Hackathon judge for colleges, tech fests and national hackathons

Zaid Sayyed is a hackathon judge and software engineer in Mumbai, India. He was National Winner of Smart India Hackathon 2025 and has won nine hackathons. He has judged TECHFORMERS 2026, Manthan 2026 and Hackdiwas 2.0, and judges college hackathons, tech fests and national hackathons online or in person in Mumbai.

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Mumbai, India · remote worldwide · reply within two days · updated 22 October 2026

Who it is for

  • College hackathons and SIH internal rounds
  • Tech fests running a hackathon, ideathon or project expo
  • National and community hackathons that need an industry judge
  • Startup pitch events and demo days

What you get

  • Agreeing the rubric with your team before the event
  • Scoring every team on the same criteria, with notes
  • Questions that test what a team can defend, not just what it shows
  • Written feedback for teams, on request
  • A short closing talk for participants, if you want one

Proof, with links

National Winner, Smart India Hackathon 2025Won the national finale of India's largest hackathon, with a Rs 1,50,000 prize.Judge, TECHFORMERS, Manthan and HackdiwasJudged TECHFORMERS 2026 for CSI UMIT in Mumbai (confirmed in CSI UMIT's own post and letter of appreciation), Manthan 2026 and Hackdiwas 2.0. Mentor at Hackdiwas 1.0.Organiser, HackdiwasLed a district-level hackathon, so he knows what organisers need from a judge on the day.26 jury questions, written downHis SIH playbook lists the questions juries ask across two rounds, with the answer that lands.Free judging rubric generatorPresets, weights, a share link for co-judges and a score sheet that totals itself.

How it works

  1. 01

    Invite

    Dates, format, number of teams and tracks.

  2. 02

    Rubric

    Criteria and weights agreed before the event.

  3. 03

    Judging

    Online or in Mumbai: evaluation, questions, scores.

  4. 04

    Feedback

    Results and written feedback for teams, if you want it.

A sample judging rubric

A starting point that most college and fest hackathons can adopt as is. The criteria and weights are agreed with organisers before the event.

CriterionWhat it checksWeight
Problem fitDoes the solution solve the stated problem, for the people who have it?25%
Technical depthIs the approach sound, feasible and more than a wrapper?25%
Working demoHow much actually runs, end to end, in front of the jury?30%
Pitch and answersClear explanation, honest limits, good answers to questions20%

Scored 1 to 5 per criterion, weighted, with a short note per team.

Questions people ask

What does a hackathon judge evaluate?

Usually four things: how well the solution fits the problem, technical depth and feasibility, how much actually works in the demo, and the pitch. Zaid scores on an agreed rubric and asks the questions that show whether a team understands what it built.

What are the SIH evaluation criteria?

Smart India Hackathon guidelines list novelty, complexity, clarity and detail, feasibility, practicability, sustainability, scale of impact, user experience and potential for future work. Many colleges reuse them for internal rounds. Zaid Sayyed, SIH 2025 National Winner, judges internal rounds on these criteria.

Which hackathons has Zaid Sayyed judged?

Zaid Sayyed judged TECHFORMERS 2026, organised by CSI UMIT in Mumbai, Hackdiwas 2.0, where he also mentored, and Manthan 2026, a vibe-coding event. He mentored at Hackdiwas 1.0 and organised Hackdiwas, a district-level hackathon. As a competitor he has won nine hackathons, including Smart India Hackathon 2025.

Can you judge our hackathon online?

Yes. Zaid judges online for events anywhere, reviewing submissions and joining presentations and Q&A by video. He judges in person in Mumbai; travel elsewhere depends on dates and on travel being covered.

Do you judge SIH internal hackathons?

Yes. As the Smart India Hackathon 2025 National Winner, Zaid knows what the national jury looks for, which is exactly what an internal round should screen for before a college nominates its teams.

How do I invite a hackathon judge?

Send the event name, dates, format, number of teams, tracks and rubric, and say whether judging is online or on site. Many colleges also send a formal invitation letter. Zaid Sayyed takes judging invitations through the form on this page and replies within two days.

How early should we invite a judge?

Two to three weeks ahead is ideal, so the rubric and schedule can be agreed. Shorter notice can work for online judging; say your date in the form and you will get an honest answer.

What do you need from the organisers?

The problem statements or tracks, the rubric or the criteria you want, the schedule, the number of teams, and how submissions will be shared.

Invite me to judge

Two minutes, no call or signup. I read every brief myself and reply within two days. Prefer email? zaidsayyed07869@gmail.com

01What do you need from me?
You are
You need (pick any)
02About you
03The event or product
04What can you offer in return?

Every session here is two-way. Say what works for your team and I will be straight about what works for mine.

Reply within two days. No newsletter, no follow-up spam.

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