About the challenge
The AI Autonomous Smart City Hackathon 2026 invites students worldwide to build intelligent systems that transform urban living.
Participants will design AI-powered solutions that enable cities to think, adapt, and operate autonomously in real time. From smart traffic systems to sustainable energy optimization, this hackathon focuses on solving real-world urban challenges using cutting-edge technologies.
This is your opportunity to innovate at the intersection of Artificial Intelligence, IoT, and Smart Infrastructure.
Get started
1. Choose a real-world smart city problem
2. Build an AI-powered solution
3. Submit your project with demo and code
Focus on:
- Practical impact
- Innovation
- Scalability
Communication & Updates
Participants may join the official WhatsApp group for updates, support, and announcements.
👉 https://chat.whatsapp.com/IDEMFuT1Y8x7LPt3zyQsaI
All important updates will also be shared on Devpost.
Requirements
What to Build
Participants should develop a working prototype in one of the following areas:
- Smart Traffic & Mobility Systems
- Environmental Monitoring (Air/Water)
- Smart Energy Management
- Urban Healthcare AI Solutions
- Public Safety & Surveillance
What to Submit
Each team must submit:
- Project title and description
- GitHub repository link
- Demo video (2–5 minutes)
- Screenshots or UI preview
- Explanation of AI model used
Prizes
1st Prize - Grand Winner
1-Year Free .site Domain
Official Winner Certificate
2nd Prize - Runner Up
1-Year Free .site Domain
Runner-Up Certificate
3rd Prize — Second Runner Up
1-Year Free .site Domain
Certificate of Achievement
Devpost Achievements
Submitting to this hackathon could earn you:
Judges
Praveen Coppa
Workspace AI Platform Engineer at Google
Mihir Shelar
Senior Technical Program Manager @ Amazon | IEEE Senior Member
Somnath Banerjee
Lead Data Engineer @ Elevance Health | Enterprise AI & Scalable Systems
Shri Lakshmi Rajagopal
Senior QA Automation Engineer @ Deloitte
Prakshal Doshi
Software Engineer @ Apple | AI Infrastructure | MLOps
Xingpeng Xiao
Software Engineering Manager at Disney
Praneetha Kotla
AI Solutions Architect | Global Hackathon Judge | IEEE Senior Member
Swarnamalya Mohan
Senior Full Stack Developer at FedEx
Shyam Goyal
Senior Data Analyst @ Samsung | Data Science & ML Specialist
Preethi Bharathy
Data Scientist | AI & Scalable Systems
Suraj Devatha
Senior Software Engineer Distributed Systems | AI-driven Platforms
Hareesha KoratikereRameshappa
Sr. Technical Product Manager — AI & ADAS Systems Phantom AI
Venkata Revunuru
Senior Software Engineer and Enterprise AI Architect
Panagitois Coutoulas
Enterprise AI Systems
Karthik Karunanithi
Solution Architect at IBM
Silu Panda
Senior Software Engineer — ML Infrastructure | LinkedIn
Manisha Konda
Senior Data Analyst at Walgreens
Elumalai M
Software Engineer III — Java Development
Senthil Kumar R
AI Researcher | Intelligent Systems & Data Science
Ramamoorthy S
AI Engineer | GenAI LLM Specialist
Sunil Subash
Data Scientist | AI & Analytics
Judging Criteria
-
Innovation — 25%
Originality and creativity of the idea. Novel approaches to solving smart city problems. -
Technical Implementation — 25%
Quality of code, use of AI/ML technologies, system architecture, and overall technical complexity. -
Impact — 20%
Real-world usefulness, relevance to smart city challenges, and potential societal impact. -
Feasibility — 15%
Scalability, practicality, and ability to deploy the solution in real-world environments. -
Presentation — 15%
Clarity of demo, UI/UX quality, and effectiveness of communication.
Questions? Email the hackathon manager
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