FORMATION PROTOCOLS
- Academic Criteria: Open to all active undergraduate (UG) and postgraduate (PG) students.
- Team Boundaries: Teams can consist of 1 to 4 members.
- Inter-Institutional Collaboration: Cross-college teams are completely allowed.
- Exclusivity Rule: A participant is strictly prohibited from registering with multiple teams.
📊 SELECTION & JUDGING METRICS
Submissions are evaluated out of a total weighted score of 100%:
- Innovation (25%): Uniqueness, creativity, and departure from trivial textbook solutions.
- Technical Implementation (25%): Quality of code, architectural robustness, and integration of AI frameworks.
- Impact (20%): Scalability, measurable improvement to city life, and user value.
- Feasibility (15%): Commercial and technical viability within real-world constraints.
- Presentation (15%): UI/UX layout design, pitch clarity, and structural documentation.
🏆 PRIZES & GRANTS
- Rewards Pool: Awards and cash prize money worth up to ₹10,000.
- Claiming Terms: Final winners will be required to verify identities and complete necessary tax documentation prior to the disbursement of funds.
- Organizers’ Clause: The hosting body reserves the right to substitute prizes with equivalents of equal value or withhold awards entirely if submissions do not meet standard evaluation benchmarks.