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AWS Student Builder Group SIST · National Flagship Hackathon
KAIROS 2027

Where Architecture
Meets Execution.

48 Hours of Non-Stop Cloud Engineering, Real-Time Architecture Reviews, and Prestigious Cloud Honors & Grants.

January 22–24, 2027Sathyabama Institute of Science and Technology, Chennai100 Elite National Teams
48 Hours Duration
Countdown to Clock Start (IST)
Chennai · Asia/Kolkata
00Days
00Hours
00Minutes
00Seconds
000°090°180°270°
KAIROS 2027 Hourglass Official Emblem
48H SAND SYNC
IST CALIBRATED · 12.87°N
Sathyabama Central Library2.5D Hologram Active
PRIZE POOL₹1,75,000
NATIONAL100 SQUADS
FEE₹0 MERIT
[01]DURATIONLive Hack Clock
DURATION
48 Hours
Continuous Offline Hackathon
22 Jan 09:30 AM – 24 Jan 05:00 PM IST
[02]CAPACITYNational Cohort
CAPACITY
100 Teams
4 to 6 Builders Per Team
400–600 Shortlisted National Hackers
[03]ADMISSIONZero Hidden Fees
ADMISSION
₹0 Entry Fee
100% Free for Shortlisted Teams
Meals, Stay, Swag & AWS Credits Free
[04]BOUNTIESTotal Pool
BOUNTIES
₹1,75,000
National Cash Prize Pool
Comprehensive Hackathon Prize Pool & Grants
[05]LOCATIONOMR Campus
LOCATION
Central Library
Sathyabama University, Chennai
1Gbps Wi-Fi Mesh & Power Drops
[06]SELECTIONTwo-Tier Filter
SELECTION
Dual-Phase
Round 1 Qualifier → Round 2 Finale
Top 250 Online → Top 100 On-Campus
Dual-Phase Merit Pipeline

How You Reach the Grand Finale

From 2,000+ national applicants to 100 on-campus finalists. A transparent, two-tier screening process engineered to reward genuine technical depth.

ACTIVE NOW
Phase 0

Free Round 0 Abstract & Cloud Blueprint

Now – 28 Dec 20262,000+ National Teams

Teams of 4–6 register for 100% free with their Meetup RSVP and AWS Builder Center profile. Submit project abstract and cloud architecture blueprint.

100% Free RegistrationApply Free
Round 1

Online Technical Qualifier (Semi-Finals)

02 – 04 Jan 2027Top 250 Semi-Finalist Teams

Top 250 shortlisted teams submit a working GitHub repository POC and a 3-minute Loom demo. Live 7-minute virtual defense with AWS Solutions Architects.

Top 250 Virtual ReviewPhase Details
Round 2

On-Campus 48-Hour Grand Finale

22 – 24 Jan 2027Top 100 Elite National Teams

The Top 100 teams assemble at Sathyabama Central Library, Chennai for 48 hours of continuous hacking, 3 evaluation checkpoints, and ₹1,75,000 total prize pool.

Top 100 Physical StageVenue Dossier
The Decisive Moment

Why KAIROS Matters

In classical thought, Chronos is quantitative, passive clock time. Kairos is the qualitative, decisive moment where vision, courage, and engineering intersect.

The Chronos RealitySequential Clock Time

Typical Hackathons: The Tired Hustle

Most events celebrate sleep deprivation over architecture, encourage unverified Figma prototypes, and reward presentation flair instead of functional systems. Clock ticks down, code breaks, and prototypes vanish into forgotten repositories.

Sleep deprivation glorified
Shallow AI wrappers & vaporware
Opaque judging with zero feedback
The Kairos StandardThe Right Architectural Moment

Where Systems Are Engineered to Withstand Reality

KAIROS 2027 turns the 48-hour pressure cooker into a showcase of real distributed systems, verified repositories, and live jury defenses. We support builders with dedicated rest areas, 7 chef-curated meals, and high-concurrency cloud environments.

