Iris Hacks IV — Online Beginner-Friendly Hackathon with ₹36,800 Prize Pool — Frequently Asked Questions

It is an online hackathon organised by Iris Hacks. Participants build a project over the weekend of August 8–9, 2026 and hand it in through Devpost. The event is designed to be beginner-friendly and open-ended, with machine learning and AI as the headline themes.

The total prize pool is $400, which works out to about ₹36,800. The organisers have not published a rank-wise breakdown, so it is not clear how much goes to each winning place.

The event runs online from August 8 to August 9, 2026. Registration closes on August 9, 2026, which is also the last day of the hackathon, so you need to sign up before that date.

Anyone, anywhere. There are no geographic restrictions, so participants from India and every other country can take part. You can enter alone or as part of a team of any size, and no prior hackathon experience is needed.

Any project you are passionate about. Machine learning and artificial intelligence are the main focus areas, but the organisers explicitly welcome other themes as well, so the brief is deliberately open-ended.

No. This is a hackathon competition with cash prizes rather than an investment programme, and there is no mention of equity, a stake, or any ownership claim over what you build.

No. Iris Hacks IV is a global online hackathon rather than an Indian government funding scheme, and neither DPIIT nor MSME registration features anywhere in its eligibility criteria.

Teams of any size are allowed, and solo entries are equally fine. No upper limit on team size has been stated.

Both registration and project submission happen on the official Devpost page for the event: https://iris-hacks-iv.devpost.com/. Make sure you register before the August 9, 2026 deadline.

Apply directly through the official application link on this page. Review the eligibility criteria and prepare your startup documents before you begin.