About the challenge

CraterHacks is an open-ended hackathon for people who believe in their ideas enough to build them. 

You’re free to work on any idea — an app, an AI tool, a platform, a system, or something totally experimental. If you can imagine it and build it well enough to help others imagine it too, it belongs here. And if it doesn’t seem to belong anywhere yet, build it anyway.

No matter how experienced you are, what matters most here is execution. You’re free to use AI tools and assistance, just build something real. We want to see how fast you can ship what you dream. 

Our goal is simple: bring together ambitious builders and help strong projects take their next step beyond the hackathon. Over time, we hope to support the most promising ideas as they grow into real startups.

Don't let the noise blur what you believe in. See it, and then start building it so that others can see it too. 

Sart something real.

-Team 404:CNF

Requirements

What to Build/Submit

• A working project or functional prototype developed during the hackathon period(required)

• A clear project title and description explaining the idea and the problem being solved

• A demo video/pitch (2–3 minutes) showcasing the project’s features and functionality, embedded from youtube to your title page (required)

• A code repository link (GitHub or similar) with the project source code (if applicable)

• A short explanation of the project’s use case, potential impact, and future scope

 

Optional but encouraged:

• Screenshots, UI designs, or architecture diagrams

• A live project link or deployment URL 

• A brief tech stack overview listing tools, frameworks, and technologies used

Submissions should reflect work primarily completed during the hackathon. Pre-existing ideas are allowed, but the implementation should be new. Any signs of old work being reused, or plagiarism will result in immediate disqualification. "Good artists copy, great artists steal"
If you want to steal, then do so in a way we aren't able to catch you. 

 

Incomplete or non-functional submissions may not be considered for judging.

Hackathon Sponsors

Prizes

₹ 48,000 in prizes
1st Prize
₹ 27,000 in cash
1 winner

The winning project will receive the Featherless Scale Plan (valued at $300), providing access to Featherless’s premium inference platform and model catalog to continue building and scaling beyond the hackathon.

*Note: This is a subscription/credits prize(Non-Cash). Cash payout is not provided.

Runner- Up
₹ 14,000 in cash
1 winner

The runner-up project will receive 1 month of the Featherless Scale Plan (valued at $150), supporting continued development with premium inference access and a wide selection of open-weight models.

*Note: This is a subscription/credits prize(Non-Cash). Cash payout is not provided.

Second Runner-Up
₹ 7,000 in cash
1 winner

The third-place project will receive 1 month of the Featherless Scale Plan (valued at $75), enabling the team to continue iterating using Featherless’s inference infrastructure and model access.*

*Note: This is a subscription/credits prize(Non-Cash). Cash payout is not provided.

Devpost Achievements

Submitting to this hackathon could earn you:

Judges

Sarika Padmashali
Senior Software Architect - Adobe

Srinidhi Vaddy

Srinidhi Vaddy
TechOps - Stripe

Arnav Sharma
404:CNF - Co- Founder

Suraj Nair
404:CNF - Co- Founder

Judging Criteria

  • 1) Execution — 30%
    How well was the idea implemented?
  • 2) Idea & Originality — 20%
    How strong and thoughtful is the idea?
  • 3) Communication — 20%
    How clearly is the project explained?
  • 4) Impact & Future Potential — 15%
    Could this project grow beyond the hackathon?
  • 5) User Experience — 15%
    How thoughtful is the user experience?

Questions? Email the hackathon manager

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