100% Free EntryZero entry or kit fees
Total Prize Pool ₹1.75LDirect wire transfers
Builder Welfare7 meals, rest rotations
Applied Engineering Innovation

End-to-End Applied Engineering

We move far beyond superficial AI wrappers and trivial mockups. KAIROS challenges teams to design scalable distributed architectures, verify security primitives, and defend live working prototypes before industry juries.

Verified Repositories & Working Code
Builder Collaboration

Builder Welfare & Respect

We do not glorify sleep deprivation or reckless exhaustion. 48 hours of continuous operation is supported through structured team rest rotations, quiet relaxation zones, 7 principal meals, medical oversight, and continuous hydration.

Voluntary Rest Rotations & Medical Care
Transparent Merit & Build

Transparent & Ethical Competition

Zero participation fees. 100-point transparent scoring rubrics. No unannounced judging biases. Pre-event rules confirm that all code must be authored inside the 48-hour window, evaluated through rigorous checkpoints and human jury defense.

100% Merit-Based Selection
Tracks Badge
5 Enterprise Innovation Tracks • Industry Architectures

The Five Innovation Tracks

Engineered around AWS Cloud frontiers. Build high-concurrency event meshes, multi-agent swarms, edge IoT telemetries, and zero-knowledge financial rails.

01

Agentic AI & GenAI

48H BuildActive Inspect
02

Cloud-Native & Distributed

48H BuildSelect
03

Edge IoT & Clean Energy

48H BuildSelect
04

FinTech & Cryptography

48H BuildSelect
05

Open Enterprise & Campus

48H BuildSelect
01
TRACK 01 ARCHITECTURAL BLUEPRINT

Agentic AI & Generative Intelligence

Go beyond single prompt-response interfaces. Construct coordinated autonomous agent squads that interact with external tools, APIs, and real-time data environments to automate end-to-end multi-step reasoning while maintaining verifiable truthfulness and deterministic bounds.

Suggested AWS Primitives & Tools
Amazon BedrockAWS LambdaAmazon OpenSearchLangChain / LlamaIndexClaude 3.5 SonnetFastAPI
View Rubric & Challenges
TRACK CASH BOUNTY₹25,000 CASH
+ AWS Credits
Live Rubric Weights100% TOTAL
Architecture & Concurrency35%
Working Implementation25%
AWS Cloud Primitives Depth20%
Architecture Defense & Q&A20%
Schedule
Interactive 48-Hour Participant Agenda

The 48-Hour Experience

Every milestone calibrated in Indian Standard Time (IST). Continuous coding, 3 table-side architecture checkpoints, AWS clinic walkabouts, and fully catered meals.

Day 1: Friday, January 22, 2027Kickoff, Architecture & The Starting Bell
8 Calibrated Milestones
09:30 AM – 10:45 AMCHECK-IN

Grand Red-Carpet Check-In & Builder Kit Distribution

Report to Campus Foyer at Sathyabama Institute of Science and Technology. Photo ID verification, receive free builder kit (T-shirt, smart NFC badge, stickers), hack bay allocation & high-speed Wi-Fi onboarding.

Milestone 01
10:45 AM – 12:00 PMCEREMONY

Grand Inauguration & Keynote Plenary

Welcome & institutional address by University Leadership. 20-minute Keynote Address by Title Sponsor Executive (AWS) (11:15 AM). 10-minute Technical Briefing by Co-Powered Partner (11:35 AM). Official release of the 5 Grand Enterprise Innovation Tracks & Rules.

Milestone 02
12:00 PM – 12:15 PMSETUP

Team Relocation to Hacking Bays

Move to designated team bay with spike-protected power drops. Connect workstations, peripheral devices, and test cloud environments.

Milestone 03
12:15 PMHACK LIVE

CLOCK STARTS: 48-HOUR SPRINT COMMENCES

Official GitHub repository initialization with Kairos webhook listener. The 48-hour continuous countdown begins!

Milestone 04Critical Milestone
01:00 PM – 02:30 PMMEALS

Complimentary Builder Lunch Buffet

Wholesome hot lunch served at campus dining halls. 24/7 Filter Coffee & Tea bar opens.

Milestone 05
04:00 PM – 06:30 PMEVALUATION

CHECKPOINT 1: Architecture & Cloud Feasibility Gate

Table-side review with Senior AWS Solutions Architects & Industry Evaluators. Architecture blueprint, cloud service selection, and IAM security check (25 Pts).

