The Public Policy Committee of St. Joseph’s College of Law, Bengaluru organized a Policy Hackathon titled “Mêlée”on 12 December 2025 at the AV Room of the college. The event was conceptualized as a platform for students to engage in critical thinking and policy innovation by addressing contemporary issues through practical and analytical approaches.

“Mêlée” was designed as an intensive policy-making exercise where participants were required to analyze a problem statement and develop viable policy solutions within a limited timeframe. The hackathon encouraged participants to pit their ideas against competing teams, fostering a dynamic environment of debate, collaboration, and strategic thinking. Students were invited to participate either individually or in teams of up to three members.

The competition witnessed enthusiastic participation from 10 teams, with three members in each team, representing different batches of the college. The teams demonstrated remarkable creativity and analytical ability while developing policy frameworks to address the given problem statement. Throughout the competition, participants engaged in brainstorming, research, and discussion to formulate practical and impactful solutions.

The event was structured in multiple stages to ensure a rigorous evaluation of the proposed policy ideas. Teams presented their solutions before the panel, highlighting the problem analysis, policy framework, implementation strategy, and expected outcomes of their proposals. The evaluation criteria focused on originality, feasibility, clarity of presentation, and the potential policy impact of the solutions.

After careful deliberation, three teams were declared winners for their exceptional policy proposals. In line with the commitment made by the organizers, the team securing the first position will have their policy proposal published as an official policy brief by the Public Policy Committee, with full authorship credit granted to the winning participants in the college annual magazine. This initiative aims to recognize and promote student contributions to policy discourse.

The Policy Hackathon “Mêlée” proved to be a highly engaging and intellectually stimulating event, successfully encouraging students to apply legal and policy knowledge to real-world challenges. The competition not only fostered teamwork and innovation but also provided participants with valuable experience in policy drafting and strategic problem solving.

The Public Policy Committee looks forward to organizing similar initiatives in the future to continue nurturing policy awareness, research, and innovation among students.