Hack for Social Cause is a groundbreaking initiative under VBYLD 2026, designed to empower youth aged 18–29 to build scalable, technology-driven solutions for Social good. This program bridges the gap between theoretical knowledge and practical implementation, enabling young innovators to gain real-world experience while contributing meaningfully to society and the nation's development towards Viksit Bharat 2047.
This is your opportunity to progress your profession, cultivate a positive personality, and make a significant contribution to the country's growth. Through hands-on application of technology, you'll develop essential skills, gain practical experience, and foster a deeper understanding of how innovation can solve India's most pressing challenges.
Hack for Social Cause brings together key stakeholders in a unified effort to empower the next generation:
A four-stage process that takes you from local to national recognition:
Institutional Hackathon at your college/university - 1 Team nomination from each institution
State-level Hackathon with mentoring and jury evaluation - 3 teams gets shortlisted to the next round
IIT Bombay Screening to select Top teams from each State/UT - 36 finalists Progress to the next round
National Showcase of 36 Finalists in New Delhi (January 2026) - Top 5 Teams are selected for awards
Choose from eight indicative transformative themes aligned with India’s development priorities. Participants are encouraged to contextualize these themes to address State-specific or local challenges. They may also propose solutions beyond these themes, provided they align with any of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs) and contribute to building a Viksit Bharat
Develop smart agriculture solutions, rural employment platforms, and tools empowering women entrepreneurs. Create solutions that enhance rural livelihoods, agricultural productivity, and access to essential services. Focus on agri-tech innovations, supply chain optimization, rural entrepreneurship, and bridging the urban - rural divide through technology
Build platforms and tools that improve access to quality education, empower teachers, and provide skill development opportunities. Address challenges in remote learning, personalized education, vocational training, and bridging the skills gap for employability.
Develop innovative solutions for preventive care, telemedicine, health monitoring, and public health analytics, mental health support tools, maternal care systems, and portable diagnostic solutions particularly in underserved communities.
Design tools for smarter cities, improved civic services, urban mobility, and citizen engagement. Address challenges in traffic management, public service delivery, waste management, and participatory governance through technology.
Create solutions for environmental monitoring, climate resilience, waste management, and resource conservation. Focus on air and water quality, renewable energy adoption, circular economy, and sustainable development practices.
Build solutions that ensure technology reaches everyone, including persons with disabilities and marginalized communities. Focus on accessibility, affordable internet access, digital literacy, and inclusive e-governance solutions.
Leverage cutting-edge technologies like AI, Machine Learning, GIS, and data analytics for social cause impact. Create decision support systems, geospatial solutions, predictive models for societal impact, and innovative applications that solve complex societal challenges.
Develop technologies that strengthen preparedness, response, and recovery during disasters. Focus on early warning systems, crowd flow analysis, efficient communication, resource optimization, and community resilience, ensuring functionality even in low-connectivity environments.
Your journey to creating meaningful impact starts here. Follow these steps to register, prepare your solution, and advance through each stage of the competition.
Prepare the following materials for your submission:
A Four-stage competition that takes you from local to national recognition:
Register on MY Bharat Portal (individual). All team members must register individually on the MY Bharat Portal.
Participate in the track "Hack for Social Cause" - Register your team(up to 3 students), this can be completed by the Lead member of the team. This step completes the team registration process.Work closely with your LIC for guidance.
Participate in your in¬¬stitution’s internal hackathon and present your solution to the institutional jury. The institution will nominate one team and issue a bonafide letter to the selected team. The winning team must upload this letter on the My Bharat Portal. The LIC or Head of the Institution will then forward the letter to the SNIC (State Nodal Institution Coordinator).
If nominated, advance to the state-level hackathon. Receive mentoring from assigned experts (6–8 per state), refine your solution, and present to the state jury. Top 3 teams per state move forward.
One finalist per state/UT is selected for the National Showcase based on technical merit and impact potential.
Present your solution at the National Showcase in New Delhi during VBYLD 2026. Set up exhibition stalls, deliver 3-minute pitches to the national jury, and compete for top honors.
