Programmes, hackathons and competitions

Open source programmes, hackathons, coding contests, fellowships and free student packs, with when each one usually opens, who can apply and how to get in.

29 programmes
7 open in October

Months are when applications usually open, from recent years. Dates move, so check the official page before you plan around one.

October (this month)

Open source · Major League Hacking and DEV
Hacktoberfest
The October open source celebration that ran for years as a pull request challenge. Since 2026 it is run by Major League Hacking and DEV with DigitalOcean as more than 300 in-person Fests plus a free online programme about building with open source AI. Pull requests no longer earn rewards; challenges, livestreams and events earn virtual stickers and a mailed sticker pack.
- Usually opens in September and October
- Online, global; 300+ in-person Fests
Opens this monthFree
Competition · Microsoft
Microsoft Imagine Cup
Microsoft's global startup competition for student founders building AI-powered products with Microsoft tools. Teams of up to four students enter the Launch track (early stage) or the Scale track (startups with traction). Winners receive cash, Azure credits, mentoring and a place at the World Championship.
- Usually opens in January, October, November and December
- Online rounds, in-person finals
Opens this monthFree to enter
Competition · Tata Consultancy Services
TCS CodeVita
Tata Consultancy Services' global programming contest for science and engineering students, recognised by Guinness World Records as the world's largest programming competition. Students compete individually through online rounds towards a grand finale, with USD 20,000 in prize money for the top three. Season 14 registration is open.
- Usually opens in July, August, September and October
- Online rounds, finale in India
Opens this monthFree
Competition · IEEE
IEEEXtreme
IEEE's global 24-hour programming competition for teams of up to three IEEE Student or Graduate Student members, held every October. Teams compete from their own university under a local proctor and solve a set of algorithmic problems released through the day. It is one of the most accessible team contests for students in South Asia.
- Usually opens in August, September and October
- Online, global, from your university
Opens this monthFree; IEEE membership required
Hackathon · NASA
NASA International Space Apps Challenge
NASA's annual global hackathon, where teams use open data from NASA and partner space agencies to tackle challenges written by NASA experts. It runs over two days at local events in many cities, including in Pakistan, India and Bangladesh, and virtually. All ages, skill levels and backgrounds are welcome, and it is free.
- Usually opens in August, September and October
- In person in many cities, plus virtual
Opens this monthFree
Competition · Meta
Meta Hacker Cup
Meta's annual online programming contest for individuals, with a practice round, several online rounds of increasing difficulty and a final for the top competitors. Anyone who meets the official rules can enter, students or not. Meta had not announced a 2026 season by late October 2026, so check the official page before planning around it.
- Usually opens in July, August, September and October
- Online, global; final for top competitors
Opens this monthFree
Competition · ICPC Foundation
ICPC (International Collegiate Programming Contest)
The university programming contest where teams of three share one computer for five hours and advance from regional contests towards the World Finals. icpc.global is where coaches register teams and where the current rules, regionals, results and past problems live. In South Asia there are regionals in Pakistan, India and Bangladesh.
- Usually opens in August, September and October
- In person regionals worldwide, some online rounds
Opens this monthFree; regional fees vary

November

Competition · Microsoft
Microsoft Imagine Cup
Microsoft's global startup competition for student founders building AI-powered products with Microsoft tools. Teams of up to four students enter the Launch track (early stage) or the Scale track (startups with traction). Winners receive cash, Azure credits, mentoring and a place at the World Championship.
- Usually opens in January, October, November and December
- Online rounds, in-person finals
Opens this monthFree to enter
Fellowship · CERN openlab
CERN openlab Summer Student Programme
A nine-week summer placement at CERN in Geneva for bachelor's and master's students with a strong computing profile, working on advanced computing projects with a CERN supervisor. It is open to all nationalities, including students from Pakistan, India and Bangladesh. Students receive a daily allowance and a travel allowance.
- Usually opens in January, November and December
- In person, Geneva, Switzerland
Allowance paid (93 CHF a day)

December

Competition · Microsoft
Microsoft Imagine Cup
Microsoft's global startup competition for student founders building AI-powered products with Microsoft tools. Teams of up to four students enter the Launch track (early stage) or the Scale track (startups with traction). Winners receive cash, Azure credits, mentoring and a place at the World Championship.
- Usually opens in January, October, November and December
- Online rounds, in-person finals
Opens this monthFree to enter
Fellowship · CERN openlab
CERN openlab Summer Student Programme
A nine-week summer placement at CERN in Geneva for bachelor's and master's students with a strong computing profile, working on advanced computing projects with a CERN supervisor. It is open to all nationalities, including students from Pakistan, India and Bangladesh. Students receive a daily allowance and a travel allowance.
- Usually opens in January, November and December
- In person, Geneva, Switzerland
Allowance paid (93 CHF a day)
Open source · KDE
Season of KDE
An outreach programme run by the KDE community since 2013, where newcomers work on a mentored project for a KDE application or website over about two months. It is open to everyone, not only students, and covers code, documentation, translation and design. There is no stipend; participants who finish receive a certificate and KDE merchandise.
- Usually opens in January and December
- Online, global
Free, certificate and swag

