About DOOMFORGE DOOMFORGE is a two-round business and engineering hackathon that challenges participants to combine strategic thinking, market analysis, and practical software engineering. The competition is designed to take participants beyond conventional coding challenges. It begins with identifying real-world business problems and market opportunities, followed by hands-on engineering challenges involving existing codebases and open-source development. Participants will have the opportunity to demonstrate their analytical thinking, technical expertise, creativity, and ability to build practical solutions. Eligibility and Team Formation Open to college students.
Team size: 1 - 3 members. Inter-college teams are allowed. Participants from different academic specialisations are welcome to collaborate. Each participant can be part of only one team. All team members must complete the registration process.
Market Analysis Duration: 4 December – 6 December 2026 Round 1 focuses on business strategy, market research, and problem identification. Participants will be presented with a business-oriented problem or scenario. They must analyse the problem, understand the market landscape, identify opportunities, and propose a feasible solution. What participants need to cover: Problem identification and understanding. Target audience and market analysis. Competitor research and existing solutions. Identification of market gaps and opportunities. Proposed solution, its feasibility, and potential impact.
Submission Format: Teams must submit a one-minute video explaining their market analysis, identified opportunity, and proposed solution through Unstop.
Evaluation Criteria: Depth of market research. Understanding of the problem. Originality and innovation. Feasibility of the proposed solution. Clarity and effectiveness of presentation. Based on their submissions, selected teams will qualify for the second round.
Round 2: Engineering Arena – Open-Source Development The second round is a hands-on engineering challenge in which shortlisted teams will work on one of four dedicated GitHub repositories. Each repository represents a distinct engineering track with its own technical problem space. Participants will be expected to understand the existing codebase, identify areas for improvement, and implement meaningful technical contributions.
Potential engineering challenges include: Developing new features and functionalities. Identifying and fixing bugs. Improving application performance and scalability. Implementing security enhancements. Writing automated tests and improving test coverage. Integrating AI/ML-based capabilities. Improving code quality, maintainability, and documentation.
Submission Format: All development contributions must be submitted through GitHub Pull Requests (PRs) to the respective repositories.
Venue
Vit Chennai, Kelambakkam - Vandalur Rd, Chennai, Keelakottiyur, Tamil Nadu 600127
Chennai, India
Evaluation Criteria: Functional correctness and completeness. Code quality and maintainability. Technical implementation. Security and reliability. Testing and validation. Innovation and practical impact. Engineering Tracks DOOMFORGE features four specialised engineering tracks, each backed by a dedicated GitHub repository. Participants will work on the repository and technical challenge specified by the organising team. Further details regarding the repositories, technical requirements, and challenges will be communicated to qualified participants. Rules and Regulations Teams must consist of a minimum of 1 and a maximum of 3 members. Inter-college participation is permitted. Each participant may register as part of only one team. Round 1 submissions must be submitted within the specified deadline, from 4 December to 6 December 2026. Round 1 submissions must follow the prescribed one-minute video format. Only shortlisted teams will advance to Round 2. Participants must work on their designated GitHub repository and follow the respective technical guidelines. All technical contributions must be submitted through GitHub Pull Requests. Participants must ensure that their submissions are original and that all external resources or third-party contributions are appropriately acknowledged. Plagiarism, unauthorised copying, and misrepresentation of work are strictly prohibited. Attempts to manipulate automated evaluation systems or bypass repository checks may result in disqualification. Participants must adhere to all deadlines and instructions communicated by the organising committee. The organising committee reserves the right to disqualify teams for misconduct or violations of competition rules. The decision of the judging panel and organising committee will be final. What You Gain Hands-on experience with real-world business and engineering challenges. Exposure to open-source development and collaborative GitHub workflows. An opportunity to demonstrate strategic thinking and technical problem-solving. Experience working with existing codebases and modern software engineering practi