ccuhacks — Kolkata Teen Hackathon with $30,420 in Prizes

ccuhacks is a hackathon that runs for a single 24-hour stretch, held physically in Kolkata and aimed squarely at school-age builders. What makes it stand out is who is behind it: the event is put together by teenagers, with teenagers as the people it is designed for.

The format is a sprint rather than a course. Teams pick an idea, spend the day and night turning it into something that works, and finish by presenting what they have built. Mentors and the organising crew stay on hand the whole way through, so a team that gets stuck has someone to turn to.

Entry costs nothing. ccuhacks is free to join, and the money on the table is awarded purely as competition prizes, spread across several sponsor tracks. It is not a grant, a loan or an investment, so no equity changes hands.

Registration happens on the event's official Devfolio page. Solo registrants are welcome to sign up on their own, though they will need to join or assemble a team once they reach the venue, since participation is team-based.

If you are a teenager in or near Kolkata who wants to spend a day shipping something real, this is the entry point. Entries close on 20 June 2026.

• Free to enter: a 24-hour in-person hackathon held in Kolkata.
• Open to teenagers aged 13 to 19; ID proof is required for age verification.
• Team-based event — solo Devfolio registrants form teams at the venue.
• Total prize pool of $30,420 spread across six sponsor tracks.
• Largest single track: $9,000 from N8N.
• Register on the official Devfolio page before 20 June 2026.

ccuhacks is built for teenagers, and the age window is the core of who can take part.

• Age: Participants must be 13 to 19 years old. ID proof is required so the organisers can verify age.
• Teams: Participation is team-based. You may register solo on Devfolio, but you will need to find or form a team at the in-person hackathon.
• Location: The hackathon is held physically in Kolkata, India, so attendees must be present on site.
• Cost: Taking part is free of charge.

Beyond the age range and the team requirement, no other eligibility conditions are stated. There is no company-formation requirement, no revenue threshold and no DPIIT or MSME registration involved — the event is aimed at students and young builders rather than funded startups.

ccuhacks — Kolkata Teen Hackathon with $30,420 in Prizes is open to startups at any stage. It is open to startups registered anywhere in India.

The most recent application window for ccuhacks — Kolkata Teen Hackathon with $30,420 in Prizes closed on 20 Jun 2026. Many programmes run repeat cohorts, so it is worth checking the official site for the next round.

ccuhacks does not hand out grants, loans or investment. The rewards here are competition prizes, and the total prize pool is $30,420, split across the hackathon's sponsor tracks:

• $9,000 from N8N
• $7,000 from Wolfram
• $5,600 from ccuhacks itself
• $4,320 from CodeCrafters
• $2,250 from .xyz
• $2,250 from JLCPCB

Sponsors also provide additional in-kind support on top of the cash amounts.

There is no entry fee, so nothing is deducted from what a winning team receives. Teams spend the 24-hour sprint building and then presenting their projects, with mentors and organisers available throughout to help. Because the awards are competition prizes rather than an investment, there is no equity component attached to the money.

ccuhacks runs as one continuous 24-hour sprint, and the path from sign-up to presentation looks like this:

• Register — sign up through the event's official Devfolio page. Solo entries are accepted at this point.
• Join a team — participation is team-based, so anyone who registered alone sorts out teammates at the venue on the day.
• Build — teams work intensively across the in-person 24-hour stretch, developing and shipping their projects. Mentors and organisers are around for support.
• Submit and present — the sprint closes with project submissions and presentations.

Prize money across the sponsor tracks is tied to the projects teams bring to the final submission and presentation stage.

Before you apply to ccuhacks — Kolkata Teen Hackathon with $30,420 in Prizes, keep the following documents ready:

• A pitch deck or short business plan describing the problem, product and traction
• Company registration documents and PAN
• Founder identification (PAN / Aadhaar) and brief profiles
• Recent financial statements or projections
• Product details — a demo, prototype or working link if available

Exact requirements are confirmed on the official application portal — treat this as a preparation checklist.