Milestone 06Scored Checkpoint
08:30 PM – 10:00 PMMEALS

Complimentary Builder Dinner Buffet

Energizing hot dinner served via segregated dining corridors.

Milestone 07
10:00 PMSECURITY

Campus Night Lock-In Activated

Campus perimeter doors secured for total builder safety. 24/7 Campus EV shuttles operating continuous loops across rest facilities and hostels.

Milestone 08
Jury Evaluation
Merit-Driven Evaluation • Confidential Scoring Weights

Official Judging Rubrics

Rigorous, uncompromised evaluation pillars designed to reward authentic software craftsmanship, architecture scalability, and user empathy. Exact scoring weights and point distributions are kept sealed under jury embargo until officially unveiled at kickoff.

CRITERION 01
?? PTSClassified

Technical Architecture, Reliability & Scalability

System modularity, cloud architecture selection (Bedrock, ECS, Lambda, Aurora), clean code practices, security considerations, IAM hardening, error resilience, and enterprise scale readiness.

Weight SealedReveals at Kickoff ⏳
CRITERION 02
?? PTSClassified

Originality & Quality of Problem-Solving

Depth of domain understanding, freshness of perspective, non-trivial engineering insights, and avoidance of shallow prompt wrappers or trivial clone projects.

Weight SealedReveals at Kickoff ⏳
CRITERION 03
?? PTSClassified

Working Prototype & User Experience

A genuine, functional live implementation demonstrated during checkpoints and stage finals; intuitive interface, responsive polish, and frictionless workflows.

Weight SealedReveals at Kickoff ⏳
CRITERION 04
?? PTSClassified

Practical Value & Pitch Defense

Viability in real-world deployment, clarity of the 48-hour presentation, technical rigor in answering tough jury questions, and collaborative team defense.

Weight SealedReveals at Kickoff ⏳
Z-Score Normalization

Raw scores across judges are mathematically adjusted using statistical Z-scores to completely eliminate individual judge bias or lenient/strict variances.

3 Mandatory Checkpoints

Table-side progress checks at Hour 10, Hour 24, and Hour 36 ensure all code is authored live in the stadium, verifying organic commits.

Grand Stage Defense

The Top 20 teams present their live running deployment on the main auditorium stage before enterprise leaders, alumni, and peers.

Prizes Badge
₹1,75,000 Total Prize Pool

Awards, Honors & Recognition

Total prize pool awarded directly to winning student teams, alongside VC pitch fast-tracking and $50,000+ in AWS Cloud Promotional Credits.

Zero Entry Fee: 100% Free Participation • ₹1,75,000 Total Prize Pool • Fast-Track Incubation & Credits
Apex Champion
Apex Achievement
National Grand Champion

1st Place

  • Grand Kairos Acrylic & Brass Champion Trophy
  • VC Angel Incubation Fast-Track Pitching
  • $5,000 in AWS Cloud Promotional Credits
  • Direct Tier-1 Tech Interview Fast-Track
  • Streetwear Swag Kit & Gold Certificates
Rank 01Official Award Conferral
First Runner-Up

2nd Place

  • 1st Runner-Up Acrylic Trophy
  • $2,500 in AWS Cloud Promotional Credits
  • Priority Interview Opportunities with Enterprise Sponsors
  • Streetwear Swag Kit & Silver Certificates
Rank 02Official Award Conferral
Second Runner-Up

3rd Place

  • 2nd Runner-Up Acrylic Trophy
  • $1,000 in AWS Cloud Promotional Credits
  • Streetwear Swag Kit & Bronze Certificates
Rank 03Official Award Conferral
Startup AcceleratorTop Teams

VC Incubation & Angel Pitching

Direct fast-track pitching sessions with angel networks, venture capitalists, and institutional accelerators to transition hackathon prototypes into production startups.

Demo Day Fast-Track
Special Category HonorsExcellence

Special Innovation & Diversity

Dedicated citations for Best All-Women Engineering Team, Most Scalable Serverless Architecture, and Audience Favorite Project.

