Startup Competitions & Hackathons in India

Tekion's women-only hackathon for final-year B.Tech/B.E. students in India, with a ₹3 lakh cash prize for the winning team. Registration closes 6 November 2026.

Odisha's state hackathon for student teams: document a local problem, then build a prototype in a 24-hour sprint in Bhubaneswar for cash prizes up to ₹1 lakh and AIC-Nalanda incubation. Register by 7 November 2026.

University of California robotics and AI challenge for student teams solving real farm problems: over US$200,000 in prizes and startup support, open to students worldwide. Proposals due 13 November 2026 (the Participate page says 13 December).

Online semiconductor contest for university students, with India as its own competing region. Top prize US$5,000 (about ₹4.75 lakh) per track; the abstract round is open until 14 November 2026 (originally 31 October).

Wageningen University challenge for student teams worldwide to design tech-enabled ideas that bring biodiversity back to rural land, with €9,000 in prizes.

A national-level virtual hackathon by IEEE SMC GNITC — 48-hour sprint with a $1,350 prize pool.

A virtual hackathon for students, researchers, and early-stage entrepreneurs focused on SDGs and global science — $1,000 prize pool.

A national competition by Startup India for school and college students, awarding cash prizes for innovative prototypes and MVPs across key sectors.

India's premier pitch competition for college students, founders, and early-stage startups — ₹3 lakh prize pool, judged by IIT professors and industry leaders.

Annual Maharashtra state hackathon for student innovators, with awards and recognition for the top ten ideas or startups.