Tech Hackathon · Stop 01 Bangalore

Rewired

Find something real the city overlooks. Build a working prototype in 7 hours, then pitch it to the jury.

Team of 2–4Registration open

Stop
19 Nov 2026
Entry
Team of 2–4
Format
Hybrid
Deadline
15 Nov 2026, 11:59 PM
Registration openStart a team

The brief

What you need to know

Rewired is a build-and-pitch hackathon. Teams pick a real problem from this year’s theme, The Invisible City, turn it into a working prototype in 7 hours and pitch it to a jury. Every city runs on things nobody sees: voices no system understands, people who keep everything working but never appear in any database, waste nobody counts, and needs nobody says out loud. Find something real that the city overlooks, and build technology that makes it heard, seen, counted or said. Rewired rewards a sharp problem, sound execution, original thinking and the ability to explain why the idea matters to a real user. Coders, designers and business minds are all welcome.

Team size
2 to 4 members
Format
Online concept brief + 7-hour on-ground build and pitch
Deadline
15 Nov 2026, 11:59 PM
Eligibility
Open to currently enrolled students from any college or university with a valid college ID. Teams may be cross-college.
Prizes
1st place: ₹12,000 and direct entry to the Milky Way Finale 2nd place: ₹8,000
Rules
Build inside the 7-hour window. Declare every library, API, template and AI tool. A working prototype is required; slides alone are not accepted.
Results
Results are announced on stage and by email to all participants.
Submission
Register here, then send your Google Drive link and repository link from the competition page by the deadline.

Rounds

How it works

  1. Online Round (Concept Brief) · Online · by 15 Nov 2026A 2-page concept brief and a 2-minute pitch video on food surplus. The top 20 teams go to the Offline Round.
    • Topic: restaurants, bakeries, supermarkets and households regularly have surplus food, while people nearby may struggle to afford meals. The challenge is often coordination, timing and safe distribution.
    • Challenge: bridge the gap between those with excess food and those without access to it.
    • Deliverables: one concept brief PDF of up to 2 pages (team, problem with real evidence, target user, proposed solution, tech approach, expected impact and a 12-hour build plan), and one pitch video of up to 2 minutes in which at least two members appear and speak.
    • Language: English or Hindi. Videos must have subtitles in English or Hindi.
    • Format: PDF for the brief. .mp4, .mpeg, .avi or .mov for the video.
    • Upload the brief and the video to a Google Drive folder named Rewired_Team_Name_MWRTMB, with access set to “Anyone with the link can view”.
    • Submit the Drive link and your repository link on this website, through the competition page, by the deadline.
    • If the link cannot be opened at the time of judging, the OC decides whether the submission is considered.
    • Shortlisting: the top 20 teams move to the Offline Round.
  2. Offline Round (Build and Pitch) · On-site · on 19 Nov 20267 hours of build time from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM, a Gravity Well constraint, then a 5-minute pitch.
    • The Gravity Well: at the start of the round, each team picks 1 of 2 envelopes. It reveals a real-world constraint that the team must build around.
    • Problem case: a new problem case is presented to every team at the venue on the day.
    • Duration: exactly 7 hours of build time, from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM. The clock runs through meals and check-ins.
    • Build window: all code, design and assets must be made inside the build window. Push the tags checkpoint-1 by 11:30 AM, checkpoint-2 by 2:30 PM and final by 5:00 PM. GitHub’s server push times are the official record.
    • Mentors: each team gets one mentor for the day, who holds two check-ins of about 20 minutes during the build. Check-ins are not scored.
    • Submission: before 5:00 PM, submit the repository link and final commit, a demo link, a demo video of up to 2 minutes (mandatory) and a completed README through the Google Form shared at the start. Name the Drive folder REWIRED_TeamID_MWRTMB and set links to “Anyone with the link can view”.
    • Event Horizon Crossing: at 5:00 PM the code is frozen. No pushes, Drive changes or redeployments after this point. The recorded final commit is what is judged.
    • Final pitch: every team pitches to one of four judging panels for 5 minutes, followed by 3 minutes of Q&A. The top teams from each panel go to the Final Orbit and pitch again to the Grand Jury for the top two places.
    • Declarations: on the Google Form shared at the start, declare all open-source libraries, templates, APIs, datasets and AI tools used, and confirm that your team built the project inside the build window.

