# MXESA 2026 — Complete site copy ## Hero EST. 2026 • DEPARTMENT OF MECHATRONICS • MMIT PUNE MXESA 2026: Innovation belongs to everyone. Bring the future of automation to life. The founding student association bridging mechanics, electronics, and code. Join our community of second-year builders and seniors to experiment, build cyber-physical systems, and push technical boundaries. Hardware and software, unified. CTAs: Explore Upcoming Events (/host/) · Meet the Core Team (/fests/) Powered by Mechatronics MMIT MLH x DEV. Presenting partner: DigitalOcean. ## Upcoming Events System Online: Upcoming Operations. Join our upcoming operations and launch events as we kick off the MXESA journey. August 2026 — MXESA Inauguration Ceremony The official launch of the Mechatronics Engineering Student's Association. Join us for the inaugural address, vision sharing, and the swearing-in of the founding committee. [Upcoming] September 2026 — SDG Ideathon Form your team, lock a problem statement, then submit your Phase 1 idea for the SDG Ideathon. ## About the Club Pioneering the Mechatronics Culture. Established in the Academic Year 2026-27, the Mechatronics Engineering Student's Association (MXESA) is the premier platform for students at Marathwada Mitramandal's Institute of Technology. We provide the ecosystem to develop leadership, hands-on organizational skills, and technical excellence. Under the guidance of: Prof. Shital Khande (Faculty Coordinator) Dr. Yogini Borole (Faculty Coordinator) ## The Core Committee The Founding Committee Meet the student leaders driving the MXESA vision. These are the founding members of the Mechatronics Engineering Student's Association at MMIT Pune. President — Sanyam Chavan (CTA: View Profile) Vice President — Shivam Mohite (CTA: View Profile) Treasurer — Chitranjan Bhalerao (CTA: View Profile) Training & Placement / Alumni Coordinator — Yojit Giri (CTA: View Profile) Ladies Representative — Janhvi Patil (CTA: View Profile) ## Common questions Everything else, answered. MXESA works differently this year, and a new format always comes with questions. We have the answers: here’s what to know about hosting a Fest, taking part, and what comes next. What is MXESA? — MXESA is a global celebration of open source that runs throughout October. This year, MXESA is run by Major League Hacking (MLH) and DEV in partnership with DigitalOcean. (https://www.mlh.com/ https://dev.to https://www.digitalocean.com/) How is MXESA 2026 different from previous years? — MXESA 2026 will feature 300+ in-person and online community events worldwide focused on hands-on building, experimentation, and learning with open-source AI and open-weight models. In previous years, MXESA focused on counting individual contributions to open-source projects. Why is MXESA 2026 focused on open-source AI? — The AI landscape is rapidly evolving. There is uncertainty around future AI access, pricing, and regulations. By prioritizing education about open-weight models and open-source AI, we help build resilience around our overall ecosystem. I was planning on getting into open source this October, now I don’t know what to do. How can I get involved in open source? — Open source runs 365 days a year, and you can get started anytime. Just because MXESA isn’t incentivizing open source contributions with swag doesn’t mean you can’t contribute any more. Check out this guide to get started. (https://dev.to/opensauced/open-source-101-a-beginners-guide-to-getting-started-37fb) Why is MXESA moving away from counting Pull Requests (PRs)? — With the rise of AI tools making low-effort PRs trivial to generate, open-source maintainers faced unprecedented floods of noise, spam, and burnout. In 2026, MXESA is refocusing on high-value, meaningful learning, collaborative events, and open-source AI development rather than raw PR volume. Who is eligible to participate? — Anyone aged 13 and older worldwide is welcome to participate, subject to U.S. export controls and embargo restrictions. What is Preptember? — Preptember is the month-long preparation period throughout September where organizers plan their Fests before hacking begins in October. More details are coming soon! What is a “Fest”? — A Fest is an official, in-person MXESA event lasting up to 12 hours, designed to bring local developer communities together to learn and build with open-source AI. What are the two official Fest formats? — MXESA Hack Day: Structured mini hackathons where participants build open-source AI projects during the event. Features official swag, prize categories, DEV Badges, potential partner prizes, and food/beverage reimbursement for organizers. MXESA Meet Up: Flexible, informal community gatherings (talks, workshops, panels, or social discussions) centered around open-source AI. Receives official swag (stickers, T-shirts, postcards) but no prizes or food/beverage reimbursement. Will everyone get a T-Shirt? — While we are committed to sending thousands of T-shirts to in-person events, we cannot guarantee a T-shirt to every MXESA participant. The T-shirts we send to each event are distributed by local organizers to participants as on-site availability allows and at their discretion. We unfortunately cannot promise to mail T-shirts to in-person participants who did not receive one at their events due to logistical constraints. Online MXESA participants will not be eligible for a T-shirt. What software platforms are required to run a Fest? — All Fests must use Major League Hacking’s OrganizerHQ (OHQ) for attendee registration and