Mark these key dates in your calendar and plan your preparation accordingly:
Awareness webinars, LIC appointments, MY Bharat registrations, and partner coordination activities
Institutions conduct internal competitions, LICs upload endorsement letters and nominate winning teams
Mentoring sessions, refinement workshops, state jury evaluations, and selection of top 3 teams per state
Virtual presentations, technical evaluations, and selection of one finalist per state/UT
Exhibition stalls, 3-minute pitch presentations, national jury evaluation, and awards ceremony
Understand how your solution will be evaluated and what recognition awaits the top innovators. Our evaluation framework ensures fairness, technical rigor, and focus on Social Cause impact.
Your solution will be assessed across seven key parameters by expert juries at each stage:
| Parameter | What We Look For |
|---|---|
| Relevance | Alignment with themes and real-world problems |
| Technical Strength | Code quality, architecture, scalability |
| Functionality | Working prototype, features, user experience |
| Creativity | Innovation, uniqueness of approach |
| Social Cause Impact | Potential to create meaningful change |
| Presentation | Clarity, communication, demo quality |
| Teamwork | Collaboration, role distribution |
Top performers will receive substantial rewards and opportunities:
Cash PrizesThroughout your journey, you'll receive comprehensive support from experienced professionals and domain experts:
Each State/UT will engage six Domain Mentors, coordinated by the State Nodal Coordinators. These experts will provide support only to the teams shortlisted at the State level. The mentorship will include:
As the National Knowledge Partner, IIT Bombay will provide support only to the 36 finalist teams. The mentorship will include:
Throughout your journey, you'll receive support from experienced professionals and domain experts:
Your innovation is valuable. IP rights are structured to ensure:
Find answers to common questions about participation, registration, and program logistics.
Hack for a Social Cause (HSC) is a national technology innovation challenge under the Viksit Bharat Young Leaders Dialogue (VBYLD) 2026. It is organized by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports (MoYAS) through the Department of Youth Affairs, with IIT Bombay (GISE Hub & Shailesh J. Mehta School of Management) serving as the Knowledge Partner.
The hackathon aims to mobilize India's youth (aged 18-29) to develop innovative, technology-enabled solutions for real-world social challenges across eight thematic areas: Rural Development & Livelihoods, Education & Skill Development, Healthcare & Wellbeing, Governance & Civic Technology, Environment & Sustainability, Digital Inclusion, AI, GIS & Emerging Technologies, and Disaster Mitigation & Resilience. The objective is to foster youth-led innovation that contributes to building a Viksit Bharat by 2047, in line with the vision "Think Global, Hack Local - Technology for Social Transformation."
You are eligible if you meet ALL of the following criteria:
Your complete submission package must include:
Additionally, your institution will prepare:
No. Participation in Hack for a Social Cause is completely free of cost at all stages, from institution-level competition through the national showcase.
Yes. You must have a functional prototype or proof of concept that can be demonstrated. The prototype doesn't need to be production-ready, but it must show core functionality with working features. Your demonstration video (3-5 minutes) and code repository should clearly demonstrate user interaction and how the solution works. The code must be publicly accessible and open-source.
Yes, Interdisciplinary teams are strongly encouraged. Teams should include diverse skill sets, such as technical development, domain knowledge, design thinking, and social research. The maximum team size is 3 students, all from the same institution. Teams are encouraged to have at least one female member and one participant from a non-technical background, preferably in the social sciences.
No. Once the Team Lead submits the entry via MY Bharat Portal and the institution's LIC verifies it, no changes can be made. Ensure that all materials—presentation deck, demo video, code repository, and supporting documents—are complete and accurate before final submission by November 30, 2025.
No. Each student can only be part of one team. Each institution can nominate only one team to advance to the state-level competition, though multiple teams may participate in your institution's internal hackathon. The winning team from the institution-level competition will represent your institution at the state level.
Cash Prizes (Top 5 National Winners):
Additional Benefits:
For any submission-related guidance or issues, please contact your Local Institution Coordinator (LIC).For technical assistance with the My Bharat Portal, please reach out through the Help/Contact section on https://mybharat.gov.in/support.
For the latest updates, please check the My Bharat website https://mybharat.gov.in/pages/vbyld_2026
