Viksit Bharat Buildathon winners have showcased school-level innovations ranging from a bomb-defusing robot to smart glasses. The national awards add a useful example to current affairs preparation on education and innovation.
Quick answer: The Viksit Bharat Buildathon winners were 10 national teams of school students selected in the 2025 competition. Open to Classes 6 to 12 across India, the hackathon received 2,87,967 project submissions. It encouraged students to identify problems and independently develop ideas or working prototypes.
What is the Viksit Bharat Buildathon?
The Viksit Bharat Buildathon is a nationwide hackathon for students in Classes 6 to 12. It asks participants to identify problems and develop solutions without predefined problems or answers.
The Department of School Education and Literacy organised the competition with the Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) of the National Institution for Transforming India (NITI) Aayog. The All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) also collaborated.
Its four foundational pillars are Atmanirbhar Bharat, Swadeshi, Vocal for Local and Samriddh Bharat. Together, they frame the initiative around self-reliance, local ideas and prosperity.
Why is the Buildathon in the news?
Union Minister of State for Education Jayant Chaudhary felicitated the 10 national winners of the 2025 competition. They came from various states, including Assam, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand and Gujarat.
Among the Viksit Bharat Buildathon winners were students who developed a spider-shaped bomb-defusing robot and affordable bone-conduction smart glasses. Other projects included an instant flask and an urban breathing pole.
Moreover, Guinness World Records recognised the competition as the largest innovation solution competition, with 2,87,967 submissions across its two tracks.
How were projects assessed and rewarded?
Multidisciplinary expert panels assessed projects at district, state and national levels. The resulting awards covered both ideas and functional prototypes.
| Level or track | Award details |
|---|---|
| District | 1,000 awardees |
| State | 100 awardees |
| National prototype track | Five teams; ₹2.5 lakh each |
| National idea track | Five teams; ₹1 lakh each |
The total award pool exceeded ₹1 crore across the three levels. Of this, the Viksit Bharat Buildathon winners at national level received ₹17.50 lakh in total.
What are the challenges and way forward?
The key task is to help promising student ideas develop beyond the competition. The source identifies incubation and scaling as purposes of the idea-track awards, but does not provide subsequent outcomes.
- Development support: Mentoring can help students refine ideas and test prototypes after selection.
- Access: Schools can encourage participation by helping students explore problems in their communities.
- Evaluation: Tracking outcomes beyond awards would help assess whether projects develop further.
Source: The Indian Express, 29 October 2026
Asked in UPSC: Previous Year Questions
- UPSC CSE Prelims 2017 (GS Paper I): Which of the statements about Smart India Hackathon 2017 is correct?
UPSC has tested the purpose of a government innovation hackathon, so distinguish an initiative from similarly named programmes.
State PCS General Studies can test the organisers, eligibility and award levels of national school innovation initiatives. In addition, candidates can connect the topic to the role of schools in developing problem-solving skills.
Prelims Practice Corner
Mains Practice Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
Who could participate in the Viksit Bharat Buildathon 2025?
Students in Classes 6 to 12 across India could participate. They could submit projects under the idea or prototype track.
How many projects did the Buildathon receive?
It received 2,87,967 submissions. Consequently, Guinness World Records recognised it as the largest innovation solution competition.
How much did the national winning teams receive?
The 10 national teams received ₹17.50 lakh in total. This included ₹2.5 lakh for each prototype winner and ₹1 lakh for each idea-track winner.
Who organised the Buildathon?
The Department of School Education and Literacy organised it. It also collaborated with Atal Innovation Mission, NITI Aayog and AICTE.
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