Abhinesh Pandey 
*Over 130 Teams Registered as Students Showcase Innovative Technological Solutions for Real-World Problem Statements*
National Institute of Technology (NIT) Raipur successfully organized the Internal Hackathon for Smart India Hackathon (SIH) 2026 on Saturday, 29 August 2026. The event witnessed enthusiastic participation from students across various academic disciplines of the institute, who presented innovative, technology-driven solutions aimed at addressing complex real-world challenges.
The Internal Hackathon received an overwhelming response from the student community, drawing registrations from 135 teams. Following a structured preliminary screening process, 80 teams were shortlisted to compete at the institute level. The shortlisted teams presented their ideas, technical approaches, and working prototypes before specialized expert evaluation panels.
To ensure a comprehensive and fair assessment, the shortlisted teams were distributed across 10 parallel evaluation panels. The judging panels comprised faculty members from NIT Raipur alongside external subject matter and industry experts. This setup provided participating students with valuable exposure, allowing them to present their solutions and gain constructive technical feedback from experienced professionals.
The evaluation process was conducted across multiple key parameters, including problem understanding and relevance, innovation and novelty, technical approach and architecture, working prototype implementation, feasibility, impact, scalability, and overall presentation skills.
The event served as a collaborative platform, promoting interdisciplinary learning, teamwork, and technology-focused problem-solving among students. Beyond showcasing technical talent, the Internal Hackathon forms a critical preliminary stage in the official institute-level selection process for Smart India Hackathon 2026.
The event was successfully conducted with the active participation and support of faculty members, external and industry experts, research scholars, and student volunteers. The overall coordination and management of the event were carried out by Dr. Dilip Singh Sisodia and Dr. Deepak Singh, who managed the various stages, including preliminary screening, panel management, evaluation, and overall execution.
The spirited participation highlighted NIT Raipur’s continued commitment to nurturing a strong institutional ecosystem for innovation, entrepreneurship, interdisciplinary learning, and solution-oriented technological development. The final institutional nominations for Smart India Hackathon 2026 will be finalized following the completion of the prescribed evaluation and verification protocols.
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