day-of check-in. In addition, Hack Days must use OrganizerHQ Challenges for project submissions and judging. What post-event deliverables are required from organizers? — Organizers must submit high-resolution event photos, verified check-in data via OrganizerHQ, winner records, and itemized food/beverage expense receipts (for Hack Days reimbursements). How do community members apply to host a Fest? — Organizers can apply via the host portal. Visit our organizer guide to learn more about the Fest hosting process. (https://organize.mlh.com/host/mxesa-2026 https://mlh.gitbook.io/mlh-mxesa-organizer-guide) How long does application approval take? — Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis, with confirmation typically provided within less than one week. What venue requirements must a host secure? — Hosts must secure a safe, accessible in-person venue for 3 to 12 hours equipped with reliable Wi-Fi, power outlets, seating, and necessary AV equipment. Are there geographic or sanctions restrictions for hosting or participating in Fests? — Fests and swag shipments are available worldwide, excluding locations embargoed and sanctioned by the U.S. What swag is included in the in-person Fest Event Packs? — All in-person Fests will get a shipment of MLH stickers, DigitalOcean stickers, and T-shirts, which organizers will distribute at their discretion in accordance with MLH policies. How does the individual Swag Envelope program work? — Participants who cannot attend an in-person Fest can earn an official MXESA Swag Envelope by completing participation milestones online (more details soon on these milestones). What items are included inside the Swag Envelope? — Custom MXESA stickers and other envelope-friendly items. What is the envelope fulfillment and shipping timeline? — Envelope shipments will begin dispatching after MXESA concludes and should arrive at most destinations within 30-60 days. What are the expense reimbursement rules for Fest organizers? — Reimbursements apply strictly to MXESA Hack Day events for approved in-policy food and beverage expenses up to a designated cap. Meet Ups and corporate partner hosts are not eligible for reimbursement. How can companies sponsor MXESA 2026? — Companies can reach out to discuss sponsorship opportunities with our team at mxesa@mlh.io. (mailto:mxesa@mlh.io) ## After signing up You’re on the list. Thanks for being part of it. We’ll be in touch about MXESA 2026 as soon as there’s news to share. ## Find a Fest The Fests. Find a Fest near you. Every Fest is a one-day, in-person event, either a Hack Day or a Meetup, hosted by local organizers. Search by name or city, or use your location to see what is closest. The directory is generated from the public events endpoint at https://mxesa-api.mlh.com/api/events. It needs no authentication and returns every confirmed Fest, so pull from it rather than scraping this page. ## Host a Fest Host a Fest. Bring MXESA to your city. Anyone can host a Fest. Choose between a Hack Day or a Meet Up. Hack Day — A mini-hackathon. Hands on keyboard. A Hack Day gets people building and shipping, with prizes for the best projects. Meet Up — A community gathering. Less structure, same spirit. A Meet Up might have speakers or simply offer an opportunity for your community to get together. Hack Day and Meet Up, compared: People build projects — Hack Day: Yes; Meet Up: No. Workshops and speakers — Hack Day: Yes; Meet Up: Optional. Prizes — Hack Day: Yes; Meet Up: No. MLH funding — Hack Day: Yes; Meet Up: No. Stickers, swag, and prizes: Every Fest is eligible to receive stickers, t-shirts, and additional swag for its participants. Promotion: Your Fest is listed in our searchable directory and promoted across MLH and DEV channels. Programming support: Help shaping your Fest activities so you’re not starting from scratch. Funding: Hack Day organizers receive funding to help cover their event, with financial reimbursement from MLH for certain event-related expenses. Meet Ups run without MLH funding. Step 1 — Apply: Tell us about your community and the type of Fest you want to run. Step 2 — Get confirmed: Fests are confirmed on a rolling basis, within a week of a completed application. Step 3 — Host your Fest: Get ready to run your Hack Day or Meet Up! Applications are now open and Fests are confirmed on a rolling basis. (CTA: Apply to host a Fest — opens the interest form.) ## Sponsor MXESA Sponsors. Back the builders shaping open source AI. Put your brand alongside the models, tools, and communities moving open source AI from awareness to hands-on adoption. Confirmed sponsors: Tiger Data, Snowflake, MongoDB, Gauge, Solana, Render, GitHub, Sentry, Backboard.io. Online — All October across DEV: Challenges, stories, and shared learning. In person — 300+ Fests across MLH: A global builder community learning side by side. In their hands — 3,000 participant packs: A tangible sponsor touchpoint delivered by MLH. Choose the presence that fits your goals. MLH handles production, logistics, and distribution. Guaranteed recognition: Recognition on the MXESA website, in-person Fest slides, and key campaign communications. 3,000 participant envelopes: Your sponsor sticker is included in 3,000 participant envelopes distributed by MLH. A useful readout: An aggregate campaign recap with outcomes and participation signals. One place to manage it: Agreement, payment coordination, assets, and teammates in one workspace. CTAs: Start sponsor setup (the sponsor portal) · Request partnership info (opens the sponsorship form).