If you searched "e raksha hackathon" expecting an open registration page, here's the short version: you're a bit late. The eRaksha Hackathon 2026 already ran, and the application window closed back in December 2025. That's not a reason to close the tab, though, since knowing what it actually was tells you whether it's worth tracking for next year, and this kind of national cybersecurity hackathon is exactly the sort of line item that looks good on a resume if you catch the next round early.
What the eRaksha Hackathon actually is
It's a national-level cybersecurity and AI hackathon run by eDC IIT Delhi (the institute's Entrepreneurship Development Cell) together with CyberPeace, a cybersecurity-focused nonprofit. The 2026 edition was staged as part of BECon'26, IIT Delhi's annual entrepreneurship conclave, and billed as an official pre-summit event ahead of the India AI Impact Summit 2026. That positioning matters: this wasn't a random campus coding contest, it fed directly into a government-level AI summit.
Timeline: what already happened
- December 22–31, 2025: Registrations open, through cyberchallenge.in and Unstop.
- January 16–18, 2026: The 36-hour hackathon itself, held on the IIT Delhi campus. Around 20 teams (roughly 60 people) made it through shortlisting to build on-site.
- February 10, 2026: Award function at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi, where winning teams presented as part of the India AI Impact Summit 2026.
If you're reading this after February 2026, all of the above is history. Since CyberPeace and eDC IIT Delhi ran it as an annual fixture tied to BECon, the reasonable bet is a 2027 edition following a similar December-to-January registration cycle. Check eDC IIT Delhi's and CyberPeace's own pages directly closer to the time rather than relying on old cached listings, since exact dates shift year to year.
Who could apply
Eligibility was open to college students pursuing B.Tech/B.E. (any engineering branch) or M.Tech/M.E., participating solo or in teams of up to three. Entry was free, and registration meant submitting a short abstract (PPT or PDF) explaining your proposed approach before the build phase even started.
The two problem statements
Unlike broader hackathons that hand out a dozen loosely themed tracks, eRaksha 2026 kept it to two focused, high-difficulty problems:
- Agentic AI for Securing Home IoT Devices Using Deception and Autonomous Defence. Teams built self-defending systems meant to detect threats to home IoT devices and respond autonomously, including deception tactics to mislead attackers in real time.
- Agentic AI for Deepfake Detection and Authenticity Verification. Teams built AI agents that flag manipulated media and verify whether content is authentic, aimed at strengthening digital trust across platforms.
Both tracks leaned hard into "agentic AI," systems that act autonomously rather than just classify or flag, which tells you where this hackathon (and its judges) expected the field to be heading in 2026.
What was at stake
A combined ₹3 lakh prize pool, plus something arguably more valuable for a student team: a presentation slot at the India AI Impact Summit 2026, in front of a much bigger audience than a typical campus hackathon closing ceremony gets you.
If you're aiming for the next edition
Two practical takeaways if this is on your radar for next year. First, the eligibility bar (B.Tech/B.E./M.Tech/M.E., team of up to three) is stricter than open-entry platforms like Devfolio or Unstop hackathons that welcome any student, so confirm you qualify before you build a team around it. Second, since selection ran on an abstract submitted before the build phase, your written problem-solving pitch matters as much as your coding here, unlike hackathons that only judge the final build.
Sources for this page: The Week's coverage of the January 2026 event, eDC IIT Delhi's own event announcement, and the official registration listing at cyberchallenge.in/eraksha.
FAQ
- Is the eRaksha Hackathon 2026 still open for registration?
- No. Registrations ran from December 22 to 31, 2025, and the event itself, a 36-hour on-campus hackathon at IIT Delhi, took place January 16 to 18, 2026. If you're finding this now, that edition is closed. Watch eDC IIT Delhi and CyberPeace's official channels for a 2027 edition, since this ran as an annual event tied to IIT Delhi's BECon entrepreneurship conclave.
- Who organized the eRaksha Hackathon?
- eDC IIT Delhi (the institute's Entrepreneurship Development Cell) ran it together with CyberPeace, a cybersecurity-focused nonprofit. It was staged as part of BECon'26, IIT Delhi's annual entrepreneurship conclave, and positioned as an official pre-summit event ahead of the India AI Impact Summit 2026.
- Who was eligible to participate?
- College students pursuing B.Tech/B.E. in any engineering branch or M.Tech/M.E. It was free to enter, and you could register solo or as a team of up to three, submitting an abstract of your approach as a PPT or PDF.
- What were the problem statements?
- Two tracks: Agentic AI for Securing Home IoT Devices Using Deception and Autonomous Defence (building self-defending systems that detect and deceive threats to home IoT setups in real time), and Agentic AI for Deepfake Detection and Authenticity Verification (AI agents that flag manipulated media and verify content authenticity).
- What did winning teams get?
- A combined prize pool of ₹3 lakh, plus a spot presenting at the India AI Impact Summit 2026 on February 10 at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi. Out of everyone who registered, the top 20 teams (roughly 60 participants) were shortlisted to build at the IIT Delhi finale.