UnFoldMart Design Hackathon · Friday 23 October 2026 · Gurugram
12 hours. One heirloom. One mark. Make it last 50 years.
A live branding and product-packaging challenge for India's best young designers. Design an object people keep for life, and the brand mark it carries, from first sketch to final pitch, in one 12-hour day at the UnFoldMart studio in Gurugram.
Applications close 20 October 2026, 12:00 noon IST · 30 seats
- 01₹25,000 first prize
- 0208:00 to 20:00, one day
- 03Brand mark + object + ritual
- 04₹2,000 for every participant
- 05One twist, mid-day
01 · The challenge
The brief stays sealed until 08:00.
The brief is unsealed in
08:00 IST · Friday 23 October 2026
Applications close20 October 2026, 12:00 noon IST
A European house with a century of craft wants one thing: an object that is handed down, not thrown away. And a mark small enough to stamp at 8 mm, strong enough to carry the brand for the next 100 years.
You'll get the full brief at 08:00 on the day. Everyone starts from the same blank page.
Two gates before any score: every concept must pass a brand gate and a product gate. Fail one line and it's out, however good it looks.
- Gate 1Brand gatePass / fail
- Gate 2Product gatePass / fail
- ThenScored out of 100by the judges
(The brand in the brief is fictional, created by UnFoldMart for this hackathon.)
02 · Expect a twist
At 15:00, the rules change.
Halfway through the day, the client “calls”. One new constraint lands on every table, like a real project when the brief moves under your feet. Nobody knows what it is, not even the mentors in the room, until the envelope is opened at 15:00.
You'll have three hours to absorb it, rethink, and still pitch at 18:00. How you handle the twist counts: the judges look for designers who adapt without losing the idea.
Small print: the twist is the same for everyone and is fair to every track.
03 · How it works
Pick your track
Enter solo or as a team of two to four. At 08:00 every entry picks one track:
Track A
The mark
Can you draw a mark that holds at 8 mm and still means something?
Track B
Form and opening
Which form opens most beautifully?
Track C
Closure and safety
How does it stay shut in a courier van and open with grace at home?
Track D
Inside and the secret
How does one object hold two configurations, and where is the hidden space?
Track E
Ritual, shelf and shipping
What is the whole sequence, from shop shelf to the last reveal?
11:30
11:30, converge: the best entry per track is picked, and those entries build one combined concept together. Credit is shared by everyone who builds it.
15:00
15:00, the twist: see above. Every finalist must answer it.
04 · The room
Who should apply
The brief is part brand, part object, so we want a mixed room:
- 01
Brand and communication designers
who can draw a mark that holds at 8 mm.
- 02
Product, industrial and furniture designers
who think in hinges, joints, tolerances and materials.
- 03
Packaging and experience designers
who can choreograph an opening.
Open to students and graduates from the last 2 years of design and engineering schools (for example NID, NIFT, IDC IIT Bombay, Srishti Manipal, MIT Institute of Design, Pearl Academy, The Indian Institute of Art and Design (IIAD), Symbiosis Institute of Design, and other recognised programmes). Naming schools shows who the hackathon is for, not that they partner with us.
Seats: 30, picked on portfolio. Hand sketching matters more than software.
05 · What's at stake
Prizes
₹25,000
First prize · ₹15,000 cash + ₹10,000 Taj stay voucher
Top 3: paid freelance interview with UnFoldMart
Second place
₹10,000
Taj stay voucher
Winner
₹25,000
₹15,000 cash + ₹10,000 Taj stay voucher
Third place
₹5,000
cash
Every participant who completes the day
₹2,000
Plus: the top three get an interview for paid freelance work with UnFoldMart, and are featured, credited by name, on our website and social channels.
Teams and solo: if you enter as a team, the prize goes to the team. If you enter solo, it's yours. The ₹2,000 participation fee is per person.
The ₹2,000 goes to every participant who stays the full day and hands in their work.
06 · The schedule · times in IST
The day: Friday, 23 October 2026
07:30
Check-in and breakfast
08:00
Brief unsealed. Teams form and tracks are picked
08:30
Diverge: at least four options per entry
10:30
Checkpoint: your two strongest options
11:30
Converge: best entry per track is picked
12:30
Lunch
13:15
Build
15:00
The twist is revealed
15:30
Red team: every concept tested against both gates
16:30
Fix
18:00
Final pitches: 8 minutes plus 4 minutes of questions
19:00
Judges decide
19:45
Close and dinner
Results: Monday 2 November 2026, by email and on this page.
07 · The score
How we judge
Both gates are pass/fail first. Concepts that pass are scored out of 100:
Mark strength and fit
Could a real workshop make it?
How the parts fit together, and the risks named
Ritual and emotional impact
Clarity and decisiveness, including how you handled the twist
Material quality and finish
08 · Where you'll be working
The UnFoldMart studio
Packaging by the UnFoldMart studio in Gurugram, shown here for context. These are client projects, not hackathon entries.
09 · Where
UnFoldMart Gurugram (HQ)
Suite 18, Level 18, The Executive Centre, Tower A, DLF Epitome, DLF Cyber City, Gurugram 122002
You bring
Bring pencils, markers and a laptop if you like.
We provide
We provide paper, large boards, material samples, food and coffee.
10 · Your seat
How to apply
- 1
Fill in the form: name, email, school, graduation year, discipline (brand, product or industrial, packaging, engineering), city, portfolio link, and one answer: “Show us an object you'd keep for 50 years, and tell us why.”
- 2
Shortlisted people are told by email by the end of 20 October 2026.
- 3
Arrive at 07:30 on 23 October with a valid ID.
Applications close: 20 October 2026, 12:00 noon IST
Thank you. Your application is in. Shortlisted people hear from us by email by the end of 20 October 2026.
Sorry, your application did not go through. Please check every field and try again, or email connect@unfoldmart.com.
11 · Questions
FAQ
Who is the client?
A fictional European house, created by UnFoldMart for this hackathon, with a brief built on real-world design problems. You'll meet it at 08:00.
Who owns my work?
You do. Because the brand is fictional, you can show your entry in your portfolio after results day. By entering, you allow UnFoldMart to show entries, credited by name, on its website and social channels.
Can I use AI tools?
For research and mood boards, yes. Every mark and sketch must be drawn by you on the day.
Is there an entry fee?
No.
Can I enter solo?
Yes. Solo entries and teams of two to four are scored on the same table, and you can join a team at kick-off.
What if I can't finish?
Pitch what you have. A brave, clear idea beats a safe, finished one.
How are prizes paid?
By bank transfer within 15 days of the results. Taj vouchers are sent by email and are subject to Taj's own terms.
I'm not in Delhi NCR. Can I still join?
Yes, but you'll need to arrange and pay for your own travel and stay.
One day. One heirloom. One mark that lasts.
- Free to enter
- 30 seats
- 23 October 2026
- Gurugram