• Applications & Kickoff: 1 October 2025

• Hackathon Ends / Submission Deadline: 1 November 2025

• Judging & Evaluation: 5 November 2025

• Winners Announced: 6 November 2025

• Open to students, early-career professionals, and open-source enthusiasts worldwide.

• Individuals or teams of up to 4 members.

• Beginners welcome — no prior open-source experience required.

• All submissions must be original and open-source.

• Winner(s): Cash prize / vouchers / Y-SoC Swag (customized by sponsors).

• Top Teams: Fast-track selection into Y-SoC 2025–26 cycle as contributors or project leads.

• Special Awards:

  • Best Social Impact Project

  • Most Innovative Use of AI/ML

  • Best Beginner Team

• Certificates: Digital certificates endorsed by Grizz & Y-SoC for all participants.

Projects will be judged on:

1. Impact & Relevance – Solves a real problem for a clear beneficiary.

2. Innovation & Creativity – Originality and uniqueness of the approach.

3. Technical Implementation – Quality, scalability, robustness of code.

4. Sustainability & Continuation – Potential to grow beyond the hackathon.

5. Community-fit & Collaboration – Alignment with Y-SoC’s open-source values.

6. Presentation & Clarity – Demo video, documentation, and overall communication.

🔹 Winners will be selected by a panel of Y-SoC mentors and industry experts. Judges’ decision will be final.