# Unstop Hackathon Scraper (`trusted_offshoot/unstop-hackathon-scraper`) Actor

Scrapes the latest upcoming hackathons from Unstop.com. Extracts event titles, dates, and registration links instantly. Perfect for students and developers.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/trusted_offshoot/unstop-hackathon-scraper.md
- **Developed by:** [yash Nagar](https://apify.com/trusted_offshoot) (community)
- **Categories:** Jobs
- **Features:** Limited permissions
- **Stats:** 75 total users, 2 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

Pay per usage

This Actor is paid per platform usage. The Actor is free to use, and you only pay for the Apify platform usage, which gets cheaper the higher subscription plan you have.

Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/actors/running/actors-in-store.md#pay-per-usage

## What's an Apify Actor?

An Actor is a serverless cloud program that runs on the Apify platform. It has two run modes.
In Batch mode, an Actor accepts a well-defined JSON input, performs an action which can take anything from a few seconds to a few hours,
and optionally produces a well-defined JSON output, datasets with results, or files in key-value store.
In Standby mode, an Actor provides a web server which can be used as a website, API, or an MCP server.

Apify vocabulary and the platform model are defined once, in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md.

## How to integrate an Actor?

If asked about integration, you help developers integrate Actors into their projects.
You adapt to their stack and deliver integrations that are safe, well-documented, and production-ready.

Do not guess an integration path. Every one of them is in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md: the Apify MCP server, Agent Skills with the Apify CLI, the JavaScript and Python clients, the REST API, and the account-free path for an agent with no human to sign in. It also carries the rule on stating cost before the first paid run.

For examples already wired to this Actor's own input schema, see the [API](#api) section below.

Each client library has reference documentation the quickstart does not restate: [JavaScript/TypeScript](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs.md) (`npm install apify-client`) and [Python](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs.md) (`pip install apify-client`).

# README

## Unstop Hackathon Scraper 🏆

**Extract upcoming hackathons, coding challenges, and hiring contests from Unstop.com instantly.**

The **Unstop Hackathon Scraper** is a powerful automation tool designed for students, developer communities, and educational aggregators. It bypasses dynamic loading and infinite scrolling to deliver a clean, structured list of opportunities.

***

### 🌟 Key Features

| Feature | Description |
| :--- | :--- |
| **⚡️ Blazing Fast** | Scrapes 20+ hackathons in seconds using optimized headless browsing. |
| **🛡 Anti-Blocking** | Built-in stealth mode to handle Unstop's dynamic Angular pages. |
| **🧹 Clean Data** | Automatically removes empty cards and formats text for immediate use. |
| **🔄 Auto-Pagination** | Handles infinite scroll to capture more than just the first page. |

***

### 🎯 Use Cases

- **🎓 Student Clubs & Universities:** Auto-post upcoming hackathons to your college Discord or WhatsApp groups.
- **📊 Market Research:** Analyze which companies (Google, Flipkart, Walmart) are hiring via contests.
- **📅 Calendar Automation:** Sync deadlines directly to your Google Calendar via Zapier.
- **🤖 AI Agents:** Feed the latest hackathon data into your LLMs or RAG pipelines.

***

### ⬇️ Input Parameters

The scraper is pre-configured for ease of use.

| Parameter | Type | Default | Description |
| :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- |
| **Target URLs** | `array` | `unstop.com` | The listing page URL. Pre-filled for you. |
| **Max Items** | `number` | `20` | How many hackathons to fetch. Set to `0` for infinite. |
| **Proxy** | `object` | `Automatic` | Manages IP rotation to prevent bans. |

***

### ⬆️ Output Data Structure

The scraper extracts the following fields for every event:

| Field Name | Type | Example |
| :--- | :--- | :--- |
| `title` | String | **"Flipkart GRID 6.0"** |
| `organizer` | String | **"Flipkart"** |
| `link` | URL | `https://unstop.com/...` |
| `date` | String | **"Ends in 12 Days"** |
| `tags` | Array | `["Hiring", "Hackathon"]` |