January

Competition · Microsoft
Microsoft Imagine Cup
Microsoft's global startup competition for student founders building AI-powered products with Microsoft tools. Teams of up to four students enter the Launch track (early stage) or the Scale track (startups with traction). Winners receive cash, Azure credits, mentoring and a place at the World Championship.
- Usually opens in January, October, November and December
- Online rounds, in-person finals
Opens this monthFree to enter
Fellowship · CERN openlab
CERN openlab Summer Student Programme
A nine-week summer placement at CERN in Geneva for bachelor's and master's students with a strong computing profile, working on advanced computing projects with a CERN supervisor. It is open to all nationalities, including students from Pakistan, India and Bangladesh. Students receive a daily allowance and a travel allowance.
- Usually opens in January, November and December
- In person, Geneva, Switzerland
Allowance paid (93 CHF a day)
Open source · Summer of Bitcoin
Summer of Bitcoin
A global, online summer internship that introduces university students to Bitcoin open source development and design. Selected students spend 12 weeks on a project with an open source Bitcoin organisation and earn a stipend paid in bitcoin, $3,000 for students in Pakistan, India and Bangladesh. Entry is competitive and runs through a challenge round before proposals.
- Usually opens in January and February
- Online, global
Stipend paid in bitcoin
Open source · KDE
Season of KDE
An outreach programme run by the KDE community since 2013, where newcomers work on a mentored project for a KDE application or website over about two months. It is open to everyone, not only students, and covers code, documentation, translation and design. There is no stipend; participants who finish receive a certificate and KDE merchandise.
- Usually opens in January and December
- Online, global
Free, certificate and swag

February

Open source · The Linux Foundation
LFX Mentorship
The Linux Foundation's mentorship platform for structured, mostly paid mentorships on open source projects, including the cloud native projects run by CNCF. You apply to a specific project, complete any tasks the mentors set and, if selected, work with a maintainer for a fixed term of about three months. Stipends are based on your country, up to $6,600.
- Usually opens in February, May and August
- Online, global
Stipend paid (most programmes)
Open source · Outreachy
Outreachy
Paid, remote three-month internships in open source and open science for people who face underrepresentation, systemic bias or discrimination in the tech industry of their country. Interns receive a $7,000 USD stipend. There are two cohorts a year, May to August and December to March, each with a short initial application followed by a month of contributing to real projects.
- Usually opens in February and August
- Online, global
Stipend paid ($7,000)
Competition · FAST-NUCES Lahore
SOFTEC (FAST-NUCES Lahore)
One of Pakistan's best known university tech festivals, run by students at FAST-NUCES Lahore every spring. It hosts competitions in areas such as competitive programming, software and web development, AI, game development and cybersecurity, alongside talks and an exhibition. Teams from universities across Pakistan take part.
- Usually opens in February, March and April
- In person, Lahore
Entry fees vary by competition
Open source · Summer of Bitcoin
Summer of Bitcoin
A global, online summer internship that introduces university students to Bitcoin open source development and design. Selected students spend 12 weeks on a project with an open source Bitcoin organisation and earn a stipend paid in bitcoin, $3,000 for students in Pakistan, India and Bangladesh. Entry is competitive and runs through a challenge round before proposals.
- Usually opens in January and February
- Online, global
Stipend paid in bitcoin

March

Open source · Google
Google Summer of Code
A yearly Google programme that pairs people new to open source with mentoring organisations for a paid, remote coding project of about 90, 175 or 350 hours. Contributors work with a mentor over a coding period of around 12 weeks and receive a stipend based on project size and country. The application window is short, so the real work is choosing an organisation and contributing well before proposals open.
- Usually opens in March
- Online, global
Stipend paid
Open source · GirlScript Foundation
GirlScript Summer of Code (GSSoC)
A free open source programme from the non-profit GirlScript Foundation in India, where contributors spend a few months working on listed projects, earn points on a leaderboard and receive mentoring. Since 2026 it also has an AI agents track. It is a beginner-friendly way to make real pull requests before applying to paid programmes.
- Usually opens in March and April
- Online, mostly India
Free
Competition · FAST-NUCES Lahore
SOFTEC (FAST-NUCES Lahore)
One of Pakistan's best known university tech festivals, run by students at FAST-NUCES Lahore every spring. It hosts competitions in areas such as competitive programming, software and web development, AI, game development and cybersecurity, alongside talks and an exhibition. Teams from universities across Pakistan take part.
- Usually opens in February, March and April
- In person, Lahore
Entry fees vary by competition

