Mangalore: The Winter Hackathon 2026, a 36-hour hybrid hackathon, was successfully
organized by Google Developer Group On Campus, SJEC in association with SCEPTIX,
under the guidance of the Department of Computer Science and Engineering, St. Joseph
Engineering College (SJEC), An Autonomous Institution, Mangaluru, from 11 to 13
January 2026. The event brought together enthusiastic student developers to innovate and
build impactful solutions under the theme “Open Innovation.”
The hackathon commenced with an online inaugural ceremony on 11 January,
followed by intensive offline coding sessions, mentoring, workshops, and evaluations
conducted on campus. Students were challenged to identify real-world problems within their
campuses or local communities and develop practical solutions using Google technologies.
The event featured engaging technical talks and workshops by industry professionals,
including Ankit Shah (AL/ML Lead, GDGoC SJEC), Rachan Karkera (AI/ML
Intern, EGDK India), and Nihaal Y K (AI/ML Intern, EGDK India), focusing on AI,
Gemini, and Google AI Studio. Alumni mentors Anish Shobith and Charis Pinto
provided continuous guidance to participating teams. Ice-breaker games added a fun and
collaborative element to the learning experience.
A prize pool of Rs. 30,000 was awarded across multiple categories. Team Code trinity
emerged as winners, followed by Team Monkey Coders as runners-up and Team Vajra
as second runners-up. Special awards were presented for Best UI, Best Business Model,
Best Idea, and Best Social Impact. The Valedictory Ceremony held on 13 January was
graced by Chief Guest, Dr. Binu K G, Professor & Head of Strategy & Planning, Dept. of
Mechanical Engineering. The Event also witnessed the presence of Rev. Fr. Wilfred Prakash
D’Souza, Director, SJEC, Dr. Melwyn D’Souza, Professor & HOD, Dept. of Computer
Science & Engineering, Jithya, Assistant Professor, Dept. of Computer Science &
Engineering along with the Ankit Shah & student coordinators Ashley Cleon Pinto &
Nithin.
The Winter Hackathon 2026 provided students with valuable hands-on experience in
problem-solving, teamwork, and innovation, strengthening the hackathon and open-source
culture on campus while fostering meaningful connections with alumni and industry experts.