Aravali College of Engineering and Management (ACEM) successfully concluded its highly anticipated 24-Hour National Level Hackathon 2026, held on March 20th and 21st. The 24-hour non-stop innovation marathon brought together the brightest young minds from across the country to solve real-world challenges through technology.

The event was organised in three stages, one where 200-plus participants registered themselves online and shared their problem statement in the form of a PPT. The shortlisted 130 teams were monitored in the 2^nd online round by mentors and judges. The final selected 60 teams were called upon on the college campus for the offline round. The event commenced with a traditional lamp-lighting ceremony. Dr. Atul Mishra, Dean-Academics- J.C. Bose University of Science and Technology, Faridabad, graced the occasion as the Guest of Honour. He emphasised the bridge between academia and industry, stating that True innovation lies not just in the lines of code you write today, but in your ability to identify real-world problems and solve them with technical integrity and social responsibility. Dr Atul Mishra appreciated the title of Hackathon as The  TECHआरम्भ.

The chief guest of the inauguration function, Prof. Rajiv Kumar, Honourable Vice-Chancellor of J.C. Bose University of Science & Technology, could not attend the function, but he sent his blessings by an inspiring video message. He lauded the institution’s efforts in fostering a culture of coding and problem-solving.

We were privileged to host a distinguished panel of guests for the final round whose expertise and leadership provided invaluable guidance to our participants. The prize distribution ceremony was graced by Mr. Ashutosh Agarwal, Director of Legal Metrology, GOI, as the Chief Guest and shared critical perspectives on regulatory frameworks and the legal standards of governing measurements. He stresses creating a culture of untiring problem-solving with well-defined goals. The Guest of Honour, Mrs. Pooja Agarwal, Director of International Quality and Accreditation Services (IQAS), New Delhi, provided insights into global standards and the importance of quality assurance in scalable tech solutions. Col. S.K. Kaushik, the Commanding Officer of the 5 Haryana Battalion, served as the Special Guest. His presence added a profound sense of discipline and inspiration to the budding engineers, encouraging them to approach their projects with precision and leadership.

Prof. (Dr.) Ashish Soti, Director of ACEM, addressed the gathering, emphasizing the importance of resilience and creativity in the digital age.

The ceremony also saw the felicitation of distinguished guests and the presence of all Department Heads, marking a unified commitment to academic and technical excellence.

Following the inauguration, the hacking rounds kicked off with high energy. For 24 consecutive hours, participants were immersed in intense coding, brainstorming, and prototyping.

To ensure the projects met industry standards, a dedicated team of mentors provided constant guidance by Mr. Dhruv Kumar, Mr. Harshit Gupta, Mr. Chirag Pandit, Mr. Shivam Jha, Mr. Daksh Malhotra, Mr. Varun, Mr. Moksha Kohli, and Mr. Rohit Sharma.

The final prototypes were evaluated by an esteemed panel of judges who looked for innovation, technical complexity, and feasibility. The judges were Mr. Dhruv Narayan Raina, Ms. Joyeta Ahuja and Mr. Mahesh Swami.

The competition reached its climax with the prize distribution ceremony. While all participants showed immense talent, the top 20 teams were specially recognised for their outstanding contributions. The winner was Team -Royal (Students of 11^th class), 1^st Runner Up was x-Pirate and consolation prizes were given to team Null-Pointers (Theme-Sustainability), Tech-Verse(Theme-Education), Codex (Theme-Healthcare), Algomind (Theme-Transport & Logistics), K2 (all girls member).

The event was seamlessly organized under the leadership of Convener Dr. Alok Agarwal and Mr. Praveen Kumar, supported by Co-convener Ms. Shweta Bhardwaj.

“The energy on campus over the last 24 hours has been electric. Seeing students transform abstract ideas into working models in such a short timeframe proves that the future of Indian technology is in very capable hands,” said the organizing team.

The National Level Hackathon 2026 ended on a high note, leaving participants with not just awards, but invaluable experience, new friendships, and the satisfaction of building something that matters.