ZeroCode | Vibe Coding Challenge 2026 – Techfest, IIT Bombay
IIT Bombay
📌About the Event
ZeroCode Vibe Coding Challenge 2026, organised by Techfest, IIT Bombay, is an AI-powered coding and product-building competition that tests participants on prompt engineering, speed, creativity, and product thinking. Participants will use AI-powered coding or no-code/low-code tools to turn a surprise problem statement into a functional web application within a limited time. The challenge is designed for both experienced developers and non-coders interested in AI-assisted development.
ℹ️ Event Details
- Mode: Offline
- Format: Two-stage competition
- Round 1 – Regional Zonal Round:
- Conducted offline at designated zonal centres across India.
- Cities mentioned include Mumbai, Pune, Nagpur, Jaipur, Bengaluru, and Kolkata, among others.
- Participants receive a live problem statement at the venue.
- Participants get approximately 2–3 hours to build and deploy a responsive web application or prototype.
- Approved no-code/low-code platforms and AI code-generation tools can be used.
- Round 2 – Grand Finale:
- Conducted offline at the IIT Bombay campus during Techfest.
- Qualified participants compete in an intensive application-building sprint.
- Finalists may face surprise feature constraints during the challenge.
- Participants present and demonstrate their working application before judges.
📅 Important Dates
- Registration Deadline: 30 September 2026
- Deadline Time: 12:00 AM IST
🎯 Eligibility & Rules
- Eligibilty:
- Open to school, undergraduate, and postgraduate students.
- Students from engineering, management, arts, commerce, science, law, medical and other disciplines can participate.
- Participants must have a valid institutional ID.
- Prior traditional coding experience is not mandatory.
- Familiarity with AI tools, LLMs and visual app-building platforms is recommended.
🏆 Benefits for the Participants
- Total Prize Pool: ₹80,000+
- Certificates: Certificates of Excellence for winners.
- Participation Certificate: Certificates for zonal-round participants.
- Networking: Opportunity to interact with technology leaders, founders and industry professionals.
- Additional Opportunities: Potential mentorship or incubation support for promising solutions.
- Techfest Exposure: Finalists get the opportunity to compete at IIT Bombay as part of Techfest.