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An overnight hackathon · GNDU · 2026
Upside Down.exe
15.5 hours of hacking through the night. Teams of two to four. Build something real before the lights go out.
Insert coin
₹200
Per player · 2–4 players
- Dates
- 3–4 November 2026
- Overnight · Tuesday into Wednesday
- Time
- 5:00 PM → 11:00 AM
- Reporting at 4:00 PM, 3 November
- Venue
- Lab 1, 1st Floor
- Computer Science Department, Maharaja Ranjit Singh Bhawan, GNDU
Registration closes inHurry
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Days
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Hrs
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Min
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Sec
Closes at midnight on Sunday, 1 Nov (12:00 AM IST, Mon 2 Nov).
₹30,000 up for grabs
High scores
RankCash prize
- 1ST₹15,000
- 2ND₹10,000
- 3RD₹5,000
Plus additional goodies
Bonus stage
First-year track
Open to teams of any size (2–4) where every member is a first-year.
Smart watches or wireless earphones for the whole team
Made possible by
Our sponsors
Transmission incomingMore sponsors to be announced.
Chapter One
The Briefing
Technical Student Society · GNDU
Internal memorandum
- TO:
- All builders
- FROM:
- Technical Student Society
- RE:
- UPSIDE DOWN.EXE — overnight hackathon
- DATE:
- 3–4 November 2026
Get ready to build, innovate and push your limits! UPSIDE DOWN.EXE is an intensive overnight hackathon at the Computer Science Department, Maharaja Ranjit Singh Bhawan, Guru Nanak Dev University. Bring your ideas, work as a team and make every minute count!
Total event
19 hours
4:00 PM reporting, 3 Nov → 11:00 AM close, 4 Nov
Core hacking
15.5 hours
5:00 PM, 3 Nov → 8:30 AM, 4 Nov
Problem statements: (declassified at 5:00 PM, 3 Nov)
Distribution
- Organised byTechnical Student Society@tss_gndu
- Powered byGDG On Campus GNDU@gdg.gndu
- Community partnerErised by Qublox@erised.qublox
Chapter Two
The Longest Night
Report to Lab 1 by 4:00 PM on 3 November. From there it's one long night until the lights come up at 11:00 AM.
Day 1 · 3 November 2026
- 4:00 PMReporting, registration and team verification
- 4:30 PMOpening ceremony
- 5:00 PMProblem statements revealed and hackathon begins
- 9:30 PMDinner break
Day 2 · 4 November 2026
- 12:00 AMEvaluation Round 1: idea validation and implementation feedback
- 3:00 AMMidnight snacks
“Eggos not guaranteed.”
— The organisers - 7:30 AMEvaluation Round 2 (scored elimination) begins
- 8:30 AMCoding freeze: all active development stops
“Mornings are for coffee and contemplation.”
— Jim Hopper - 8:45 AMFinal submission deadline (code + PPT)
- 9:00 AMTop 10 teams announced and Final Judging Round begins
- 10:15 AMRewards and closing ceremony (ends 11:00 AM)
Round 1 · Idea validation
12:00 AM midnight, 4 Nov
Open interaction, no fixed time per team
- Mentors visit each team's desk to check that the core idea is well defined and polished.
- They review your initial progress and give feedback on technical implementation and architecture.
Round 2 · Scored elimination
7:30 AM, 4 Nov
7 minutes per team
- A formal, scored round: demonstrate your working prototype and the features you built overnight.
- You can keep making final touches until the coding freeze at 8:30 AM, then submit by 8:45 AM.
- Round 2 scores and valid submissions decide the Top 10 teams, announced at 9:00 AM.
Final · Top 10 pitch
9:00 AM, 4 Nov
7 minutes max: 5 min pitch + demo, 2 min Q&A
- The Top 10 present their PPT with a live demo of the solution, architecture and implementation.
- A faculty judging panel picks the winners. Time limits are strictly enforced.
Chapter Three
The Scoreboard
A working prototype is what matters most. Every team is judged on an equal playing field.
JudgingMax 55
- 20Problem-solution fit & feature innovationHow directly your solution tackles the problem, and how original and impactful your approach is.
- 10System architecture & technical complexityBackend logic, database design, APIs, security, and how well you use your tech stack.
- 10Working prototype & completenessHow much actually works live, end to end, without crashing. Real features beat mockups.
- 10Pitch, presentation & future scopeA clear PPT and demo, good answers to questions, and a realistic roadmap.
