National Drone Hackathon 2026
A 36-hour national innovation challenge uniting engineering students, startups, developers, and researchers to solve mission-critical aerial problems for agriculture, mining, logistics, disaster response, and defense.
Cash Prize Pool
Direct cash awards distributed among winning categories, institutional citations, and state incubation grants.
National Selection
Curated national participation from premier engineering institutes, drone startups, and domain researchers.
Incubation Pipeline
Prototyping facilities, DGCA certification mentorship, and state department pilot linkages.
From Problem Statement to Field Deployment
Challenge Selection
Choose from 5 domain problem statements across hardware and autonomous aerial software.
Abstract Submission
Submit technical whitepaper, prototype architecture, and team credentials by July 15.
Jury Shortlist
Top 80–100 finalist teams invited to Sri Sri University campus for the 36-hour grand finale.
Live Prototyping
On-campus continuous development, flight trials, and technical mentorship.
Field Demo & Awards
Live jury demonstrations in the flight arena followed by plenary awards & grants.
Five Mission-Critical Verticals
Precision Agriculture
Autonomous spraying, multispectral crop diagnostics, and yield prediction.
Mining & Surveying
Volumetric calculation, 3D GIS mapping, stockpile measurement, and pit safety audits.
Logistics & Transport
Emergency cold-chain medical delivery, payload stability control, and drop systems.
Disaster Response
Rapid flood mapping, thermal search & rescue, and emergency communication relays.
Defense & Security
Tactical swarm navigation algorithms, anti-drone radar counter-measures, and perimeter security.
Submit Your Team Abstract
Applications are open for student teams, startup founders, and independent engineers. Submissions close on 15 July 2026 at 23:59 IST.