Judging

How you’re scored

  • Problem and solution fitHow real and clear the problem is, and how well the solution serves a clearly defined user.25
  • Technical executionA working prototype, code quality, stability, sensible use of tools, and whether it works under the team’s Gravity Well constraint.25
  • Innovation and creativityOriginality of the approach, a distinctive point of view, and how cleverly the Gravity Well constraint was turned into a strength.20
  • Impact and viabilityPotential reach, adoption path or business model, and realism of next steps.15
  • Pitch and demoClarity of story, quality of the live demo, and handling of Q&A by all members.15

Total: 100 marks

Competition rules

The rules

Team size
2 to 4 members.
Eligibility
Open to currently enrolled students from any college or university with a valid college ID. Teams may be cross-college. One person, one team.
Equipment
Bring your own laptops, chargers, an extension board and any hardware you use. Power at every desk, Wi-Fi, meals and water are provided at the venue.
Tools
Any language, framework, platform, API, library or AI tool may be used, if it is declared.
Original work
The project must be built by the team inside the build window. Pre-existing projects, old code and borrowed products are not allowed. Open-source libraries, public APIs, templates, UI kits and official project generators are allowed if declared.
AI
AI-assisted tools are allowed if declared. Any judge may ask any member to explain any part of the project. If a team cannot explain a core part, its Technical execution score is capped at 10/25.
Prototype
Slide-only submissions are not allowed. A working prototype, even a partial one, is required for the Offline Round. If a live demo fails, the team may use its demo video within its pitch time.
Team changes
Team members cannot be changed after the Online Round closes. A shortlisted team may replace or drop one member only with written OC approval.
Data and IP
Do not use confidential or scraped personal data. Teams keep the IP of what they build. Milky Way may feature submissions for promotion, with credit to the team.
Pitch time
The timekeeper cuts off any pitch that runs over 5 minutes.
Conduct
Teams must follow the Code of Conduct and the venue rules. Any harassment, sabotage, interference with another team or misuse of the network leads to immediate disqualification.

Penalties

  • All violations are dealt with under the General Rules (Penalties and disqualification), at the discretion of the OC. Any other consequences are at the discretion of the OC.
  • The OC tells participants about any change to these rules before the event.

Event-wide

Competition Rulebook

This Rulebook governs all competitions held at Road to Milky Way: Bangalore on 19 November 2026. “OC” means the Milky Way Organising Committee. Each competition’s rules supplement these General Rules. Where the two conflict, the competition’s rules prevail. By registering, every participant accepts this Rulebook.

General rules

Application and eligibility

  • The competitions are open to all undergraduate (UG) students. There is no limit on the number of participants or teams from one institution.
  • By registering, every participant accepts this Rulebook.

Registration and teams

  • Participants must complete registration on this website by 15 November 2026, 11:59 PM.
  • In team competitions:
    • each team nominates a team leader, who is the team’s single point of contact with the OC;
    • the team leader starts the team and adds the other members by name, email and phone. Members do not need to sign up;
    • the team leader’s participant ID is used in all submissions;
    • a participant may be part of only one team in one event; and
    • no member may be added or substituted unless the team leader notifies the change to the OC 2 days before the event.
  • Slots in each competition are limited.

Online eliminations

  • Competitions with an online round begin with Online Eliminations. Selected participants proceed to the offline round(s) at the event. Direct-entry competitions have no online round.
  • Unless a competition provides otherwise:
    • entries are sent through this website by 15 November 2026, 11:59 PM. Late entries are not evaluated, and no requests are entertained after the portal closes;
    • files are uploaded to Google Drive with access set to “Anyone with the link can view”, and the link must remain accessible until results are announced;
    • files are named EVENTNAME_Team_Name_MWRTMB (for example, DEJAVU_Team_Name_MWRTMB), using the team leader’s participant ID for teams, or EVENTNAME_Full_Name_MWRTMB for a solo event (for example, OFFBEAT_Full_Name_MWRTMB); and
    • each team submits one entry only.
  • Where a competition requires a recorded performance, the video must be a single continuous take from a static camera, without cuts, edits, effects, filters, audio enhancement, voice-over or any post-production. Every performer, and every instrument, must be clearly visible and audible throughout.
  • Technical problems on the participant’s side do not entitle the participant to an extension or exemption.

