National-level hackathon in Puducherry draws talent from across country

The national hackathon 'AI IGNITE' at SMVEC attracted 2,500 participants, fostering innovation in agentic AI solutions across India.

A national-level hackathon hosted by Sri Manakula Vinayagar Engineering College (SMVEC) drew over 2,500 participants from institutions across the country.

A press note said the ‘AI IGNITE’, billed as India’s first national agentic AI hackathon, on the theme “Igniting Excellence”, attracted over 1,000 registerant teams. After a rigorous screening process, 130 teams were shortlisted, out of which 106 teams, comprising 395 students actively participated in the final 36-hour hackathon held on the SMVEC campus.

The hackathon simulated a real-world platform to encourage students to design, develop, and deploy innovative solutions using Agentic Artificial Intelligence, bridging the gap between academic learning and industry expectations.

To ensure industry relevance and quality evaluation, eight eminent industry experts were invited as judges. The shortlisted top eight teams presented their projects directly before the industry experts. This unique exposure enabled students to receive expert feedback and industry insights, and several promising teams were rewarded with internship opportunities, further strengthening industry–academia collaboration, the SMVEC said.

Senthil Ranganathan, CEO / President – Athena Technology Inc., who was the chief guest, distributed prizes to the winners. The first prize carried a cash award of ₹1,00,000, the second prize ₹50,000, and third prize ₹25,000. Besides, five teams were awarded consolation prizes of ₹10,000 each.

In his address, Mr. Ranganathan offered an industry-insider’s perspective on the evolution of technology — from the Y2K era and automation to Big Data and Artificial Intelligence.