# 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.

Zaid Sayyed · Hackathon judge · Mumbai, India and remote · updated 2026-10-23 · https://zaidsayyed.in/services/hackathon-judge

## 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

- **National Winner, Smart India Hackathon 2025:** Won the national finale of India's largest hackathon, with a Rs 1,50,000 prize. (https://zaidsayyed.in/about)
- **Judge, TECHFORMERS, Manthan and Hackdiwas:** Judged 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. (https://zaidsayyed.in/speaking)
- **Organiser, Hackdiwas:** Led a district-level hackathon, so he knows what organisers need from a judge on the day. (https://zaidsayyed.in/#achievements)
- **26 jury questions, written down:** His SIH playbook lists the questions juries ask across two rounds, with the answer that lands. (https://zaidsayyed.in/blog/sih-2026)
- **Free judging rubric generator:** Presets, weights, a share link for co-judges and a score sheet that totals itself. (https://zaidsayyed.in/tools/hackathon-judging-rubric)

## How it works

1. **Invite:** Dates, format, number of teams and tracks.
2. **Rubric:** Criteria and weights agreed before the event.
3. **Judging:** Online or in Mumbai: evaluation, questions, scores.
4. **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.

| Criterion | What it checks | Weight |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Problem fit | Does the solution solve the stated problem, for the people who have it? | 25% |
| Technical depth | Is the approach sound, feasible and more than a wrapper? | 25% |
| Working demo | How much actually runs, end to end, in front of the jury? | 30% |
| Pitch and answers | Clear explanation, honest limits, good answers to questions | 20% |

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.

Send a brief: https://zaidsayyed.in/services/hackathon-judge#brief · Email: zaidsayyed07869@gmail.com

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Source: https://zaidsayyed.in/services/hackathon-judge