Till 7 & 10 Dec 2026
Register &
submit
Register your crew of 2–4 members by 7 Dec, then submit your idea PPT and GitHub repository by 10 Dec. Round 1 entry is 100% free.
Registrations open
Round 1 fee · Free (₹0)
Crew size · 2–4
Round 1 fee · Free (₹0)
Crew size · 2–4
Grand Finale · Mumbai
09 Jan 2027 · Offline
Travel Grant Available
09 Jan 2027 · Offline
Travel Grant Available
T-minus · Registration closes
--d --h --m --s
--d --h --m --s
Main Sponsor · Annoting (Hiring Partner)
Platform Partner · hack4hack
Platform Partner · hack4hack
National-level software hackathon
NOVASTARK
HACKS · 2026
Three rounds. 150 crews enter Round 2, 50 advance to the Grand Finale in Mumbai, and one walks away with ₹1,00,000.
Main sponsor Annoting · Hiring PartnerRound 1 Free Entry (₹0)PPT & GitHub submission 10 Dec 2026Top 150 announced 12 Dec 2026Part 1 Mentorship Pitch 19 DecPart 2 Selection Pitch 23 DecTop 50 announced 24 DecGrand Finale 09 Jan 2027 · Mumbai OfflineTravel Grant Up to ₹2k/personPrize pool ₹2,70,000+
Main sponsor Annoting · Hiring PartnerRound 1 Free Entry (₹0)PPT & GitHub submission 10 Dec 2026Top 150 announced 12 Dec 2026Part 1 Mentorship Pitch 19 DecPart 2 Selection Pitch 23 DecTop 50 announced 24 DecGrand Finale 09 Jan 2027 · Mumbai OfflineTravel Grant Up to ₹2k/personPrize pool ₹2,70,000+
Mission brief
Build something
worth launching.
NovaStark Hacks is a national software hackathon for student builders across India. Pick a track, ship a real prototype, and defend it in front of an industry jury.
₹2,70,000+
Prize pool
150
Teams in Round 2
50
Grand finalists
Free
Round 1 entry
Mission plan
Three rounds.
One launchpad.
STAGE 01 / 04SCROLL →
Register &
19 Dec & 23 Dec 2026
Mentorship &
selection
Top 150 squads submit resumes to Annoting. Part 1 Mentorship Pitch on 19 Dec (jury feedback, no elimination), followed by Part 2 Final Selection Pitch on 23 Dec.
150 → 50
Round 2 · ₹2,000 / squad24 Dec 2026
Top 50
announced
Fifty finalist squads are announced on 24 Dec and receive transit schedule, station pickup details, and stage guidelines for the Mumbai Offline Finale.
09 Jan 2027 · Mumbai Offline
Grand
Finale
Live prototype demo, stage defense, and ₹2,70,000+ prize awards in Mumbai. Free finale with travel reimbursement up to ₹2,000/person for outstation teams and station transit support.
Choose your orbit
Five tracks.
Infinite ideas.
AI / ML
Generative AI & Agentic Systems
Agents, copilots and LLM-powered tools that do real work.
Explore track →Finance
FinTech & Secure Banking
Payments, credit, fraud detection and safer money.
Explore track →Health
HealthTech & Tele-Diagnostics
Remote care, vitals and clinical decision support.
Explore track →Climate
Sustainability & CleanTech
Carbon tracking, energy and smarter cities.
Explore track →Wildcard
Open Innovation
EdTech, security, dev tools — anything that drives impact.
Explore track →Rewards
₹2,70,000+
Cash prizes for the top five crews, plus trophies, certificates and internship opportunities. Every finalist team gets a certificate.
1st place · Champion₹1,00,000
2nd place₹75,000
3rd place₹50,000
4th place₹30,000
5th place₹15,000
Crew requirements
Before you
board.
01
Crew of 2–4
Teams can have 2 to 4 members. Cross-college and cross-branch crews welcome.
02
Students only
UG, PG and Diploma students from any AICTE / UGC recognised institute in India.
03
Original work
Build it during the hackathon. Open-source libraries and public APIs are fine.