Special Category Mementos
Cloud InfrastructureAll Finalists

$50,000+ AWS Cloud Credits

All 100 on-campus finalist teams receive direct AWS Cloud Promotional credits to operate large language models, clusters, and databases.

$500 to $5,000 Per Team
The Builder Journey

Participant Pathway

From initial waitlist reservation to stage finals in Chennai. Transparent progression with zero hidden prerequisites.

STEP 01ACTIVE NOW

Early Interest

Reserve your priority notification spot now. No fees, instant confirmation.

Milestone01/05
STEP 02OPENS SOON

National Applications

Submit abstract, proposed system architecture, and 4–6 builder team roster.

Milestone02/05
STEP 03PLANNED

Technical Screening

Evaluation of abstracts and Round 1 prototypes to shortlist up to 100 finalist teams.

Milestone03/05
STEP 0422-24 JAN 2027

On-Campus 48H Finale

Build live in Chennai at Central Library & Campus Bays with power, Wi-Fi & meals.

Milestone04/05
STEP 05VALEDICTORY

Grand Stage Demos

Top finalist squads demonstrate before the Grand Jury on the main stage.

Milestone05/05
Direct Priority Reservation

Reserve Your Priority Builder Slot

Go to Full Portal Application

Early applicants receive direct access to AWS Bedrock workshops, sample architecture templates, and automated qualifier guidance.

Sponsors
Corporate Collaboration & Talent Discovery

Sponsorship & Partnerships

Connect your brand with 400+ elite student software engineers, artificial intelligence builders, and founders at the national arena.

Note for Prospective Partners: All package amounts and deliverables listed below represent proposed frameworks subject to mutual review and formal agreement.
Download Official Prospectus PDF
Enterprise & Cloud Ecosystem Alignment
Amazon Web ServicesCloud Platform
AnthropicAI Research
MongoDB AtlasMulti-Cloud Data
GitHub EnterpriseDevOps & Copilot
CloudflareEdge Security
DatadogObservability
Red HatOpen Hybrid Cloud
StripeFinancial Infrastructure
Select Sponsorship Tier
Premier Flagship

Title Presenting Partner

₹2,00,000Proposed Investment
Key Partner Privileges & Deliverables
Naming rights: "KAIROS 2027 Presented by [Your Brand]"
Prime 20-minute keynote address at inaugural plenary (11:15 AM)
Exclusive 10x10 ft demo booth in Central Library foyer
Prime branding on chest of 106 organizer shirts & all 600 builder lanyards
2 Grand Jury seats for final stage evaluation & awards conferral
Access to opt-in developer database (2,000+ national applicants)
4 Dedicated social media spotlights tagged to @awsdevelopers
Custom activation packages and track sponsorships negotiable.
AWS Student Builder Group
Official Organizing Student Community

AWS Student Builder Group — SIST Chapter

KAIROS 2027 is conceptualized, architected, and executed by the student leadership and organizing cadre of the AWS Student Builder Group at Sathyabama Institute of Science and Technology.

FAQ
Answers for Builders • 24/7 Technical Support

Frequently Asked Questions

Essential facts about eligibility, selection rounds, on-campus logistics, and competition guidelines.

Have More Questions?24/7 Live AI

Refer to the Ask Kairos AI assistant in the bottom-right corner of your screen for instantaneous answers on rules, technical tracks, and venue facilities.

NO. KAIROS 2027 is 100% FREE. There are ZERO registration fees, ZERO qualifier fees, and ZERO attendance fees. All meals, on-campus stay, builder tees, smart badges, bus transit, and AWS credits are completely complimentary.
Looking for something else?

Click in the bottom-right corner, or email our student secretariat directly at sistawscc@gmail.com.

KAIROS 2027 · Sathyabama Institute of Science and Technology
KAIROS Hourglass

The Hourglass Is Turned.
48 Hours to Build What Endures.

Join 100 elite student teams in Chennai. No entry fees. Verified distributed architectures. ₹1,75,000 total prize pool waiting on the grand auditorium stage.

January 22–24, 2027Sathyabama Campus, Chennai100% Free Entry (₹0 Fee)₹1,75,000 Prize Pool