Internal Hackathon (SIH) 2026: Turning Ideas into Impact
22nd August 2026
Institution’sInnovation Council (IIC), Ministry of Education (MoE), Dronacharya College of Engineering, Gurugram, organized an Internal Hackathon on 22nd August 2026 as part of the selection process for Smart India Hackathon (SIH) 2026. The initiative brought together enthusiastic student teams to tackle real-world problem statements and transform innovative concepts into practical, technology-driven solutions. More than a competition, the event encouraged students to think creatively, collaborate effectively and approach complex challenges with a solution-oriented mindset.
With 222 problem statements, including 54 hardware and 172 software challenges, SIH 2026 offered a diverse innovation landscape spanning Smart Automation, HealthTech, Agriculture, Robotics and Drones, Clean & Green Technology, Smart Education, Renewable Energy, Blockchain & Cybersecurity, Smart Transportation, Disaster Management, Tourism, Heritage & Culture, Fitness & Sports and several other emerging domains. These challenges enabled students to explore problems faced by government bodies, industries, PSUs, ministries and other organizations while developing solutions with practical and societal relevance.
Innovation took centre stage as the Internal Hackathon was conducted at the departmental level, with teams presenting their proposed solutions at their respective venues. Each participating team was given adequate time to explain its problem statement, proposed methodology, technical approach and expected impact before an expert evaluation panel. The assessment focused on key parameters such as innovation, technical feasibility, problem understanding, effectiveness, scalability and quality of presentation, encouraging students to critically examine and strengthen their ideas.
Adding an industry-oriented perspective to the evaluation, the judging panel included Mr. Abhinav Raghav, Founder and Managing Director, Trilig Energy; Mr. Vijay Arora, Analytics Manager, American Express; Mr. Mayank Gupta, Director, Auto Nexas India Pvt. Ltd.; Mr. Mohit Manuja, Senior Software Engineer, Impel Intelligence; and Mr.Anikete Bajaj, Senior Delivery Manager, Jobizo India. Faculty experts from CSE, CSE-AIML, EEE/ECE and Mechanical Engineering/Robotics & Automation Engineering also participated actively in evaluating the teams and providing domain-specific guidance.
Valuable feedback from the experts became an important learning opportunity for the participants. Teams received constructive suggestions regarding their technical solutions, problem analysis, innovation quotient, presentation structure and practical applicability. Based on the initial evaluation, more than 150 teams were shortlisted to proceed to the next stage. Participants were further encouraged to incorporate the expert feedback, refine their solutions and update their presentations in preparation for the subsequent rounds of SIH 2026.
With ideas evolving through innovation, mentorship and continuous refinement, the Internal Hackathon strengthened DCE’s culture of experiential learning and problem-solving. The event provided students with an opportunity to move beyond theoretical knowledge and work on challenges that demand creativity, technology and collaborative thinking. By creating a direct interface between students, faculty and industry professionals, the initiative empowered young innovators to sharpen their ideas and take a confident step towards the national-level Smart India Hackathon 2026.