- 5UI/UX & user flowAn intuitive interface, a clean layout and a smooth journey through the core features.
Chapter Four
Lab Protocols
Every member agrees to these. Read them before the night begins.
File no. UD-1103 · Protocols
“Friends don't lie.”
§1Guidelines & Eligibility
- Open to all undergraduate and postgraduate college students across all academic years.
- Teams of 2 to 4 members.
- Inter-college teams are allowed: students from different colleges and institutions can form a team.
- Inter-specialisation teams are allowed: students from different departments, branches and specialisations can collaborate.
- Each participant may register and take part with only one team. Team details must be finalised before the hackathon begins.
- Problem statements are revealed on the spot at 5:00 PM on 3 Nov. Each team picks and builds a solution for 1 problem statement.
§2Reporting & Overnight Attendance
- All participants must report to Lab 1 on the 1st floor of the Computer Science Department, Maharaja Ranjit Singh Bhawan, by 4:00 PM on 3 Nov for registration and team verification.
- All team members must complete registration before the opening ceremony at 4:30 PM.
- As this is an overnight event, participants staying the night must stay inside the designated venue throughout and follow all security and safety instructions from the organising team and faculty coordinators.
- Can't stay overnight? You must leave the venue by 8:00 PM on 3 Nov and be back for the second session by 6:30 AM on 4 Nov at the latest.
§3Hackathon & Fair Play
- Solutions must be built strictly during the hackathon period: 5:00 PM on 3 Nov to 8:30 AM on 4 Nov.
- Teams may use their preferred programming languages, frameworks, open-source libraries and publicly available resources.
- Solutions must comply with the announced problem statement.
- Plagiarism, copying another team's work, or presenting pre-existing work or templates as newly built is strictly prohibited and leads to immediate disqualification.
- AI policy: AI coding tools and vibe coding are allowed, but you must thoroughly understand your project and be able to explain your implementation live if the judges ask.
§4Submission & Final Judging
- All coding stops at 8:30 AM (coding freeze) on 4 Nov, and final submissions are due by 8:45 AM. Late submissions may be penalised or disqualified at the judging panel's discretion.
- Source code (mandatory): a public GitHub repository link, or a .zip uploaded to Google Drive with view/download access enabled.
- Presentation (mandatory): your team's PPT / pitch deck as a public view link (Google Drive, Google Slides, Canva or any link anyone can open), also used in the Final Judging Round.
- Live deployment link: optional (a bonus if your project is hosted).
- Evaluation Round 2 at 7:30 AM is the official scored elimination round (7 minutes per team) that shortlists the Top 10.
- The Top 10 are announced at 9:00 AM and go straight into the Final Judging Round: up to 7 minutes each before the faculty panel, using their submitted PPT and live prototype. Going over time may be penalised.
- The judging panel's decision is final and binding.
§5What to Bring & Internet/Power
- Bring your own laptops, chargers, and an extension board or power strip for your team's setup.
- Carry your college ID card for mandatory verification.
- Install all software, development tools and dependencies before you arrive.
- Wi-Fi, power outlets, dinner (9:30 PM) and a midnight snack (3:00 AM) are provided at the venue. Use extension boards safely and don't overload outlets.
§6Code of Conduct & Lab Guidelines
- Maintain discipline and treat all participants, mentors, organisers and faculty members with respect.
- Handle lab equipment, furniture and facilities responsibly. Don't install unauthorised software on lab computers or tamper with departmental systems.
- Don't unplug another participant's equipment or interfere with another team's work.
- Keep your workspace clean and dispose of waste properly after dinner and midnight snacks.
- Harassment, misconduct, damage to property, cheating or deliberate disruption leads to immediate disqualification and removal from the event.
§7Certificates, Prizes & Participation
- A prize pool of ₹30,000: ₹15,000 for 1st, ₹10,000 for 2nd and ₹5,000 for 3rd, plus additional goodies. Participation certificates for everyone.
- First-year track: teams of 2–4 where every member is a first-year are in the running for smart watches or wireless earphones for the whole team.
- Prize eligibility depends on following the event rules, overnight attendance, a valid submission and the judging criteria.
- Provide accurate registration details to receive your certificate.
Build, innovate, push your limits.
Bring your ideas, work as a team and make every minute count!
NOTE: All rules, schedules, round timings and guidelines are subject to change at the organising team's sole discretion without individual notice. Check this page and the official event channels regularly for updates.
Chapter Five
Join the Party
“Should I stay or should I go?”