System Siege — ₹20,000 AVV Chennai Build & Defend Hackathon
A 24-hour systems engineering competition by Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, Chennai, where undergraduate teams build, ship, attack and defend live products for a share of a ₹20,000 prize pool.
- Funding amount
- ₹20,000 (competition)
- Funding type
- Competition
- Application deadline
- Closed (15 Jul 2026)
- Eligible stage
- Any stage
- Location
- Open to startups registered in India
Overview
System Siege is a 24-hour engineering competition hosted by Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham (AVV), Chennai. The premise is deliberately tough: teams must create something real, get it running where others can reach it, and then keep it alive while rival teams try to break it.
What separates this event from a standard hackathon is that the demo is not the finish line — it is the starting gun. Once repositories go public and bug reporting opens, other teams begin hunting for weaknesses in your work, and every flaw left unpatched starts bleeding points. The competition rewards engineering judgment across the whole lifecycle: designing, shipping, hardening, and recovering cleanly after a hit.
The clock is split into two windows. Teams get 6 hours on 16 July 2026 to build and deploy a working MVP. That is followed by a continuous 18-hour live game window spanning 16 to 17 July 2026, during which systems are exposed, attacked, and defended. Scoring blends build quality with attack points, recovery points, and a time-decay penalty for bugs that stay unfixed. No team is knocked out at any stage, and a score floor of 25 points means everyone stays in play until the end.
The prize pool totals ₹20,000, with the winner also picking up an internship at Nithilam Tech. It is open to undergraduates across colleges and specialisations, with teams of 2 to 4 members.
Highlights
- 24-hour engineering competition run by Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham (AVV), Chennai — a 6-hour build window on 16 July 2026 followed by an 18-hour live attack-and-defend window on 16–17 July 2026.
- ₹20,000 total cash prize pool: ₹10,000 for 1st place plus an internship at Nithilam Tech, ₹6,000 for 2nd and ₹4,000 for 3rd.
- Open to all undergraduates in teams of 2 to 4; inter-college and inter-specialisation teams are allowed.
- Register by 15 July 2026 through Unstop — the entry fee is ₹300 per team.
- No eliminations: a 25-point score floor keeps every team competing to the last hour.
- Build web applications, APIs with working interfaces, browser-based tools, dashboards or containerised multi-service setups.
Who can apply
System Siege is open to all undergraduate students, regardless of college or specialisation.
- Team size: 2 to 4 members per team.
- Inter-college teams: allowed — members do not need to be from the same institution.
- Inter-specialisation teams: allowed — mixed-discipline teams are welcome.
- Participation rule: every member listed on the team must be actively involved in building, defending and presenting the project.
- Original work: all code submitted must have been written by the team during the event itself.
System Siege — ₹20,000 AVV Chennai Build & Defend Hackathon is open to startups at any stage. It is open to startups registered anywhere in India.
- Eligible stage
- Any stage
- Location
- Open to startups registered in India
Deadline & timing
The most recent application window for System Siege — ₹20,000 AVV Chennai Build & Defend Hackathon closed on 15 Jul 2026. Many programmes run repeat cohorts, so it is worth checking the official site for the next round.
What the funding covers
System Siege is a prize-money competition rather than a grant or investment programme. The total cash pool is ₹20,000, distributed across the top three teams.
- 1st place: ₹10,000 in cash plus an internship at Nithilam Tech.
- 2nd place: ₹6,000.
- 3rd place: ₹4,000.
Beyond the cash, the format gives every participating team a live, adversarial engineering exercise: a shipped product, a public repository, real attack traffic against your system, and a scoring record that shows how well you built, defended and recovered.
How to apply
Applications are submitted on the . Confirm the current deadline and document checklist there before you start.
Selection process
There is no separate shortlisting or interview round. Every registered team competes in the same two-window format, and outcomes are decided purely by the score earned during the event.
Phase 1 — Build Window
- 6 hours on 16 July 2026.
- Teams design and build an MVP and get it deployed.
- The project must be deployable, testable and reachable for the duration of the event.
