Track 01
Air
Pollution, exposure, and the days the AQI goes off the chart.
Track winner
₹2,00,000
In cash
+ $2,000
In AWS credits, on top
Environmental Hacks
01 / Prizes
Three tracks. One winner each.
Pick the problem you care about the most, and build something that helps fix it. The top 10 students from all three tracks get a fast-track interview at Amazon.
Fast-track interview at Amazon.
Top 10 students, across all three tracks
6 monthsInternship, plus full-time roles
Top 10 students from top projects will skip screening rounds and get fast track interviews at Amazon.
Read the rulesTrack 02
Heat and Water
Heatwaves, floods, droughts, and every leak in between.
Track winner
₹2,00,000
In cash
+ $2,000
In AWS credits, on top
Track 03
Waste and Energy
What we throw away, and how we power what we keep.
Track winner
₹2,00,000
In cash
+ $2,000
In AWS credits, on top
$1,000
Per team
Top 4 runners-up
AWS credits
In AWS credits, to each team
Four more teams take credits home, from across all three tracks. There is nothing extra to enter for: every submission is already in the running.
Top 5 blogs
AirPods 5
To 5 people
Write up what you built: the problem, the stack, what fought back. Publish it on AWS Builder Center and link it in your submission.
Tour swag
The tour kit
To the top teams
Finish near the top of the board and the kit is yours, whether you built online or spent the Saturday with us in Delhi.
02 / Tracks
Pick a problem worth fixing
The problems under each track are a place to start, not a list to pick from. If it makes the air cleaner, the water safer or the city lighter, it fits.
Air
Help people breathe easier. Track what's in the air, warn the people most exposed to it, and change what happens on the bad days.
- AQI
- Pollution exposure
- Stubble burning
- Indoor air
- School safety on bad days
Heat and Water
Too much water, too little of it, and the heat in between. Build for the monsoon that floods the street and the summer that dries the tap.
- Heatwaves
- Floods
- Monsoon waterlogging
- Droughts
- Water tankers
- Leaks
- Groundwater
Waste and Energy
Close the loop on what a city throws away and cut what it burns. Sort it, recycle it, power it cleaner, and nudge people out of their cars.
- Segregation
- Recycling
- E-waste
- Informal recyclers
- Rooftop solar
- EV nudges
- Public transport
Two ways to build, in any track
You can build with AWS open source tools, AWS cloud services, or both. To be eligible for prizes, your project needs to either use at least one AWS open source tool or be deployed on AWS. Beyond that, you're free to bring in any other tools you like. The list below is just a starting point to help you get going, not a set of rules.
What you need
Build It
Open source, on your machine
No AWS account, no card, no bill.
Ship It
Deployed, with a URL
Free tier: up to $200 in credits to start.
Agents and AI
Build It
Strands Agents SDK,PartyRockShip It
SageMaker AIContainers and Kubernetes
Build It
Finch,EKS Distro,EKS AnywhereShip It
EKS,ECS,FargateServerless
Build It
SAM CLI,LocalStackShip It
Lambda,API Gateway,Step FunctionsServers and runtimes
Build It
Firecracker,CorrettoShip It
EC2,Lightsail,App Runner,Amplify HostingData and search
Build It
OpenSearchShip It
S3,DynamoDB,RDS,AuroraAuth and policy
Build It
CedarShip It
CognitoThe plumbing
Build It
-Ship It
CloudFront,Route 53,EventBridge,SQS,SNS,CloudWatch
Deploying starts free
Nothing in the Ship It column needs a paid account. Sign up for the AWS Free Tier and you start with up to $200 in free credits, on top of the services that are always free, which is enough to deploy a project this weekend. Using it is completely valid.
See what the free tier covers03 / Resources
Everything you need to build
Verify you're a student, build on the AWS Free Tier, and read up on the tour as it goes. A new AWS account starts with up to $200 in free credits.
01
Verify you're a student on AWS Builder Center
One free profile, no credit card, two minutes. Every entry on the tour is checked against it, and verifying your enrollment unlocks $579 of rewards.
Verify you're a student
Required to compete, and it unlocks rewards on your profile.
02
Build on AWS, starting with the free tier
Start with the AWS Free Tier. A new AWS account comes with up to $200 in free credits on top of the services that are always free, which covers the weekend and counts in full for every track.
AWS Free Tier
A new account starts with up to $200 in credits.
The free tier, explained
Builder Center's guide to what it covers, and for how long.
Getting started with the free tier
What to know before you open an account.
Set up your dev environment
Get your machine ready to build on AWS.
Toolbox
AWS SDKs, open-source projects and language resources.
03
Blogs from the AWS tour
Guides, recaps and build notes written around the tour, in one place.
From the tour
Read the blogs04 / Judging
What judges look for
We are looking for projects that make a real difference to the air people breathe, the water they depend on, and the waste and energy their cities run on.
Idea and Impact
Pick a track and find the problem inside it. Does it fix a real environmental problem? And what changes for the people living with it? A small problem solved well beats a big one solved vaguely.