April

Open source · GirlScript Foundation
GirlScript Summer of Code (GSSoC)
A free open source programme from the non-profit GirlScript Foundation in India, where contributors spend a few months working on listed projects, earn points on a leaderboard and receive mentoring. Since 2026 it also has an AI agents track. It is a beginner-friendly way to make real pull requests before applying to paid programmes.
- Usually opens in March and April
- Online, mostly India
Free
Competition · FAST-NUCES Lahore
SOFTEC (FAST-NUCES Lahore)
One of Pakistan's best known university tech festivals, run by students at FAST-NUCES Lahore every spring. It hosts competitions in areas such as competitive programming, software and web development, AI, game development and cybersecurity, alongside talks and an exhibition. Teams from universities across Pakistan take part.
- Usually opens in February, March and April
- In person, Lahore
Entry fees vary by competition

May

Open source · The Linux Foundation
LFX Mentorship
The Linux Foundation's mentorship platform for structured, mostly paid mentorships on open source projects, including the cloud native projects run by CNCF. You apply to a specific project, complete any tasks the mentors set and, if selected, work with a maintainer for a fixed term of about three months. Stipends are based on your country, up to $6,600.
- Usually opens in February, May and August
- Online, global
Stipend paid (most programmes)

July

Competition · Tata Consultancy Services
TCS CodeVita
Tata Consultancy Services' global programming contest for science and engineering students, recognised by Guinness World Records as the world's largest programming competition. Students compete individually through online rounds towards a grand finale, with USD 20,000 in prize money for the top three. Season 14 registration is open.
- Usually opens in July, August, September and October
- Online rounds, finale in India
Opens this monthFree
Ambassador · GitHub
GitHub Campus Experts
GitHub's selective programme that trains student leaders to build technical communities at their universities. Selected students receive training in public speaking, technical writing and community management, plus support from GitHub for their events. Applications open once a year, every July, and include a written form and a video.
- Usually opens in July
- Online training, on campus
Free
Competition · Meta
Meta Hacker Cup
Meta's annual online programming contest for individuals, with a practice round, several online rounds of increasing difficulty and a final for the top competitors. Anyone who meets the official rules can enter, students or not. Meta had not announced a 2026 season by late October 2026, so check the official page before planning around it.
- Usually opens in July, August, September and October
- Online, global; final for top competitors
Opens this monthFree

