TheTerritorial Army, in collaboration withCyberPeace, has launchedTerrier Cyber Quest 2026 (TCQ 3.0), a national-level hackathon aimed at developing innovative solutions to contemporarydefence, cybersecurity and information-domain challenges.
In the third edition of the competition, Indian Army seeks to bring together technical talent fromacademia, industry, research institutions, government organisations and the Armed Forces. The initiative will focus on emerging areas includingArtificial Intelligence (AI), cybersecurity, threat mitigation and digital awareness, while encouraging development of indigenous solutions relevant to national security.
Building on the previous editions, TCQ 3.0 will be conductedacross three competition tracks:
Bug Hunting:A cybersecurity challenge commencing with an onlineCapture-the-Flag (CTF)qualifier and culminating in an in-person live sandbox finale. Participants will be required to identify and document vulnerabilities in simulated critical infrastructure environments.
AI Kavach:An AI and machine-learning based challenge aimed at developing solutions forpredictive threat intelligence, automated defence mechanisms and anomaly detection.
Creators Challenge:A digital media and storytelling competition for content creators, communicators and influencers to develop impactful awareness campaigns addressing threats such asdeepfakes, phishing, online scams and misinformation.
Registrations for the competition are open till31 August 2026. The online shortlisting phase will be conducted from1 to 10 September 2026, followed by theGrand Finale in New Delhi from 6 to 8 October 2026. The award ceremony will be held on9 October 2026.