Phase 2 — Live Game Window
- A continuous 18 hours from 16 to 17 July 2026.
- Repositories become visible to other teams and bug reporting opens.
- Teams attack opponents' systems and defend their own simultaneously.
Scoring
- Build quality, attack points and recovery points all feed into the final score.
- Unpatched bugs attract a time-decay penalty — the longer a known flaw sits unfixed, the more it costs.
- No team is eliminated at any point, and a score floor of 25 points keeps every team in the running until the event closes.
Documents you’ll need
Before you apply to System Siege — ₹20,000 AVV Chennai Build & Defend Hackathon, 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.
Who this is best for
System Siege — ₹20,000 AVV Chennai Build & Defend Hackathon is best suited for startups in India seeking non-dilutive funding of ₹20,000. If that describes your startup, review the eligibility criteria above before applying.
Frequently asked questions
What is System Siege?
System Siege is a 24-hour systems-focused engineering competition organised by Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham (AVV), Chennai. Teams build and deploy a working product, then spend the rest of the event attacking other teams' systems and defending their own against incoming attacks. It is designed to test engineering judgment across building, breaking, defending and recovering.
How much prize money is on offer?
The total cash prize pool is ₹20,000. First place receives ₹10,000 along with an internship at Nithilam Tech, second place receives ₹6,000, and third place receives ₹4,000.
Who is eligible to participate in System Siege?
The competition is open to all undergraduate students. You can take part in a team of 2 to 4 members, and your teammates do not need to be from the same college or the same specialisation — inter-college and inter-specialisation teams are explicitly allowed.
What is the registration deadline, and is there an entry fee?
Registration closes on 15 July 2026, and the entry fee is ₹300 per team. Teams register through the Unstop listing for the event.
What kind of project can we build?
Your project has to be deployable, testable and accessible to others throughout the event. Accepted project types include web applications, APIs that come with a usable interface, browser-based tools, dashboards, and containerised setups made up of multiple services.
What are we not allowed to build?
Hardware-dependent projects are not permitted, nor are mobile apps, kernel-level or OS-level modifications, mockups that do not actually function, or anything that requires a person to manually step in and rescue the environment. Every submitted project must genuinely run on its own.
How does the 24-hour event actually run?
It runs in two windows. Phase 1 is a 6-hour build window on 16 July 2026, in which teams create and deploy an MVP. Phase 2 is a continuous 18-hour live game window across 16 to 17 July 2026, when repositories become visible to everyone, bug reporting opens, and teams attack and defend each other's systems.
How is scoring calculated, and can a team be eliminated?
Scores combine build quality, attack points and recovery points, with a time-decay penalty applied to bugs that remain unpatched — the longer a known flaw stays open, the more points it costs you. No team is eliminated at any stage, and a score floor of 25 points guarantees every team stays in the competition until the end.
Are there rules about participation and where the code comes from?
Yes. Every team member must actively take part in building, defending and presenting the project — no silent passengers. All code must be original work written by the team during the event.
Does winning take any equity or stake in my project?
No. System Siege is a competition, and the rewards are cash prizes and an internship rather than an investment. Nothing is taken in exchange for the prize money, and there is no repayment obligation.
Is DPIIT recognition required for System Siege — ₹20,000 AVV Chennai Build & Defend Hackathon?
No. DPIIT (Startup India) recognition is not listed as a mandatory requirement for System Siege — ₹20,000 AVV Chennai Build & Defend Hackathon, though having it can strengthen your application and unlock other benefits.
How do I apply for System Siege — ₹20,000 AVV Chennai Build & Defend Hackathon?
Apply directly through the official application link on this page. Review the eligibility criteria and prepare your startup documents before you begin.
Alternatives to System Siege — ₹20,000 AVV Chennai Build & Defend Hackathon
Not sure System Siege — ₹20,000 AVV Chennai Build & Defend Hackathon is the right fit, or already applied? These are other grants open to Indian startups that founders shortlist alongside it.
Questions from founders
Ask anything about eligibility, documents or the process — answered by the community.
No questions yet — be the first to ask.