04
One crew each
A participant can be on only one team, and each team makes one submission.
Alliances · Ecosystem
Powered by
builders & tools.
👑 MAIN SPONSOR
💼 HIRING & INTERNSHIP OPPORTUNITY
↗
Annoting
Image & video data annotation services for Artificial Intelligence & Computer Vision models. High-quality human-in-the-loop training datasets at scale.
✦ Talent Pipeline Alert
Annoting is actively scouting top builders, AI/CV developers & finalists from NovaStark Hacks for direct internships & hiring opportunities.
Visit annoting.com ↗
SUPPORTED TECH STACK & TOOLING PARTNERS
Comms channel
Questions,
answered.
How do we register?
On hack4hack, our platform partner. The team lead registers the crew with 2 to 4 members. Round 1 entry is completely free (₹0 fee).
What do we submit in Round 1?
An idea PPT and a GitHub repository link, by 10 December 2026 at 11:59 PM IST.
How does Round 2 work?
The Top 150 teams advance to the Round 2 Mentorship & Evaluation Track (₹2,000 fee per squad). All 150 teams submit their resumes directly to Main Sponsor Annoting for direct hiring review. Round 2 has two online stages: Part 1 Mentorship & Improvement Pitch on 19 Dec (for jury guidance with zero elimination), followed by Part 2 Final Selection Pitch on 23 Dec 2026.
Is there a fee for the Grand Finale?
No! The Grand Finale is 100% Free (₹0 fee) for all Top 50 qualifying finalist teams.
Where is the finale held?
The Grand Finale takes place on 9 January 2027 offline in Mumbai. Outstation teams traveling from outside Mumbai and surrounding areas are eligible for travel reimbursement up to ₹2,000 per person (up to ₹8,000 per squad) upon presenting valid tickets, plus pickup & drop assistance from the nearest railway station to the venue.
Who can participate?
UG, PG and Diploma students from any AICTE or UGC recognised institute in India. Teams can have 2 to 4 members; cross-college and cross-branch teams are welcome.
When are the Top 150 and Top 50 announced?
The Top 150 are announced on 12 December 2026. The Top 50 Grand Finalists are announced on 24 December 2026 on this website.
Do outstation finalists get travel reimbursement?
Yes! Qualifying outstation teams attending the Mumbai Grand Finale from outside Mumbai and surrounding areas receive travel reimbursement up to ₹2,000 per person (up to ₹8,000 per squad) based on valid transit tickets, along with pickup and drop assistance from the nearest railway station to the venue.
Can we build on an existing project?
You can use open-source libraries, frameworks, public APIs and models, but the core logic and prototype must be your own work for this hackathon.
Who owns the IP of our project?
Your team keeps 100% ownership of your code, design and idea. NovaStark Hacks claims no rights over it.
Are hardware or IoT projects allowed?
No. NovaStark Hacks is purely a software and AI hackathon. Submissions must be pure software implementations, AI/ML models, web/mobile applications, APIs, or developer tools. Physical hardware, microcontrollers (ESP32/Arduino), or breadboards are not permitted.
What if a team member cannot attend the finale in person?
For the Mumbai offline finale, teams are encouraged to attend in full strength. If any member has an unavoidable emergency, the remaining squad members can pitch on stage on behalf of the squad with prior approval from the organizers.
What do finalists get?
A finalist kit, official rank credentials, travel grant up to ₹2,000/person, nearby station pickup & drop, catering, high-tea, direct interaction with Annoting hiring leads, and a shot at ₹2,70,000+ in cash prizes.
How do we contact the organisers?
Email novastarkhacks@gmail.com — we usually reply within 24 hours.
Final call
READY FOR
LAUNCH?
Comms · Participants
Questions?
Write to us.
Registration, rounds, submissions or the finale — we usually reply within 24 hours.
Partners · Sponsors
Sponsor the
launch.
Put your brand in front of India’s best student builders — title, associate, track and community slots are open.
Stage & website brandingYour own problem statementJudge seatHiring pipeline
Contact for sponsorship ↗