Global Mesh AI & Swarm Robotics Challenge 2026: Build Open Source Edge Systems

Overview: Welcome to the Decentralized Mesh Protocol Hackathon 2026! This is an open-source, contribution-based hackathon designed for developers, C++ enthusiasts, and IoT/robotics builders. Participants will tackle real-world issues in dynamic node routing, swarm network optimization, testing, and documentation to build robust edge infrastructure. Important Dates & Timeline: Hackathon Start Date: Immediate Access! Final Submission Deadline: September 30, 2026 (11:59 PM IST) Winner Announcement: Post-evaluation after October 5, 2026. Eligibility & Guidelines: Eligibility: Open to all students, open-source enthusiasts, and developers (undergraduate, post-graduate, and school students welcome). Team Size: Individual participation (1 member per team/handle) or small teams up to 3 members. Inter-College Teams: Allowed! Teammates can be from different colleges/institutions. Inter-Specialization Teams: Allowed! Members can belong to any domain (CSE, ECE, Mechanical, etc.). Number of Problem Statements / Issues: 10+ categorized open GitHub issues ranging across easy, medium, and hard difficulty levels. Rules & Integrity Guidelines: Issue Assignment Required: Do NOT open a PR without an explicitly assigned issue. Unassigned PRs will be closed. Strictly PR-Based: Direct commits to the main branch are blocked. All submissions must come via GitHub Pull Requests. No Spam / Quality Control: Submissions with cosmetic-only changes (e.g., random whitespace fixes, minor typo spamming without value) will be rejected immediately with zero points. Code Quality: All C++/Embedded code must compile cleanly using PlatformIO / CMake without standard build errors. Leaderboard Points: level: easy = 10 – 15 Points level: medium = 20 – 25 Points level: hard = 35 – 40 Points Prizes & Rewards Pool: 1st Rank (Winner): ₹10,000 Cash Prize + Exclusive Swag Bag + Winner Certificate + Core Team Invite 2nd Rank (Runner Up): ₹5,000 Cash Prize + Exclusive Swag Bag + Runner-up Certificate 3rd Rank (Second Runner Up): ₹2,500 Cash Prize + Exclusive Swag Bag + Certificate of Merit Ranks 4th to 30th: ₹1,000 Cash Prize Each + Premium Swags + Certificate of Excellence Perks & Swag Kits (Worth ₹10,000+) Top contributors ko milenge exclusive physical & digital perks: Custom Swag Bags: Branded T-shirts, Laptop Stickers, Badges & Developer Wristbands Certificate of Contribution: Verified digital certificates for ALL participants with merged PRs Fast-Track Mentorship & Core Team Invite: Top coders ko project ka Core Maintainer banne ka chance GitHub Profile Highlight: Project README par top contributors ka feature