WitchHunt — Women In Technology Challenge 2026

Empowering Women to Build AI Solutions for India

Join India's largest women-led AI hackathon. Build scalable solutions across Education, Climate Action, Health, and Smart Cities.

Registartion Ends In

30 Days

17 Hours

13 Mins

31 Secs

Explore Event

5,000+ Women Participants

1,000+ Teams Competing

40 Finalists

₹19L Prize Pool

About The Challenge

WitchHunt empowers women and girls across India to build practical, scalable AI solutions that address real challenges in Education, Climate Action, Health, and Smart Cities. The program combines mentorship, workshops, and cutting-edge resources to help teams progress from prototype to pilot, creating measurable impact in critical social sectors.

Beyond a hackathon, WitchHunt is a movement championing diversity in tech and proving that when women lead in AI, innovation thrives. Join a community of changemakers, gain access to industry experts, and transform bold ideas into solutions that make a difference across India.

Challenge Tracks

To Enable the Underserved and unserved by leveraging the power of AI

Education

Develop AI solutions to improve learning outcomes, increase access to quality education, and personalize learning experiences for students across India.

Climate Action

Create innovative solutions to mitigate climate challenges, promote sustainability, and help communities adapt to environmental changes.

Health & Well-Being

Build technology solutions for scalable healthcare delivery, mental health support, and community well-being initiatives.

Smart Cities

Design AI-driven solutions for urban resilience, efficient public services, and improved quality of life in Indian cities.

Event Roadmap

Your journey from registration to conference

8th March 2026

Registration & Team Formation

Participants register and form teams to kickstart their hackathon journey.

14th & 15th March 2026

Bootcamp

Hands-on sessions, mentorship, and guidance to help teams refine their ideas and approach.

8th April 2026

Proposal / Idea Submission

Teams submit their ideas and proposals aligned with the hackathon themes.

10th May 2026 (by 5:00 PM)

POC Submission

Submission of proof of concept demonstrating the feasibility and core functionality of the idea.

25th May 2026

Jury Decision Closure

Evaluation process concludes and final decisions are made by the jury panel.

30th May 2026

Finalist Announcement

Top teams are announced and move forward to the final stage.

13th June 2026

Demo Day

Finalists present their solutions live to the jury and audience.

14th June 2026

Conference

Closing event with talks, networking, and celebration of innovation.

Meet Our Team

The dedicated organizers, mentors, and judges driving WitchHunt

Chithra Gurjar

CHAIR

Neeraja Ganesh

CO-CHAIR

Varsha Verma

CO-CHAIR

Jacintha Jayachandran

Hackathon Champion

Noella D'Souza Coutinho

Chief of Staff

Sanjay Kumar

Finance Controller

Shanmugapriya Gnanasekara

Head of PMO

Dr. Muthukumaraswamy B

Lead, Tech Track

Bhuvana Subramanyan

Head, Marketing & Outreach

Riththika

Young women community outreach

Yasmeen MS

Member, Tech Track

Kaajal Ahuja

Member, Marketing & Outreach

Awards & Prize Distribution

🏆

TOTAL PRIZE POOL

₹19,00,000

Support, incubation opportunities, mentorship and recognition included.

🏆

Winners

₹2.5L Per Track

4 Winners × ₹2.5L = ₹10L

🥈

Runners-Up

₹1L Per Track

4 Runners-Up × ₹1L = ₹4L

🌟

Special Mentions

₹50K Per Team

8 Teams × ₹50K = ₹4L

Register

Registrations open now! — sign up to receive updates.

Join Us as a Mentor or Volunteer

Are you interested in creating tech solutions that help change the world? Your experience can change a life. Join us as a mentor or volunteer and contribute your time, skills, and perspective.

FAQs

General Participation & Team Structure

The hackathon is open to both technical and non-technical participants, including working and non-working women.
Retired parents aged 60+ are encouraged to join as teammates — experience is a huge asset and there is no upper age limit.
Mentors should be experienced developers, designers, product managers, or industry professionals willing to guide participants.
Mentoring is a voluntary and unpaid role — a way to give back to the community and network with other professionals.

Teams must have a minimum of 2 members and a maximum of 5.
Solo participation is not allowed.
Teams must have a majority of women — at least 50% or more (e.g., one woman and one man in a two-person team is acceptable).
Participants are responsible for forming their own teams; organizers will not match individuals.

Yes, inter-college and inter-county teams are permitted.
Teams may include members from outside the HopeWorks community.
Some teams may be joined by one HopeWorks Scholar — this does not impact the standard team size limit.

Mentorship Program Access

Mentorship is included as part of the hackathon experience at no additional cost.
A mentor is assigned to each team based on skills, time zone, and the issues described — no manual signup needed.
Once assigned, the team and mentor will receive a common email to connect.

A mentee is any participant or team member who seeks guidance from mentors during the hackathon.
Participants are limited to one role — you cannot be both a mentee and a team lead.
An AI background is not mandatory; boot camps will be conducted to help with AI literacy.

Mentors will: assist with scoping ideas, choosing tech stacks, debugging, UX feedback, and pitching/storytelling.
Mentors will not: write large chunks of code, finish tasks on the team's behalf, or guarantee a win.
Their role is to guide and suggest approaches — not deliver the final project.

Logistics, Scheduling & Documentation

Use the official registration link provided by the organizers.
A student or company ID is typically required; recent graduates may upload a previous college ID.
Participants not affiliated with an institution may use any standard photo ID.

All workshops, bootcamps, and learning sessions are 100% virtual.
The final round is an offline event held in Bengaluru — no hybrid option for the finale.
The exact venue will be finalized and shared soon.
Mentors associated with the top 40 teams are required to attend the final event in May.

A team member may contribute remotely if they cannot attend in person due to valid commitments (e.g., an internship).
This must be disclosed upfront with documented proof.
Logistics for remote participation must be organized by the team itself.

Mentorship timings and modes are determined between the team and their mentor.
Organizers recommend creating a WhatsApp or alternate group for quick coordination.
All mentoring calls are expected to be recorded.
For offline rounds, travel via authorized modes will be reimbursed against invoices, and accommodation in Bengaluru will be arranged by HopeWorks.

Project Scope & Submissions

Teams have autonomy in project selection, but must work within the four predefined theme areas established for the hackathon.

Physical prototypes involving liquid or solid substances are allowed if they follow safety guidelines and receive prior approval. Teams must clearly outline the technology and requirements behind any physical prototype.

Once the full Proof of Concept (PoC) is submitted, only the top 40 teams from all entries will be shortlisted to move forward to the offline final stage.

Judging, IP & Safety

Teams retain full ownership of the intellectual property (IP) they build — mentors do not gain IP rights by advising.
Mentors are expected to maintain confidentiality and not share or reuse your specific ideas.
Submissions are evaluated based on predefined judging criteria and weightages, which will be shared with participants.
Mentors are not involved in the final judging process.

If a mentor or teammate is disrespectful or violates the code of conduct, end the interaction immediately.
Report the incident to the official support email to request a mentor change or further investigation.
Organizers will investigate and may take disciplinary action, including removing participants from the event.