Indian hackathons treat gender in two different ways: some are women-only, and some require women on every team. As of 12 October 2026, no women-only hackathon was confirmed open for registration in the sources checked, but the 2026 cycle shows when these events run, who they are for and how they select teams, which is what you need to plan for the next round.
Hackathons that require women on every team
- Smart India Hackathon 2026. Reskilll reports teams of exactly 6 students from one institution, with at least one female member. Confirm with your SPOC or on sih.gov.in.
- Cognizant Technoverse Hackathon 2026. Teams of 4 with at least 2 women, and up to 8 teams per college. Registration ran from 3 to 10 April 2026, shortlisted teams built an MVP in a 24-hour in-person hackathon at Cognizant's Pune facility, and the top 3 teams won prizes and internship opportunities. Cognizant's launch release described 50% women participation as part of the design. This edition is over.
Women-only hackathons in 2026
All of these have closed or finished as of today.
- Google Girl Hackathon. A virtual, women-only programme for students in computer science and allied engineering courses in India. The 2025 edition ran registration from 20 January to 11 March 2025, with a kick-off call, learning cohorts, an online challenge and the hackathon itself. Eligible graduating batches were 2026 to 2029, applicants had to register as individuals, and they had to be Indian nationals. Google's earlier official page said performance in the online challenge, combined with a resume, determines who advances. A 2026 edition could not be confirmed, so treat it as unannounced.
- ADA GirlCode 2026. A fully online hackathon open only to female university students in India. Teams of 2 to 3, no solo entries, three days of hacking, no registration fee. The grand prize was USD 2,000 and the runner-up USD 800, and the top 5 finalists could get internships at ADA. Applications ran 12 March to 3 April with finalist pitches on 30 April.
- Meesho Scripted By Her 2.0. Women-only, for final-year women engineering students of the 2027 batch, run on HackerEarth with a Grand Finale at Meesho's Bengaluru office and a funded trip for finalists. Registration ran 8 to 19 June 2026.
- Myntra WeForShe HackerRamp 2026. For women engineering students in the pre-final and final year. Registration closed on 1 July 2026, the finale was at Myntra HQ in Bengaluru on 12 August and a PPI round for eligible finalists followed on 13 August. Brabble's HackerRamp guide covers the structure.
- SheBuilds Chennai Hack 3.0. Open to women aged 18 and above, including students, professionals and freelancers, in teams of 2 to 4. The offline finale was on 1 and 2 August 2026 at Rajalakshmi Engineering College, Chennai.
The pattern for next year
Most of the confirmed women-only events opened registration between January and June and finished by August. If you want to enter one, start watching organiser pages early in the year and prepare for an online assessment or idea submission before any finale. Several of them restrict entry by branch, graduating batch or year of study, so check those fields before you form a team.
What to check before you register
- Who is eligible: students only, or professionals too. SheBuilds accepted both, while Meesho was final-year engineering only.
- Branch and batch: Google's rules limited entry to computer science and allied branches from specific batches.
- Team format: GirlCode needed a team of 2 to 3, while Google Girl Hackathon was individual.
- What you win: cash, internships or a pre-placement interview. Only some programmes link to hiring.
What was not confirmed
No women-only hackathon was confirmed open on 12 October 2026, and the Google Girl Hackathon 2026 page returned no usable content. Check organiser pages directly.