30-Hour DRON-HACKATHON 2026
9th - 10th September 2026
Dronacharya Group of Institutions, Greater Noida, organized the 30-Hour DRON-HACKATHON 2026 from 9th September 2026 at 9:00 AM to 10th September 2026 at 3:00 PM, creating an intensive platform for students shortlisted for the Smart India Hackathon (SIH). Bringing together 50 shortlisted teams, the institute-level Hackathon challenged participants to transform problem statements into innovative, practical, and technology-driven solutions within a 30-hour development sprint.
Throughout the Hackathon, teams worked continuously on their selected SIH problem statements, combining ideation, coding, prototype development, hardware integration, research, testing, and presentation. The high-energy environment encouraged participants to refine their concepts under time constraints while collaborating within their teams and responding to the technical and practical challenges that emerged during development.
Adding strong industry and academic perspectives to the evaluation process, the judging panel comprised Mr. Lovkesh Chaudhary, Senior Software Engineer, RT Camps, Pune and DCE Alumni; Mr. Omveer Singh, Ipressions Machinery Pvt. Ltd. and DCE Alumni; Mr. Alok Mishra, Consultant, HCL Technologies; Ms. Swati Tyagi, Manager and SME, Xebia; Mr. Mubashir Ahmad Khan, Deloitte, Delhi; Mr. Suryanshi Tyagi, BMR HVAC Ltd.; Mr. Abhay Kumar, Research Associate, IIT Delhi; Mr. Chandranshu Singh, SIH Winner–ECE and Associate Software Developer, Vinove Technologies; and Mr. Deepak Kumar, SIH Winner–AIML.
Evaluation centred on the innovation, technical strength, feasibility, scalability, problem-solving approach, implementation, and practical relevance of each solution. Judges interacted directly with the teams during demonstrations and presentations, offering professional observations on their prototypes and guiding participants on ways to strengthen their solutions for the next stage of the SIH journey.
Among the participating teams, the AICTE-backed team led by Sidhant Sharma (CSE-AIML) secured the First Position for its solution addressing student innovation ideas that can boost fitness activities and assist in keeping fit. The Qualcomm Inc.-supported team led by Aman Rai (ECS) earned the Second Position for an AI-powered Smart Farming Assistant designed to help farmers identify crop diseases, pests, nutrient deficiencies, irrigation requirements, and agricultural risks through real-time on-device intelligence.
Securing the Third Position, the team led by Tanishq Chauhan (CSE-AIML) developed an AI-Based Intelligent Video Analytics Platform for Border Surveillance using existing CCTV Infrastructure, addressing a significant security challenge identified by the Ministry of Home Affairs. The winning projects demonstrated how student-led innovation can be directed towards practical challenges in fitness, agriculture, and national security.
Beyond the competitive results, DRON-HACKATHON 2026 provided students with an intensive experience of working under real development pressures, receiving expert scrutiny, and presenting technology solutions to experienced professionals. E-certificates were provided to registered participants, while the event also strengthened students’ readiness for the demanding stages of the Smart India Hackathon by exposing them to professional evaluation and solution refinement.
The 30-hour sprint ultimately became a showcase of technical endurance, collaborative problem-solving, creativity, and innovation. With 50 teams working against the clock to turn ideas into demonstrable solutions, DRON-HACKATHON 2026 reinforced the institute’s commitment to nurturing students who can approach complex challenges with technology, teamwork, and an impact-oriented mindset.