How to Apply for Puzzle Masters Hackathon 2026 — ₹1,700 Prize Pool for Student Game Devs

Entries move through two rounds.

Round 1 — idea and presentation (free entry). You submit a presentation covering your game's title, the problem statement, the concept, gameplay mechanics, the target audience, core features, the game flow, UI/UX mock-ups, your technology stack and the development roadmap. Judges weigh how original, feasible and creative the idea is, along with how well the deck is put together. Only the shortlisted teams advance.

Round 2 — final project submission. Shortlisted entrants must deliver a working game in APK, web or desktop form, alongside a GitHub repository, a demo video of 2–5 minutes, a final presentation, README documentation and the game assets. The build has to be stable and playable, and it must include the features proposed back in Round 1.

Final judging is weighted as follows:

• Innovation and originality: 25%
• Gameplay experience: 25%
• Technical implementation: 20%
• UI/UX design: 15%
• Creativity: 10%
• Presentation and documentation: 5%