At Carnero.Dev, there are no rigid technical restrictions and no prescribed architectures. Participants have full creative freedom to choose how they build, what stack they use, and how they approach their chosen problem domain. The only requirement is that the solution is real, functional, and deployed — a working product, not a slide deck. The event is organized around six innovation verticals that serve as broad directional guides, each welcoming a wide range of solution types and technical approaches.Documentation Index
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The Main Challenge Directive
Every team competing at Carnero.Dev operates under a single overarching challenge brief:“Develop an innovative technological solution capable of solving a real problem using software, automation, AI, or digital tools.”This directive is intentionally broad. The real challenge is not in the technology chosen — it is in identifying a genuine problem, proposing a credible solution, and building a working prototype in 36 hours.
Three Objective Pillars
Every project at Carnero.Dev must demonstrate progress across three core phases:Identify a Problem
Detect a real need, challenge, or inefficiency in your university, social, or institutional environment. The problem must be observable, specific, and something that technology can meaningfully address. Vague or overly broad problem statements are a red flag for judges — the sharper the problem definition, the stronger the project.
Propose the Solution
Design a creative, technically viable, and disruptive solution to address the identified problem. The proposal should explain what the product does, who it is for, and why the chosen technical approach is the right one. Teams are encouraged to think beyond the obvious — the most impactful solutions often challenge assumptions about how a problem should be solved.
Build the Prototype in 36 Hours
Develop a functional software prototype during the competition window. The prototype must be deployed to a live environment and pushed to a public repository before the submission deadline. Judges evaluate working software — a polished demo with no functional backend is not a prototype. Ship something real.
The 6 Innovation Verticals
Teams select one of six innovation verticals when registering their project. Each vertical represents a distinct domain of technology and a different lens through which the main challenge can be approached:Open Innovation
Solve real-world problems with no architectural limits. This vertical welcomes disruptive hardware and software integrations, unconventional tech combinations, and solutions that do not fit neatly into any other category. If your idea is genuinely novel and hard to classify — this is your track.
Artificial Intelligence
Implement intelligent agents, machine learning models, or advanced large language models (LLMs) as the core of your MVP. This vertical rewards teams that go beyond basic API calls to deliver genuinely autonomous, adaptive, or predictive behavior in their product.
Web Development & Cloud
Create scalable, dynamic platforms with robust cloud infrastructure. This vertical covers everything from serverless architectures and real-time databases to high-performance frontend experiences and API-driven backend systems built to handle real traffic.
Cybersecurity & Networks
Build tools focused on data protection, secure deployments, cryptography, or ethical defense. This vertical includes automated security audits, privacy protection tools, network monitoring solutions, and any product designed to defend systems and users from threats.
DevOps & Automation
Design and implement CI/CD pipelines, infrastructure as code, robotic process automation (RPA), or intelligent workflow integrations. This vertical rewards teams that treat the development and deployment pipeline itself as the product — scalable, automated, and repeatable systems.
Teamwork
Collaboration under pressure is its own discipline. This vertical recognizes teams that demonstrate exceptional multidisciplinary coordination — bridging development, design, data, and strategy roles across continuous sprints. Strong execution by a cohesive team is as valued as technical innovation.
What Can You Build?
Within any of the six verticals, teams can choose from a wide range of product types. The following categories represent the full spectrum of accepted project formats — any of these can serve as the foundation for a winning submission:- Web Applications — Responsive, high-performance interfaces, dynamic portals, and modern serverless architectures.
- Mobile Apps — Fluid iOS and Android experiences with native or hybrid, offline-first approaches.
- AI — LLM integrations, autonomous agents, and predictive data analysis systems.
- Automation Tools — Robotic process automation, intelligent workflow engines, and system integrations.
- APIs & Platforms — Solid backend architectures, microservices, optimized databases, and integrated developer portals.
- Social Impact Solutions — Projects targeting real problems in education, health, ecology, or community welfare.
- Cybersecurity Tools — Automated security audits, data cryptography, ethical defense tooling, and privacy protection systems.
- IoT Projects — Physical sensor telemetry, remote control systems, and rapid prototyping with microcontrollers.