If you have ever looked at something broken in how India works — hiring, learning, earning — and thought "someone should fix this," here is your shot to actually do it.
Redrob AI has launched India Runs, one of the most open hackathons in the country right now. ₹50 lakh+ in prizes across three tracks. Free to enter. No degree required. No prior hackathon experience needed. Whether you write code or just have a sharp idea, there is a track built for you.
Registrations are already open, and submissions close on 28 June 2026. The Grand Finale happens virtually on 22 July 2026.
What Is India Runs?
India Runs is a national hackathon organized by Redrob AI on the Hack2skill platform. The idea behind it is straightforward: most AI tools in the world were built for markets like the US or Europe. India — with 1.4 billion people, its own way of working and hiring and learning — deserves tools built specifically for it.
Redrob is building that. And they are inviting builders, thinkers, students, and creators from across the country to build it with them.
The hackathon has three separate tracks, each targeting a different kind of participant. You can join one track or all three. It is entirely free to enter, with no eligibility filters. A final-year student in Indore has the same shot as a senior developer in Bengaluru.
The Three Tracks
Track 1: The Data & AI Challenge — ₹10 Lakhs
This one is for people who build. Developers, ML engineers, data scientists, and search/retrieval specialists.
The challenge: build an AI-powered candidate discovery and ranking system. The idea is to move beyond simple keyword filters and create something that actually understands context — reading a job description, understanding what the role truly needs, and surfacing the right candidates even if their profiles don't have exact-match keywords.
You get a structured dataset to work with. Your submission needs a GitHub repo with your full code, clear documentation explaining your approach, and a ranked output file.
Prize breakdown:
- Grand Champion: ₹2 Lakhs (1 winner)
- Elite Builders: ₹5 Lakhs (5 winners)
- Strong Performers: ₹1 Lakh (10 winners)
- Special Tech Awards: ₹2 Lakhs (50+ winners)
There is no fixed architecture required. You bring the approach; they evaluate on accuracy and innovation.
Track 2: The Ideathon — ₹30 Lakhs
This is the biggest track by prize pool, and also the most accessible.
You do not need to write a single line of code. You need an idea and the ability to communicate it well. Submit a pitch deck as a PDF. That is it.
Inside the Ideathon, there are three sub-challenges to pick from:
Challenge 1 — The AI Systems Architect is for developers and engineers who want to design a next-generation AI system: autonomous agents, smart search, AI co-pilots that change how work gets done.
Challenge 2 — The AI Growth Strategist is for MBAs, product managers, and marketers. How do you take a powerful AI platform and make it go viral in India? Design the go-to-market, the UX, the monetization, the trust-building.
Challenge 3 — The Everyday AI Innovator is explicitly for students, first-timers, and anyone with a good idea but no technical background. Design one simple AI-powered feature that makes daily life in India genuinely better.
Prize breakdown:
- Track Champion: ₹2 Lakhs (1 winner)
- Runner-ups: ₹2 Lakhs (2 winners)
- Merit Winners: ₹2 Lakhs (5 winners)
- Emerging Innovators: ₹1.5 Lakhs (15 winners)
- Promising Ideas: ₹1.5 Lakhs (30 winners)
- Recognition: ₹1 Lakh (50+ winners)
The Ideathon has over 100 winners. Your odds here are genuinely good if you have a well-thought-out idea.
Track 3: The Social Media Challenge — ₹10 Lakhs
This track is for content creators, writers, and anyone who can tell a story well online. It is a solo-only track, and it is entirely social.
Create and publish original content about AI — on LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube, X (Twitter), Medium, or any creator platform. The content should be public and original.
Topics you can cover:
- What AI-native products are coming next
- How AI is changing hiring and work in India
- Simple AI tools that improve daily life
- Your experience using Redrob
- The future of online careers and the creator economy
You can write posts, shoot Reels, create threads, publish articles — whatever format fits your style.
Prize breakdown:
- Grand Winners: ₹1 Lakh (5 winners)
- Star Creators: ₹1.5 Lakhs (20 winners)
- High Engagement Winners: ₹2 Lakhs (50 winners)
- Community Winners: ₹2 Lakhs (100 winners)
- Participation Reward: ₹1.5 Lakhs (200 winners)
- Recognition Pool: ₹1.5 Lakhs (150+ winners)
- Surprise Drops: ₹50K (flexible)
This track has over 500 winners. If you are active on social media already, there is no reason not to join.
Who Should Apply
The honest answer is: almost anyone.
If you are a developer or data scientist, Track 1 is your ground. The problem is real, the dataset is provided, and the evaluation is purely technical.
If you are an MBA student or product thinker, Track 2 was built for you. Challenge 2 inside the Ideathon is literally designed around go-to-market strategy and product growth in India.
If you are a student with no coding background, Challenge 3 in the Ideathon asks for a good idea, not a prototype. A well-structured PDF pitch is all you need.
If you are a content creator or social media professional, Track 3 requires nothing beyond what you already do — just aim it at AI and Redrob.
Teams of up to 4 people are allowed for Tracks 1 and 2. Track 3 is individual only.
What Happens After You Win
Beyond the cash prizes, the top participants get featured on the Redrob platform and earn direct access to the team building it. The strongest submissions may even be considered for integration into Redrob's actual product roadmap — with full credit and the participant's consent.
It is one of the few hackathons where winning could turn into real career momentum, not just a certificate.
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About Redrob AI
Redrob is positioning itself as India's AI Operating System — a super app built specifically for how India works. It covers job matching across 15 million+ live openings, resume building, interview preparation, hiring intelligence, and an AI app store, all under one login.
Their target is 10–20 million Indian users by December 2026. India Runs is part of how they plan to build it — with the community, not just for it.
Register Now
Registrations close on 28 June 2026, and the Grand Finale is on 22 July 2026.
It is free. It is open. And if you have been waiting for a reason to finally build that idea you have been sitting on, this is it.
Register for India Runs here →
Have questions about which track to pick? Drop them in the comments below.