Archive · 3 Oct 2026
Education Ministry Invites Students to Seva First Innovation Challenge
The Ministry of Education is inviting students to join an innovation challenge.
Students are asked to find problems in their communities and suggest useful solutions.
School students in Classes 6 to 12 can enter the Junior level.
Students at ITIs and polytechnics can enter the Technical level.
Undergraduate and more advanced students can enter the Open level.
Ideas can focus on products and technology or on business and governance approaches.
Students can apply through the challenge website until October 24, 2026.
The challenge is being held across five states and three Union Territories.
The final showcase is scheduled for late November and December, and the total prize amount is ₹5.4 crore.
The Ministry of Education invited students and young innovators to develop practical solutions to local and real-world problems.
The challenge has Junior, Technical, and Open participation levels for school, ITI/polytechnic, and higher-education students.
Applications are accepted through the challenge website until October 24, 2026; state-level screening is listed from October 25.
The final exhibition and showcase are scheduled for November 30 to December 15, 2026.
The challenge covers five states and three Union Territories and offers prizes totaling ₹5.4 crore.
- Who
- The Ministry of Education and eligible student innovators, from school students to research scholars.
- What
- The Seva First Innovation Challenge 2026, inviting participants to develop solutions to local and real-world problems.
- When
- Applications remain open until October 24, 2026; state-level screening is listed from October 25, and the final showcase is scheduled for November 30 to December 15, 2026.
- Where
- Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Lakshadweep, the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, and Puducherry.
- Why
- To encourage student innovation and entrepreneurial thinking, and to address community problems with practical solutions.
- Prize amount
- ₹5.4 crore in prizes
- Application deadline
- October 24, 2026
- Participation levels
- Junior, Technical, and Open
- Junior eligibility
- Students in Classes 6 to 12
- Technical eligibility
- Students at Industrial Training Institutes and polytechnic institutions
- Open eligibility
- Undergraduate and postgraduate students and research scholars
- Final showcase
- November 30 to December 15, 2026
- Submission tracks
- Track A: product and technology solutions; Track B: business model or governance solutions
