Global Mesh AI & Swarm Robotics Challenge 2026: Build Open Source Edge Systems

Overview:Welcome to the Decentralized Mesh Protocol Hackathon 2026! This is an open-source, contribution-based hackathon designed for developers, C++ enthusiasts, and IoT/robotics builders. Participants will tackle real-world issues in dynamic node routing, swarm network optimization, testing, and documentation to build robust edge infrastructure.Important Dates & Timeline:Hackathon Start Date: Immediate Access!Final Submission Deadline: September 30, 2026 (11:59 PM IST)Winner Announcement: Post-evaluation after October 5, 2026.Eligibility & Guidelines:Eligibility: Open to all students, open-source enthusiasts, and developers (undergraduate, post-graduate, and school students welcome).Team Size: Individual participation (1 member per team/handle) or small teams up to 3 members.Inter-College Teams: Allowed! Teammates can be from different colleges/institutions.Inter-Specialization Teams: Allowed! Members can belong to any domain (CSE, ECE, Mechanical, etc.).Number of Problem Statements / Issues: 10+ categorized open GitHub issues ranging across easy, medium, and hard difficulty levels.Rules & Integrity Guidelines:Issue Assignment Required: Do NOT open a PR without an explicitly assigned issue. Unassigned PRs will be closed.Strictly PR-Based: Direct commits to the main branch are blocked. All submissions must come via GitHub Pull Requests.No Spam / Quality Control: Submissions with cosmetic-only changes (e.g., random whitespace fixes, minor typo spamming without value) will be rejected immediately with zero points.Code Quality: All C++/Embedded code must compile cleanly using PlatformIO / CMake without standard build errors.Leaderboard Points:level: easy = 10 – 15 Pointslevel: medium = 20 – 25 Pointslevel: hard = 35 – 40 PointsPrizes & Rewards Pool:1st Rank (Winner): ₹10,000 Cash Prize + Exclusive Swag Bag + Winner Certificate + Core Team Invite2nd Rank (Runner Up): ₹5,000 Cash Prize + Exclusive Swag Bag + Runner-up Certificate3rd Rank (Second Runner Up): ₹2,500 Cash Prize + Exclusive Swag Bag + Certificate of MeritRanks 4th to 30th: ₹1,000 Cash Prize Each + Premium Swags + Certificate of ExcellencePerks & Swag Kits (Worth ₹10,000+)Top contributors ko milenge exclusive physical & digital perks:Custom Swag Bags: Branded T-shirts, Laptop Stickers, Badges & Developer WristbandsCertificate of Contribution: Verified digital certificates for ALL participants with merged PRsFast-Track Mentorship & Core Team Invite: Top coders ko project ka Core Maintainer banne ka chanceGitHub Profile Highlight: Project README par top contributors ka feature