#### 📄 JSON Output Example

````json
{
  "title": "Code for Good 2025",
  "link": "https://unstop.com/hackathons/code-for-good-2025-jpmc",
  "organizer": "JPMorgan Chase & Co.",
  "date": "Register by Oct 15",
  "tags": [
    "Hiring Challenge",
    "Online"
  ],
  "scrapedAt": "2025-10-01T12:00:00.000Z"
}



🔌 Integrations
You can connect this scraper to almost any tool using the Apify Integrations tab:

🤖 Make.com / Zapier: "When a new hackathon is found -> Post to Slack."

📧 Gmail: "Send me a weekly email digest of new events."

💾 Google Sheets: "Add a new row for every hiring challenge."

❓ FAQ
Q: Can I scrape old/expired hackathons? A: No, Unstop primarily lists active and upcoming events. This tool focuses on future opportunities.

Q: Is it legal? A: Yes, this tool scrapes publicly available data for legitimate research and aggregation purposes. It does not extract private user data.

Q: Why did it stop after 20 items? A: Check your Max Items input setting. Increase it to 50 or 100 to get more results.

🐛 Feedback & Support
If you find a bug or have a feature request, please create an issue in the Issues tab.

Maintained by Yash.



# Actor input Schema

## `startUrls` (type: `array`):

Enter the Unstop listing URL you want to scrape.

**✅ Supported URLs:**
- Main Hackathon Page: `https://unstop.com/hackathons`
- Competitions Page: `https://unstop.com/competitions`
- Hiring Challenges: `https://unstop.com/hiring-challenges`

**⚠️ Important:**
Do not paste a link to a *single* event. This tool is designed to scrape *lists* of events.

**💡 Pro Tip:**
Start with the default URL to verify the scraper is working correctly before trying custom filters.
## `maxItems` (type: `integer`):

Controls how many hackathons the scraper will fetch before stopping.

**🔢 Options:**
- **Default (20):** Good for a quick check.
- **Empty:** Will scroll down and scrape as many as possible (Takes longer).
- **100+:** Recommended for full data archiving.

**⚡ Performance Note:**
Setting a specific limit (e.g., 50) is faster than letting it run indefinitely.
## `proxyConfiguration` (type: `object`):

Manage how the scraper connects to Unstop.

**🛡️ Recommended Strategy:**
Keep this set to **Automatic**. The scraper uses intelligent IP rotation to mimic real human behavior and avoid `403 Forbidden` errors.

**🔧 Advanced:**
If you have your own specific residential proxies, you can configure them here.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "startUrls": [
    {
      "url": "https://unstop.com/hackathons"
    }
  ],
  "maxItems": 20,
  "proxyConfiguration": {
    "useApifyProxy": true
  }
}
````

# Actor output Schema

## `overview` (type: `string`):

No description

# API

You can run this Actor programmatically using our API. Below are code examples in JavaScript, Python, and CLI, as well as the OpenAPI specification and MCP server setup.

## JavaScript example

```javascript
import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client';

// Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
// Replace the '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token
const client = new ApifyClient({
    token: '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>',
});

// Prepare Actor input
const input = {
    "startUrls": [
        {
            "url": "https://unstop.com/hackathons"
        }
    ],
    "proxyConfiguration": {
        "useApifyProxy": true
    }
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("trusted_offshoot/unstop-hackathon-scraper").call(input);

// Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if any)
console.log('Results from dataset');
console.log(`💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/${run.defaultDatasetId}`);
const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems();
items.forEach((item) => {
    console.dir(item);
});

// 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs

```

## Python example

```python
from apify_client import ApifyClient

# Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
# Replace '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token.
client = ApifyClient("<YOUR_API_TOKEN>")

# Prepare the Actor input
run_input = {
    "startUrls": [{ "url": "https://unstop.com/hackathons" }],
    "proxyConfiguration": { "useApifyProxy": True },
}

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("trusted_offshoot/unstop-hackathon-scraper").call(run_input=run_input)

# Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any)
print(f"💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/{run.default_dataset_id}")
for item in client.dataset(run.default_dataset_id).iterate_items():
    print(item)

# 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start

```

## CLI example

```bash
echo '{
  "startUrls": [
    {
      "url": "https://unstop.com/hackathons"
    }
  ],
  "proxyConfiguration": {
    "useApifyProxy": true
  }
}' |
apify call trusted_offshoot/unstop-hackathon-scraper --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,trusted_offshoot/unstop-hackathon-scraper"
        }
    }
}
```

The hosted server signs you in with OAuth on first connect, so no API token belongs in this config. Clients without OAuth support can send an `Authorization: Bearer <APIFY_API_TOKEN>` header instead, using a token from API & Integrations in Apify Console (https://console.apify.com/settings/integrations).

## OpenAPI specification

Download the OpenAPI definition: https://api.apify.com/v2/actors/RAOROdoZanwmW27ht/builds/qBrKv9tmwhwLBGC2U/openapi.json