Summer Hackathon 2025: 48 Hours of Innovation and Collaboration NEW

Overview

The CC Club Summer Hackathon 2025 concluded on August 24th with incredible energy, innovative projects, and a strong sense of community. Over 150 students from all years and branches came together for an intense 48-hour coding marathon that pushed creativity, problem-solving, and collaboration to new heights.

This year's theme was "Tech for Social Good" - challenging teams to build solutions that address real-world problems and create positive social impact.

Event Highlights

• 📊 150 participants across 30 teams
• ⏱️ 48 hours of non-stop coding
• 💰 ₹1,00,000 in prizes
• 🎤 5 mentors from industry (Google, Microsoft, Amazon)
• 🏆 3 winning teams with outstanding projects
• 🎁 10+ sponsor prizes including cloud credits and swag

The Journey: Day by Day

Day 0: Registration and Kick-off (Friday Evening)

The excitement was palpable as teams checked in at the main auditorium. After a brief opening ceremony, our faculty advisor Prof. Rajesh Kumar welcomed participants and emphasized the importance of learning over winning.

Keynote Speaker: Vikram Singh (SDE-2, Google, CC Alumni 2020) shared his hackathon experiences and offered valuable advice:

"Focus on solving a real problem. The best hackathon projects are those that you're passionate about. Don't try to impress judges with complex tech - impress them with thoughtful solutions."

Teams received their problem statements and immediately dove into brainstorming sessions. The energy in the room was electric!

Day 1: Building and Prototyping (Saturday)

Teams worked tirelessly through the night, fueled by coffee, snacks, and determination. The venue buzzed with activity:

• Morning (6 AM - 12 PM): Teams finalized their tech stacks and started building MVPs
• Afternoon (12 PM - 6 PM): Mentorship sessions - industry experts provided guidance on architecture, design, and implementation
• Evening (6 PM - 12 AM): Feature development and testing
• Night (12 AM - 6 AM): Bug fixes and UI polish (yes, many teams pulled all-nighters!)

Mentor Insights: Our mentors conducted 1-on-1 sessions with teams, offering feedback on:

• System design and architecture choices
• API design best practices
• UI/UX improvements
• Deployment strategies
• Presentation tips

Day 2: Final Sprint and Presentations (Sunday)

The final day was a race against time. Teams scrambled to complete features, fix bugs, and prepare presentations.

• Morning (6 AM - 12 PM): Last-minute features and bug fixes
• 12 PM - Code Freeze: All development stops, focus shifts to presentations
• 1 PM - 6 PM: Team presentations and demos
• 6 PM - 7 PM: Judge deliberations
• 7 PM - 8 PM: Award ceremony and closing

The Projects: Innovation in Action

Here are some standout projects that caught everyone's attention:

🥇 1st Place: EduConnect

Team: CodeCrafters (Rohan, Sneha, Aditya, Meera)
Problem: Rural students lack access to quality educational resources
Solution: A mobile-first platform connecting rural students with volunteer teachers via video calls, offline content caching, and regional language support

Tech Stack: React Native, Node.js, MongoDB, WebRTC
Prize: ₹50,000

Why it Won:

• Solved a real, pressing problem
• Well-thought-out offline-first architecture
• Clean, intuitive UI tested with actual users
• Comprehensive presentation with market research
• Working prototype with impressive features

Judge Feedback: "This team demonstrated deep understanding of their target users. The offline-first approach shows technical sophistication while keeping user needs front and center."

🥈 2nd Place: WasteWise

Team: Green Coders (Amit, Divya, Karan)
Problem: Inefficient waste management in urban areas
Solution: AI-powered waste segregation guidance app using computer vision to identify waste types and suggest proper disposal methods

Tech Stack: Flutter, Python (FastAPI), TensorFlow, PostgreSQL
Prize: ₹30,000

Why it Stood Out:

• Innovative use of ML for social good
• Trained custom model on local waste types
• Gamification to encourage user engagement
• Partnership potential with municipal corporations

🥉 3rd Place: MediTrack

Team: HealthHackers (Priya S., Rahul, Ananya)
Problem: Medication adherence issues in elderly patients
Solution: Smart medication reminder system with caregiver notifications, pharmacy integration, and health tracking

Tech Stack: React, Express.js, MongoDB, Twilio API
Prize: ₹20,000

Key Features:

• SMS/WhatsApp reminders (no smartphone required)
• Caregiver dashboard with real-time alerts
• Pharmacy integration for auto-refills
• Simple, elderly-friendly interface

Special Category Winners

Beyond the top 3, we had several special awards:

🎨 Best UI/UX Design: FarmFresh

A farm-to-consumer marketplace with stunning design and seamless user experience
Prize: ₹10,000 + Figma Pro subscription

