ETHGlobal Mumbai 2026

ETHGlobal Mumbai is an in-person hackathon from November 5 to 7, 2026, at Jio World Convention Centre, G Block, Bandra Kurla Complex, Bandra East, Mumbai. The program combines project building with technical mentorship, workshops and feedback sessions.

Applications are assessed individually. Hackers may work solo or in teams of up to five, but every member must be accepted and confirm their own place. The organizer's public registration data lists November 3 at 23:59 IST as the application deadline.

Accepted hackers confirm attendance with an ETH commitment stake. For an in-person event, its return requires official check-in, physical attendance and a project submission before the deadline; incomplete projects can still qualify for the stake return. ETHGlobal says returns normally take up to four weeks after the event. Applicants unable to stake because of financial constraints can contact the organizer about alternatives.

There are three ways to build:

• Classic / From Scratch: Project-specific code, designs and assets must begin during the hackathon. Public libraries and starter kits are allowed.
• Extend Open Source: Teams add substantive new work to an existing open-source codebase and identify what predates the event.
• Ship a Feature: Teams add new functionality to an existing product, including a private or commercial product. New parts submitted through the continuity tracks must remain open source, and partner-prize eligibility depends on the relevant track rules.

Teams must disclose pre-existing work in writing to ETHGlobal, document it in their submission and maintain a meaningful version-control history. AI tools are allowed with attribution: submissions should identify AI-assisted code or assets, retain meaningful human contributions and include the specifications, prompts and planning files used in spec-driven workflows.

Event Discord channels support announcements, team formation and mentorship. During the hackathon, mentors help with technical problems and project feedback. Participants under 18 need a separately submitted parent or guardian agreement. In-person attendees must check in and wear their event wristband throughout the event.

Projects are due through the Hacker Dashboard by November 7, 2026, at 09:00 IST; late submissions are not accepted. The submission includes a title, description and repository or equivalent project files, with new work distinguished from reused material. An optional demo video must be two to four minutes long and at least 720p. The organizer's video rules prohibit sped-up recordings, mobile-phone recordings, AI voiceovers and music-and-text-only explanations.

Teams can choose finalist judging plus partner prizes, or partner prizes only. They may select up to three partner prize programs; multiple tracks from one partner count as one program. Finalist judging requires a live presentation with four minutes for the demo and three minutes for questions. Judges consider technical difficulty, originality, practical completeness, usability and the project's distinctive qualities. The detailed judging guide says partners assess submitted materials and that booth presentations are optional for feedback. Partner winners are announced during the closing ceremony.

The prize page lists World at US$12,500; ENS at US$10,000; 1inch at US$7,000; Definitive and Chainlink at US$5,000 each; and 0G, Uniswap Foundation, Arc, Hedera, Arkiv, Whitechain and Ethereum Foundation at US$15,000 each. These are announced partner prize allocations, with awards subject to each partner's requirements. Most partners have not yet published their detailed criteria.

1inch has published an Aqua application challenge for a DeFi position demonstrated through test scripts or a user interface. Its main US$5,000 pool is split into US$2,500, US$1,500 and US$1,000 awards. A separate continuity-track pool offers US$1,500 and US$500. Entries must use official Aqua/SwapVM contracts, demonstrate onchain token transfers in the final demo and provide a proper Git history; local forks and modified SwapVM redeployments are allowed. Projects using SwapVM receive additional judging consideration.

Definitive offers US$2,500 for a social trading application using Flash advanced orders and a separate US$2,500 continuity-track award for a creative Flash integration. Examples include copy trading, shared signals, agent-operated products, multi-agent workflows and voice or chat trading interfaces. Both challenges require a working trading flow through Flash API or Flash MCP advanced orders and onchain execution in the final demo. Entrants must also share a short product video on Discord and X, tagging @DefinitiveFi on X. The continuity award considers originality, technical creativity and the quality of the demonstration.

The Mumbai submission guide, partner prize requirements and ETHGlobal rules give the participation and award conditions.