For many students, a hackathon is an opportunity to test their coding skills. For IIT Madras BS learner Shreyansh Gupta, it became a chance to demonstrate how technology can be used to tackle a real-world problem. Shreyansh secured rank 278 among 46,719 participants, placing him in the top 0.6% at the Google for Developers × Hack2skill PromptWars 2026 hackathon.His performance was particularly notable for the scores awarded to his solution. Shreyansh recorded an AI Evaluation Score of 88.81 out of 100, with perfect marks for efficiency and near-perfect scores for problem-statement alignment and accessibility. His achievement comes alongside a growing portfolio spanning full-stack development, artificial intelligence, augmented reality and student-led technology initiatives.
IIT Madras learner takes on a real-world challenge
Shreyansh participated in Challenge 1: Physical Event Experience, which focused on improving the experience of people attending large-scale sporting venues.The challenge involved addressing practical problems such as crowd movement, waiting times and real-time coordination. Instead of treating the problem purely as a coding exercise, participants were expected to design solutions that could work in complex, real-world environments.Shreyansh’s submission received 100/100 for efficiency, 98/100 for problem-statement alignment, 98/100 for accessibility and 96/100 for security.The overall evaluation considered factors including code quality, security, efficiency, testing, accessibility and how closely the proposed solution addressed the challenge.For Shreyansh, the experience reflects a broader approach to technology: learning concepts and then turning them into usable products.“Every challenge is an opportunity to turn what you learn into something that can solve a real problem.”
IIT Madras student ranks in top 0.6% among 46,719 participants at PromptWars 2026
From IIT Madras to AI agent development
Shreyansh is currently pursuing a BS in Data Processing at the Indian Institute of Technology Madras, with his programme listed as running from 2025 to 2029.Alongside his studies, he is working as an AI Agent Developer Intern at TripXplo, a product of Tripmilestone Tours Pvt. Ltd. His work involves developing autonomous AI agents for travel-planning tasks.His responsibilities include building agent workflows using LangChain, integrating OpenAI and Claude APIs, developing memory and context-aware systems, and working on AI-driven automation for trip planning, booking assistance and customer queries.This experience places him at the intersection of software development and the rapidly evolving field of agentic AI.
He is also building in AR
AI is not Shreyansh’s only area of interest.Since November 2025, he has also been working as a Snapchat Lens Creator, developing interactive augmented-reality lenses using Snap Lens Studio.His work includes face filters, world lenses and interactive effects involving 3D objects, animations, scripts and visual effects. The experience has given him hands-on exposure to AR, 3D design and user interaction.His LinkedIn profile describes his core identity simply: a builder.
His technology journey extends beyond coding
Shreyansh has also taken up technical and leadership roles within student communities.He is currently a Technical Department Volunteer at Paradox, IIT Madras, contributing to the planning, development and execution of technical events. He is also part of the Technical Team at Boundless – IITM BS Travel Society, where he works on digital platforms, web applications and technical solutions for the IIT Madras BS community.Earlier, he served as a Campus Ambassador for Tryst 2026 at IIT Delhi and TATVA Fest 2026 at IIT Bombay. He also worked with the Entrepreneurship Development Cell at IIT Delhi, where he supported outreach, promotion and student engagement initiatives.These roles have added another dimension to his technical profile: working with teams, communicating ideas and building technology for communities rather than working only on individual projects.
Building skills across AI, web development and entrepreneurship
Before his current AI-focused internship, Shreyansh worked as a web developer and has experience with React and Firebase, including full-stack applications with authentication, real-time databases and administrative dashboards.He has also explored entrepreneurship and is involved in co-building a direct-to-consumer clothing brand, KREVVA.His academic and technical exposure extends beyond IIT Madras as well. In 2025, he completed an intensive certificate course at IIT-BHU on sustainable infrastructure monitoring with AI-inspired machine learning under the GIAN initiative. The course covered areas including machine learning algorithms, data preprocessing, neural networks, predictive maintenance and anomaly detection.
More than a hackathon rank
Shreyansh’s PromptWars result stands out because it brings together several strands of his journey: formal learning at IIT Madras, hands-on software development, AI-agent experimentation, AR creation and participation in technology communities.The rank of 278 out of 46,719 participants is one measurable outcome. But the larger story is how a student is using opportunities across different technology domains to move from learning concepts to building systems designed for actual users.For students looking at careers in AI and software development, his journey also highlights an increasingly important lesson: coding skills become more valuable when they are combined with problem-solving, experimentation and the ability to build something that works beyond the classroom.Disclaimer: This article is based on publicly available information and professional details shared in Shreyansh Gupta’s profile and the hackathon-related information provided for this article. TOI Education has not independently verified all claims, scores, rankings, roles or project-related information mentioned above.
