/ 01 · Agenda
Event Timeline
Step by step, from the moment you register to the winner being crowned in Chennai.
Step 1
Team Registration
Closed
Teams of 2–3 at ₹499 per head. Registration is now closed and the field is locked. Updates, resources and the problem statements go to registered teams by email and in the dashboard.
Team Requirements
- 2–3 members per team
- Any Chennai engineering college
- All branches: CSE, IT, ECE, Mech, Civil & more
- All years eligible
What You Get on Registering
- Confirmation mail
- Access to Prompt Engineering session
- All round updates via email
Step 2
Problem Statement Released
By August 9, 2026
Your challenge drops via email and right here on this page. Read the problem, understand the context, and start building your concept. No code required. Think clearly, prompt intelligently.
What Gets Released
- Full problem statement with real-world context
- Submission format guide: PPT or PDF, max 15 slides
Round 1 · Online
Idea Submission
August 15, 2026 · Submit from Anywhere
Build your AI solution concept. Submit it as a PPT or PDF. No deployment, no backend needed. This round rewards how clearly you understand the problem and how intelligently you apply AI to solve it.
What to Submit
- PPT or PDF, max 15 slides / pages
- Problem understanding: what's the real challenge?
- Your AI-powered solution: how does it work?
- Tools used: Claude, Gemini, OpenRouter, ChatGPT, or any AI model of your choice
- Impact: who benefits and how?
- Workflow diagram or mockup (bonus points)
How It's Reviewed
- Human expert panel reviews shortlisted submissions
- Selected teams advance to the Offline Finale
- Results sent to your registered email and displayed on this website
📎 Submission Link. The portal is live now in the
team dashboard — sign in with your registered email, your own phone number and your invoice number to read the problem statements and upload your deck.
Round 2 · Offline
Grand Finale · Present & Win
August 22, 2026 · SquareShift Technologies, Chennai ·
📍 Maps ↗Shortlisted teams come to Chennai. You are not required to build on-site. Come with your solution already built. A dedicated 1-hour discussion with our industry-certified Claude experts is built into the day to help you refine, get unstuck, or push your idea further before the demo.
On the Day
- Arrive at SquareShift Technologies, Chennai
- Come with your solution built, no pressure to build on-site
- 1-hour discussion with Claude-certified industry experts
- Refine your build, get expert feedback, fix any blockers
- 5-minute live demo + Q&A to judges panel
- Winner announced the same day
What to Bring
- Laptop, charged and ready
- OpenRouter API key (free tier), setup guide sent post Round 1
- Your Round 1 PPT and working files
- College ID
🤝 1-Hour Expert Discussion · Industry-Certified Claude Engineers On the Floor
Every Round 2 team gets a dedicated discussion session with our Claude-certified engineers. Whether you want to sharpen your approach, improve your demo flow, or you're stuck on something, they're right there with you. Even if you hit a wall, these experts will help you push through. This is real AI mentorship, not just a hackathon.
Results
Winner Crowned
August 22, 2026 · Same Day · SquareShift, Chennai
₹1,00,000 prize pool split across the top 3 teams. Certificates for everyone. Special recognitions at judges' discretion.
Prize Breakdown
- 🥇 Champion: ₹60,000 + Certificate + Goodies
- 🥈 Runner-up: ₹25,000 + Certificate + Goodies
- 🥉 2nd Runner-up: ₹15,000 + Certificate + Goodies
- 📄 All Finale teams: Certificate + Goodies
- 📄 All Round 1 teams: Participation Certificate
Special Mention (Judges' Discretion)
- ⭐ Internship consideration for top performers
/ 02 · Evaluation Rubric
How you're scored.
Both rounds use the same five criteria. Round 1 weighs concept quality. Round 2 weighs execution and demo strength.
Round 1 · Concept Submission (Online)
Round 2 · Live Demo (Offline · SquareShift, Chennai)
/ 03 · Problem Statements
Your problem statements are live.
Two problem statements were released on August 9, 2026. Sign in to your team dashboard to read both in full and choose one.
⚠ Choose exactly one. Your team works on the same problem statement in Round 1 and the Grand Finale, so you cannot switch later. Submissions close August 15, 2026 at 11:59 PM IST.
Open your dashboard →
/ 04 · Rules & Guidelines
Keep it clean. Keep it real.
Eight rules. Follow them and you're good to go.
01
Original work only. Everything submitted must be built by your team during the hackathon window. No pre-built projects.
02
AI must do real work. Using AI just as a spell-checker won't score. Show how AI is central to your solution.
03
Stick to the problem statement. Judges score you on how well you solve the given problem, not an alternative one.
04
PPT / PDF for Round 1. Maximum 15 slides or pages. Submission link goes live on this page shortly.
05
One submission per team. Only the last entry before the deadline is reviewed. Finalize before submitting.
06
Bring your solution to Round 2. You don't need to build on-site. Come prepared. Experts are there for your 1-hour discussion session.
07
You own your IP. 100%. Whatever you build stays yours to keep, ship, and grow beyond Rockathon.
08
Judges' decisions are final. Scoring is based on the published rubric. Special mentions are at judges' discretion.