August

Open source · The Linux Foundation
LFX Mentorship
The Linux Foundation's mentorship platform for structured, mostly paid mentorships on open source projects, including the cloud native projects run by CNCF. You apply to a specific project, complete any tasks the mentors set and, if selected, work with a maintainer for a fixed term of about three months. Stipends are based on your country, up to $6,600.
- Usually opens in February, May and August
- Online, global
Stipend paid (most programmes)
Open source · Outreachy
Outreachy
Paid, remote three-month internships in open source and open science for people who face underrepresentation, systemic bias or discrimination in the tech industry of their country. Interns receive a $7,000 USD stipend. There are two cohorts a year, May to August and December to March, each with a short initial application followed by a month of contributing to real projects.
- Usually opens in February and August
- Online, global
Stipend paid ($7,000)
Competition · Tata Consultancy Services
TCS CodeVita
Tata Consultancy Services' global programming contest for science and engineering students, recognised by Guinness World Records as the world's largest programming competition. Students compete individually through online rounds towards a grand finale, with USD 20,000 in prize money for the top three. Season 14 registration is open.
- Usually opens in July, August, September and October
- Online rounds, finale in India
Opens this monthFree
Competition · IEEE
IEEEXtreme
IEEE's global 24-hour programming competition for teams of up to three IEEE Student or Graduate Student members, held every October. Teams compete from their own university under a local proctor and solve a set of algorithmic problems released through the day. It is one of the most accessible team contests for students in South Asia.
- Usually opens in August, September and October
- Online, global, from your university
Opens this monthFree; IEEE membership required
Competition · GIK Institute and ICPC
ICPC Asia Topi Regional (Pakistan)
Pakistan's ICPC regional contest, hosted by GIK Institute in Topi, where university teams of three qualify through an online preliminary for the onsite regional. It is the main route for Pakistani teams towards the ICPC Asia West finals and the World Finals. Every team needs a coach from its university.
- Usually opens in August and September
- Online preliminary, onsite in Pakistan
Team fees set by the host
Hackathon · Ministry of Education Innovation Cell and AICTE
Smart India Hackathon
India's national hackathon, run by the Ministry of Education's Innovation Cell and AICTE, where student teams solve problem statements set by ministries, government departments and industry. Colleges hold internal hackathons to nominate teams, and shortlisted teams build their solution at a 36-hour grand finale in December. It is open to students of Indian higher education institutions.
- Usually opens in August and September
- In person, India
Free
Hackathon · NASA
NASA International Space Apps Challenge
NASA's annual global hackathon, where teams use open data from NASA and partner space agencies to tackle challenges written by NASA experts. It runs over two days at local events in many cities, including in Pakistan, India and Bangladesh, and virtually. All ages, skill levels and backgrounds are welcome, and it is free.
- Usually opens in August, September and October
- In person in many cities, plus virtual
Opens this monthFree
Competition · Meta
Meta Hacker Cup
Meta's annual online programming contest for individuals, with a practice round, several online rounds of increasing difficulty and a final for the top competitors. Anyone who meets the official rules can enter, students or not. Meta had not announced a 2026 season by late October 2026, so check the official page before planning around it.
- Usually opens in July, August, September and October
- Online, global; final for top competitors
Opens this monthFree
Competition · ICPC Foundation
ICPC (International Collegiate Programming Contest)
The university programming contest where teams of three share one computer for five hours and advance from regional contests towards the World Finals. icpc.global is where coaches register teams and where the current rules, regionals, results and past problems live. In South Asia there are regionals in Pakistan, India and Bangladesh.
- Usually opens in August, September and October
- In person regionals worldwide, some online rounds
Opens this monthFree; regional fees vary

September

Open source · Major League Hacking and DEV
Hacktoberfest
The October open source celebration that ran for years as a pull request challenge. Since 2026 it is run by Major League Hacking and DEV with DigitalOcean as more than 300 in-person Fests plus a free online programme about building with open source AI. Pull requests no longer earn rewards; challenges, livestreams and events earn virtual stickers and a mailed sticker pack.
- Usually opens in September and October
- Online, global; 300+ in-person Fests
Opens this monthFree
Competition · Tata Consultancy Services
TCS CodeVita
Tata Consultancy Services' global programming contest for science and engineering students, recognised by Guinness World Records as the world's largest programming competition. Students compete individually through online rounds towards a grand finale, with USD 20,000 in prize money for the top three. Season 14 registration is open.
- Usually opens in July, August, September and October
- Online rounds, finale in India
Opens this monthFree
Competition · IEEE
IEEEXtreme
IEEE's global 24-hour programming competition for teams of up to three IEEE Student or Graduate Student members, held every October. Teams compete from their own university under a local proctor and solve a set of algorithmic problems released through the day. It is one of the most accessible team contests for students in South Asia.
- Usually opens in August, September and October
- Online, global, from your university
Opens this monthFree; IEEE membership required
Competition · GIK Institute and ICPC
ICPC Asia Topi Regional (Pakistan)
Pakistan's ICPC regional contest, hosted by GIK Institute in Topi, where university teams of three qualify through an online preliminary for the onsite regional. It is the main route for Pakistani teams towards the ICPC Asia West finals and the World Finals. Every team needs a coach from its university.
- Usually opens in August and September
- Online preliminary, onsite in Pakistan
Team fees set by the host
Hackathon · Ministry of Education Innovation Cell and AICTE
Smart India Hackathon
India's national hackathon, run by the Ministry of Education's Innovation Cell and AICTE, where student teams solve problem statements set by ministries, government departments and industry. Colleges hold internal hackathons to nominate teams, and shortlisted teams build their solution at a 36-hour grand finale in December. It is open to students of Indian higher education institutions.
- Usually opens in August and September
- In person, India
Free
Hackathon · NASA
NASA International Space Apps Challenge
NASA's annual global hackathon, where teams use open data from NASA and partner space agencies to tackle challenges written by NASA experts. It runs over two days at local events in many cities, including in Pakistan, India and Bangladesh, and virtually. All ages, skill levels and backgrounds are welcome, and it is free.
- Usually opens in August, September and October
- In person in many cities, plus virtual
Opens this monthFree
Competition · Meta
Meta Hacker Cup
Meta's annual online programming contest for individuals, with a practice round, several online rounds of increasing difficulty and a final for the top competitors. Anyone who meets the official rules can enter, students or not. Meta had not announced a 2026 season by late October 2026, so check the official page before planning around it.
- Usually opens in July, August, September and October
- Online, global; final for top competitors
Opens this monthFree
Competition · ICPC Foundation
ICPC (International Collegiate Programming Contest)
The university programming contest where teams of three share one computer for five hours and advance from regional contests towards the World Finals. icpc.global is where coaches register teams and where the current rules, regionals, results and past problems live. In South Asia there are regionals in Pakistan, India and Bangladesh.
- Usually opens in August, September and October
- In person regionals worldwide, some online rounds
Opens this monthFree; regional fees vary

Open all year

Apply or claim these whenever you are ready.