Built on AWS
Build locally with AWS open-source tools, or deploy on AWS services. Start on the AWS Free Tier, which gives a new account up to $200 in credits. Using an AWS open-source project or AWS services is mandatory to win a prize.
Design and usability
The people living with the problem have to be able to use the fix: clear to pick up, easy to get around, and built for where they are. Would someone who isn't on your team know what to do with it?
The execution
Does it work? Not perfect, not polished. Working. One feature that runs beats five that almost do.
The demo video
Three minutes, recorded, to show what it does, who it is for, and where AWS fits. There is no live demo, so the video is what the judges see.
We judge what you built, not what you spent. Projects built locally and projects deployed on AWS are scored with the same care, and each track is judged on its own.
05 / FAQ
Got questions?
What is the theme?
The environment. Pick one of three tracks, Air, Heat and Water, or Waste and Energy, and build something that fixes a real problem inside it: bad air on the way to school, a street that floods every monsoon, a building that could run on its own roof. Start with a problem you have seen yourself.
Do I have to pick a track?
Yes, pick the one your project fits best. Each track has its own winner, and the top 10 students for the fast-track interviews at Amazon are picked from all three tracks together.
What happened to Build It and Ship It?
They're not tracks this time. They're the two ways to build: locally with AWS open-source tools, or deployed on AWS. Any team in any track can pick either one.
Do I need to know AWS?
No. The Build It stack needs no AWS account at all, and the resources on this page get you started on the rest.
How do I build on AWS without paying?
Start with the AWS Free Tier. A new AWS account comes with up to $200 in free credits, on top of the services that are always free, and that is enough to build and deploy a hackathon project. Using it is completely valid for every track.
See what the free tier coversDo I need a credit card?
No. Building locally needs nothing at all. Deploying needs an AWS account, and the free tier makes that free: debit cards and RuPay work for the signup, and the verification charge is about ₹2.
How do the fast-track interviews at Amazon work?
The judges put the top projects forward to Amazon's University Talent Acquisition Team, and those students skip the screening round: the project stands in for it. Top 10 students from top projects go forward at each event, picked from all three tracks together. The roles are a 6-month internship at Amazon and full-time positions. Winning a track is neither required nor enough, and the full terms are in the tour's rules.
Read the rulesCan I participate online?
Yes, fully. Same theme, same judging, same prizes, and no cap on numbers.
Where is the build day?
At Delhi Technological University (DTU), Shahbad Daulatpur, Main Bawana Road, Delhi 110042, on Saturday, Oct 10, from 8 AM to 8 PM. Online runs the whole four days from anywhere in India.
Open in Google MapsHow do I attend in person?
Two signups. Check in here first, which enters you in the hackathon online, then apply for the DTU build day on Luma. Seats are limited and Luma confirms yours by email.
Apply on LumaDoes joining in person help my chances?
No. The hackathon runs online from Thursday to Sunday. The Delhi day is optional and has limited seats, and being there doesn't add to your score.
Where can I read up before the weekend?
We write about the tour as it goes: guides on the services you'll reach for, recaps of past events, and build notes from the people who were there. Everything tagged aws on the blog is about this tour.
Read the blogsWho can participate?
University students across India.
How big can a team be?
One to four people.
Is it free?
Yes. Free to register, free to take part.
I took part in First Commit. Can I enter this one too?
Yes. One tour registration covers every event, and entering one never rules out another. Check in here to enter this one.
Will I get a certificate?
Yes, everyone who submits a project will get a certificate, and the winning teams will also get a certificate.
Can I start building before the event?
Learn and practise as much as you want. Project work starts when the clock does.
06 / Community
Where to ask, and where to find a team
Nobody builds this weekend alone. Bring a question, or turn up without a team and leave with one.
WeMakeDevs Discord
The fastest way to reach us. Ask anything about the hackathon, find teammates in the team-forming channels, and get help while you build.
WeMakeDevs space on AWS Builder Center
Where the tour's updates and announcements are written down and stay findable. Introduce yourself, say what you're building, and see who else is building near you.
07 / In person
Spend the Saturday with us at DTU, Delhi
The hackathon runs online for all four days. Oct 10 is an optional build day in the room, with limited seats.
Apply on Luma
8 AM to 8 PMLimited seats
Workshops in the room
Hands-on AWS sessions, run in front of you.
Feedback on your project
Show what you have and get it pulled apart in time to fix it.
Meet the Amazon team
The people behind the services you are building on.
Swag to take home
Tour swag on the day, whether or not you place.
Two signups: check in for the hackathon on this page, then apply on Luma for the Saturday at DTU. The day is optional, and being there adds nothing to your score. Everything judged happens online.
Event 02 of 06
Build what the planet needs.
Four days, three tracks, and a problem worth fixing. Your tour signup covers every event, so check in here and start building.
DTU in Delhi hosts the build day. Online is open to all of India.