💡 Most Innovative Idea: VoiceAble

Accessibility tool for visually impaired users to navigate smartphones using voice commands
Prize: ₹10,000 + AWS credits

🐛 Best Technical Implementation: QuantumLeap

Quantum algorithm simulator for educational purposes
Prize: ₹10,000 + GitHub Copilot subscription

🚀 Best First-Time Team: StudyBuddy

AI-powered study group matching platform for students
Prize: ₹5,000 + CC Club mentorship

Key Learnings and Takeaways

What Worked Well

1. Clear Theme: "Tech for Social Good" gave teams direction while allowing creativity
2. Mentorship: Industry experts provided invaluable guidance
3. Infrastructure: Reliable WiFi, power backup, and comfortable workspaces
4. Food & Refreshments: 24/7 availability kept energy levels high
5. Community Spirit: Teams helped each other debug issues and share resources

Challenges Faced

1. Time Management: Many teams struggled with scope management
2. Technical Debt: Quick implementations led to bugs during demos
3. Presentation Skills: Some great projects had weak presentations
4. Sleep Deprivation: All-nighters affected some teams' performance

Advice for Future Participants

From our winners and participants:

"Start with a clear MVP. Add features only if time permits. A working basic version beats a half-done ambitious project." - Rohan (EduConnect)

"Practice your pitch! We spent 40 hours coding and 2 hours on presentation. Should've been more balanced." - Amit (WasteWise)

"Don't hesitate to ask mentors for help. They're there for you!" - Ananya (MediTrack)

"Use tools and frameworks you know well. This isn't the time to learn a new tech stack." - Multiple Teams

Behind the Scenes: Organizing Team's Perspective

As one of the organizers, I want to share what goes into making a hackathon successful:

Planning (3 Months Before)

• Venue booking and logistics
• Sponsor outreach and partnerships
• Mentor recruitment
• Marketing and registration
• Problem statement finalization

Week Before

• Final participant confirmations
• Catering arrangements
• Swag bag preparation
• Technical infrastructure testing
• Volunteer briefings

During the Event

• 24/7 organizer availability
• Technical support for teams
• Mentor coordination
• Social media updates
• Emergency handling

Challenges: WiFi outages at 2 AM, last-minute mentor cancellations, food delivery delays, and sleep deprivation for organizers!

Rewards: Seeing teams' excitement, innovation, friendships formed, and knowing we created a memorable experience.

Community Impact

Beyond the competition, this hackathon strengthened our community:

• Cross-Branch Collaboration: CSE students teamed with ECE, ME, and Civil students
• Junior-Senior Bonding: 1st years learned from 3rd/4th years
• Skill Sharing: Teams taught each other new technologies
• Network Building: Participants connected with mentors from top companies
• Inspiration: Many attendees expressed interest in organizing future events

Post-Hackathon Opportunities

Several projects received continued support:

• EduConnect: In talks with an NGO for pilot implementation
• WasteWise: Municipal corporation expressed interest
• MediTrack: Healthcare startup offered internships to the team

Thank You

This event wouldn't have been possible without:

• Sponsors: TechCorp, CloudServe, DevTools Inc., CodeAcademy
• Mentors: Vikram Singh (Google), Neha Gupta (Microsoft), Raj Patel (Amazon), Anjali Verma (Startup Founder), Siddharth Malhotra (Freelancer)
• Faculty Advisor: Prof. Rajesh Kumar
• Organizing Team: 15 dedicated CC Club coordinators and executives
• Volunteers: 20 students who helped with logistics
• Participants: For bringing incredible energy and creativity

What's Next?

Mark your calendars! Winter Hackathon 2025 is scheduled for December 20-22.

Stay Connected:

• Join our Discord for updates
• Follow us on Instagram for behind-the-scenes content
• Star the hackathon repository for resources

Want to participate in the next one? Start building your skills now:

• Form teams early
• Explore our project ideas repository
• Attend our weekly coding sessions
• Build side projects

Photo Gallery

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• Opening ceremony
• Teams brainstorming
• Midnight coding sessions
• Mentor interactions
• Project presentations
• Award ceremony
• Team celebrations

Final Thoughts

Organizing and participating in this hackathon reminded me why I love the CC Club community. It's not just about coding - it's about learning, growing, and supporting each other.

Whether you're a beginner or an expert, there's a place for you in our community. The next hackathon could be your breakthrough moment!

See you at Winter Hackathon 2025! 🚀

About the Author: Priya Mehra is a Senior Coordinator at Computer Coding Club and a 4th-year CSE student. She's passionate about building inclusive tech communities and has organized 10+ events. Connect with her on GitHub or LinkedIn.