Student pack · JetBrains
JetBrains free educational licences
Free one-year licences for JetBrains' professional IDEs, such as IntelliJ IDEA Ultimate, PyCharm Professional and WebStorm, for students and teachers at accredited institutions. You verify with a university email, an ISIC card or official documents, and renew yearly while you study. Use is limited to non-commercial, educational purposes.
- Open all year
- Online, global
Free for students and teachers
Student pack · Notion
Notion Education Plan
Notion's free Education Plan for individual students and teachers at accredited colleges and universities, with a separate free plan for verified student organisations. You upgrade inside Notion using your institution's email. It suits students who want one workspace for notes, project planning and a personal knowledge base.
- Open all year
- Online, global
Free for students and teachers
Ambassador · Google for Developers
Google Developer Groups on Campus
Google's university developer clubs, formerly Google Developer Student Clubs, run by a student organiser with a core team. Any student can join a chapter's events for free, and students can apply to lead a chapter at their university. Leading one gives you real organising experience, contact with Google's developer community and a project team.
- Open all year
- On campus, worldwide
Free
Student pack · Microsoft
Azure for Students
Microsoft's free Azure offer for full-time university students: $100 of credit to use within 12 months, free amounts of popular services and no credit card. You sign up with your school email and can renew every year while you are a student. It is the easiest way to practise cloud without a card.
- Open all year
- Online, global
Free for students
Ambassador · Microsoft
Microsoft Student Ambassadors
Microsoft's global programme for students who lead tech communities on campus, relaunched in 2026 and open to students of every discipline. There is no application or interview: you register, complete onboarding activities and progress through milestones. Benefits include Microsoft 365, Visual Studio Enterprise and $150 of monthly Azure credits.
- Open all year
- Online and on campus, global
Free
Ambassador · Amazon Web Services
AWS Student Builder Groups (formerly AWS Cloud Clubs)
Student-led cloud communities on university campuses, supported by AWS. Any enrolled student aged 18 or over can join a group, and students can apply to lead one as a Student Builder Group Leader. Leaders receive AWS credits, certification exam vouchers and direct contact with AWS professionals.
- Open all year
- On campus, many countries
Free
Hackathon · Major League Hacking
MLH Global Hack Week
Major League Hacking's free, week-long online hacker festival, held roughly once a month with a different theme each time, such as beginners, open source, AI agents or cloud. It mixes livestreamed workshops, daily challenges and small projects. Anyone, anywhere can join, which makes it an easy first step before an in-person hackathon.
- Open all year
- Online, global
Free
Student pack · Figma
Figma for Education
Figma's free Education plan for students and educators, which unlocks the Professional plan in Figma and FigJam after you verify your education status. University students, bootcamp participants and high school students qualify. If you are enrolled anywhere with structured teaching, apply before paying for anything.
- Open all year
- Online, global
Free for verified students
Fellowship · Major League Hacking
MLH Fellowship
A 12-week remote programme from Major League Hacking, run as an alternative to a traditional internship, where fellows work in small groups on real open source and partner projects with mentors. Fellows receive an educational stipend. Expect around 20 hours a week; it is open to developers aged 18 and over anywhere in the world, students or not.
- Open all year
- Online, global
Stipend paid
Hackathon · Major League Hacking
MLH Hackathons
Major League Hacking's season calendar of student hackathons, mostly in person across North America, Europe and Asia Pacific, plus online events open to anyone. Most are free for students. A weekend of building with a team against a deadline gives you a finished project, new contacts and a story to put on your CV.
- Open all year
- In person in NA, Europe, APAC; some online
Free for students
Student pack · GitHub
GitHub Student Developer Pack
A free bundle of more than 60 developer tools and offers for verified students, including GitHub Pro, GitHub Copilot Student, JetBrains professional IDEs, cloud credits and domain names. If you are enrolled in a degree or diploma course, claim it early: it removes most of the cost of hosting side projects. Partner offers change, so check each one's current terms.
- Open all year
- Online, global
Free for verified students

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