Hackathon Scam Report — June 2026
160+ participants.
50 winners.
Zero overlap.
The BrailleVision Hackathon 2026, organized by Joel Deva Deva Ezhile, was hosted on Devpost with over 160 participants. The "official" winners list contains 50 names — not a single one matches any registered Devpost participant. This page presents the evidence.
The Organizer
Joel Deva Deva Ezhile at an event
Name
Joel Deva Deva Ezhile
LinkedIn Profile Name
Joe Y — IEEE EU-REKA
Location
Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
Education
Sri Sairam Engineering College
Profiles & Evidence Links
LinkedIn — linkedin.com/in/joeldevaGoogle Scholar ProfileInstagram Announcement PostKey Finding: Joel Deva Deva Ezhile himself appears in the Devpost participant list — the organizer registered as a participant in his own hackathon, creating a clear conflict of interest.
Photo Evidence
Source: Attendee
Joel Deva Deva Ezhile at a formal event — the same person who organized the BrailleVision Hackathon and registered as a participant in his own competition.
Source: Event Recording
Joel Deva Deva Ezhile presenting at an event with microphone. The organizer used his platform to collect sponsorships from OpenAI and Rotary while fabricating the winners list.
These photos confirm the identity of the organizer. Both images are sourced from publicly available event materials.
The Evidence
Devpost Participants
169
Registered on the official Devpost hackathon page
Official Winners
50
Names on the "official" result sheet
Names That Match
0
Out of 50 declared winners, zero appear in the Devpost participant list. The probability of this happening in a legitimate competition is effectively zero.
Red Flags
No Team Name Field on Devpost
The Devpost submission form did NOT have a Team Name field, yet every winner has an elaborate team name like "Quantum Coders" or "Neural Titans" — proof the winners were fabricated outside the platform.
Organizer is a Participant
Joel Deva Deva Ezhile appears in the Devpost participant list — the organizer registered as a participant in his own hackathon, creating a clear conflict of interest.
No Verifiable Projects
None of the 50 declared winners have verifiable Devpost profiles, GitHub repos, or project submissions linked to this hackathon. The winners simply don't exist on the platform.
₹15L+ in Prizes to Unknown People
The total cash prizes amount to ₹14.5L+ with 25 ChatGPT Plus subscriptions — all directed to people who never participated on Devpost.
Data Analysis
Participant vs Winner Overlap
Not a single winner name matches any Devpost participant
Count Comparison
Participants
Winners
Names
Zero matching names between the two lists
Prize Distribution (Cash Only)
All prize money went to people not registered on Devpost
Name Match Checker
Enter any name to check if they appear in either list:
Try any name from either list. You will find no winner exists in the Devpost registry.
Statistical Impossibility
In a legitimate hackathon with 160+ participants and 50 winners, you would expect roughly 31% of participants to win (or at minimum, a significant overlap). Having zero overlap is statistically impossible unless the winners were predetermined and fabricated. If we conservatively assume each participant had an equal 50/160 = 31.25% chance of winning, the probability that zero out of 50 winners come from the 160 participants is approximately (110/160)^50 ≈ 0.00000002% — effectively impossible. The winners were chosen before the hackathon even started.
The "Winners"
Cash Prize Winners (Ranks 1–25)
| # | Name | Team | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aarav Sharma | Quantum Coders | ₹300,000 |
| 2 | Rohan Verma | Neural Titans | ₹200,000 |
| 3 | Karthik Reddy | Byte Warriors | ₹150,000 |
| 4 | Aditya Rao | Code Velocity | ₹100,000 |
| 5 | Vivek Patel | HackForge | ₹75,000 |
| + 20 more rows — click SHOW ALL | |||
ChatGPT Plus Subscription Winners (Ranks 26–50)
| # | Name | Team |
|---|---|---|
| 26 | Manav Chawla | Script Surge |
| 27 | Yash Malhotra | Byte Brigade |
| 28 | Nitin Agarwal | Cloud Commanders |
| 29 | Gaurav Tiwari | Innovation Hub |
| 30 | Krish Malani | Cyber Storm |
| + 20 more rows — click SHOW ALL | ||
Actual Devpost Participants (169)
Click SHOW ALL to view all 169 registered Devpost participants
Take Action
India's hackathon community is already struggling with credibility. Scams like this destroy trust, waste participants' time and talent, and divert funding from deserving innovators. We need to act together. Here's what you can do:
1. Email the Sponsors
Contact OpenAI and Rotary to report the fraud. Use the template below.
2. Post on LinkedIn
Share this page and tag the sponsors. You can post anonymously.
3. Share This Page
Spread the word so no one else gets scammed by this organizer.
Sponsor Contact Information
OpenAI
Rotary (India / South Asia)
Email Template
Subject: Formal Complaint — BrailleVision Hackathon 2026 Organized by Joel Deva Deva Ezhile Dear Sir/Madam, I am writing to formally report serious concerns regarding the BrailleVision Hackathon 2026, organized by Joel Deva Deva Ezhile. The concerns are as follows: 1. ZERO OVERLAP BETWEEN PARTICIPANTS AND WINNERS The hackathon was hosted on Devpost with 160+ registered participants. However, the official winners list contains 50 names — NOT A SINGLE ONE matches any participant from the Devpost registry. This is statistically impossible in a legitimate competition. 2. FABRICATED TEAM NAMES The Devpost submission form did NOT have a "Team Name" field. Yet the official winners list features elaborate team names like "Quantum Coders," "Neural Titans," etc. — suggesting these winners were fabricated externally. 3. ORGANIZER LISTED AS PARTICIPANT Joel Deva Deva Ezhile himself appears in the Devpost participant list, raising serious conflict-of-interest concerns. 4. SUSPICIOUS WINNER PROFILES None of the 50 declared winners have any verifiable Devpost profiles, GitHub repositories, or project submissions linked to the hackathon. 5. TOTAL PRIZE MONEY MISAPPROPRIATION The combined cash prizes total ₹1,500,000+ with additional 25 ChatGPT Plus subscriptions. Given that no legitimate Devpost participant won, this funding appears to have been diverted to predetermined individuals — likely the organizer's associates. Evidence: - Devpost participant list (160+ names, 0 winners) - Official winners sheet (50 names, 0 Devpost participants) - Joel Deva Deva Ezhile's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joeldeva/ - Google Scholar: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=3BhouewAAAAJ&hl=en - Instagram announcement: https://www.instagram.com/p/DVFWiHRieTg/ I urge you to investigate this matter and take appropriate action. India's hackathon ecosystem is already struggling with credibility — scams like this severely damage trust and discourage genuine participants. Sincerely, A Concerned Participant
India's hackathon community deserves better.
Indian hackathons are already plagued with issues — delayed results, broken promises, fake sponsors, and opaque judging. This case is not an isolated incident; it's a symptom of a broader problem where organizers face zero accountability. When someone can collect sponsorships from OpenAI and Rotary, fabricate an entire winners list, and walk away with the prize money while 160+ genuine participants are left with nothing — the system is broken.
We urge every affected participant to send emails, make LinkedIn posts (you can be anonymous), and share this evidence widely. The only way to stop scammers is through collective action and public accountability.