Offline rounds

  • Offline rounds are held at the event on 19 November 2026. Every participant must complete registration under the Registration Rules before competing.
  • Participants must report at the time communicated by the OC. A participant who is late or absent may forfeit the slot, which may be given to a waitlisted participant.
  • Time limits are strictly enforced. Participants must clear the stage within the allotted clearance time.
  • Participants must bring their own instruments, equipment and materials. The OC provides only what a competition’s rules specify.
  • Fluids, flames, powders, glitter, heavy or sharp objects and any material that may damage the stage or site are not permitted.
  • Participants are responsible for their own materials, equipment, health and belongings. The OC is not liable for any loss or damage.

Originality, content and conduct

  • All work must be the participant’s own and created without outside help. Plagiarism in any form is prohibited. The use of AI is governed by each competition’s rules.
  • The OC and the judges may inspect any participant’s work, drafts, notes, raw files and project files at any time, and may question participants about their work. Material requested for verification must be supplied within 24 hours.
  • Participants must not reveal their name, team name, college name or college logo in any performance or entry, unless a competition requires it. To keep judging unbiased, entries are identified only by the participant ID.
  • No content may be vulgar, obscene, sexually explicit, defamatory, hateful, discriminatory, abusive or excessively violent, promote drug use, or target or demean any individual, group, religion, community, political party or institution.
  • Participants must treat organisers, judges, volunteers, staff and other participants with respect.
  • Participants retain copyright in their work and grant Milky Way a non-exclusive, royalty-free, perpetual licence to display, screen and publish it, with credit.

Judging, results and prizes

  • Unless a competition provides otherwise, each entry is scored independently by a panel of judges.
  • Ties are resolved at the discretion of the judges and the OC.
  • Prizes, including any direct entry to the Milky Way finale (18 to 21 February 2027), are set out in each competition’s rules.

Penalties and disqualification

  • Penalties are deducted from the final score before ranking.
  • Unless a competition’s rules provide otherwise, the following are penalised at the discretion of the OC:
    • plagiarism, outside help, a false declaration or use of AI contrary to the competition’s rules;
    • participation by an ineligible or unregistered person, or a team exceeding the permitted size;
    • prohibited content, instruments, sound sources, mediums or formats;
    • names, logos, watermarks or personal handles shown in an entry;
    • non-compliance with technical requirements, including an unreadable file or restricted link;
    • late arrival, absence or failure to clear the stage on time;
    • a participant in more than one team in the same competition;
    • failure to supply material requested for verification;
    • misconduct, disrespect or disruptive conduct; and
    • any other breach of this Rulebook.
  • Decisions made by the judges and the OC are final and binding.
Security rules

Apply to every person at the event

  • Entry is permitted only on a valid college ID and Participant ID. The right of admission rests with the OC.
  • Every person entering the venue is subject to a security check and frisking.
  • Weapons, sharp objects, inflammable materials, lighters, matchboxes, aerosol cans and glass containers are prohibited. They are confiscated at the security point and not returned.
  • All personal belongings are solely your responsibility.
  • Smoking is prohibited, as is the possession or use of alcohol, drugs or any other intoxicant. Any person found under the influence of an intoxicant is removed from the venue.
  • Open flames, firecrackers and pyrotechnics are prohibited.
  • Outside food is not permitted inside the venue premises.
  • Littering, spitting, defacing and vandalism are prohibited. Any damage to the site results in removal from the venue, disqualification and liability for any cost claimed by the venue authorities.
  • Persons must remain within the designated event areas. Restricted or cordoned-off zones, backstage and artist areas are off limits.
  • Drones are prohibited. Tripods, monopods, large rigs and external lights require prior written approval.
  • All persons must follow the instructions of the organisers, volunteers, security and venue staff.
  • Unsafe or disruptive conduct, or any hindrance to the proceedings, results in removal from the venue and further action.
  • In an emergency, remain calm and follow the instructions of the organisers and security staff to the nearest exit.
Registration desk

At the event on 19 November 2026

  • Every participant must register in person at the registration desk before the reporting time of their competition. A participant who has not registered may not compete.
  • Each participant must present:
    • a valid college photo ID card establishing current UG enrolment; and
    • their Participant ID.
  • A participant who cannot produce these documents, or whose details do not match the registration, is not registered or allowed entry.
  • Members of a team must register together. Only members named at registration may compete. A substitution requires the prior written approval of the OC, which must be produced at the desk.
  • Identification issued at the desk must be worn visibly at all times and is non-transferable. Report lost identification to the desk immediately.
  • Equipment and materials may be inspected at registration.
  • After registering, participants must report to their competition area at the time communicated at the desk.
  • Direct queries about schedules or rules to the coordinators listed on each competition page.

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