SJEC Successfully Organizes Winter Hackathon 2026
Mangaluru: The Winter Hackathon 2026, a 36-hour hybrid hackathon, was successfully organized by the Google Developer Group on Campus (GDGoC), 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. Participants 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 hands-on workshops by industry professionals, including Mr. Ankit Shah, AI/ML Lead, GDGoC SJEC; Mr. Rachan Karkera, AI/ML Intern, EGDK India; and Mr. Nihaal Y K, AI/ML Intern, EGDK India. The sessions focused on emerging technologies such as Artificial Intelligence, Gemini, and Google AI Studio. Alumni mentors Mr. Anish Shobith and Ms. Charis Pinto provided continuous guidance and support to the participating teams. Ice-breaker games added a fun and collaborative element to the learning experience.
A total prize pool of ₹30,000 was awarded across multiple categories. Team Code Trinity emerged as the winners, followed by Team Monkey Coders as runners-up and Team Vajra as second runners-up. Special awards were also presented for Best UI, Best Business Model, Best Idea, and Best Social Impact.
The Valedictory Ceremony, held on 13 January, was graced by the Chief Guest Dr. Binu K G, Professor and Head of Strategy & Planning, Department of Mechanical Engineering. The event also witnessed the presence of Rev. Fr. Wilfred Prakash D’Souza, Director, SJEC; Dr. Melwyn D’Souza, Professor and Head, Department of Computer Science & Engineering; Ms. Jithya, Assistant Professor, Department of Computer Science & Engineering; along with Mr. Ankit Shah and student coordinators Ashley Cleon Pinto and 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.
