17 Startup Competitions in India Open for Applications — July 2026

Currently, 17 startup competitions are accepting applications in India. Five have just been announced: the TATA Social Enterprise Challenge 2026, UdyogTech Synapse 2026, Electropreneur Park OCP 8.0, Eureka!, and Pitch Fest 2026. Fourteen competitions close within the next 14 days, including Build With Bharat (26 July), SLINGSHOT 2026 (27 July), and the Rapid Regen Challenge (2 August).

At a Glance

Pitch Fest 2026 (AIC Anna Incubator)

Pitch Fest 2026 is organized by AIC - Anna Incubator in partnership with PALS. It targets campus innovators and early startups working on deep-tech and sustainability solutions relevant to Tamil Nadu, India, and global markets. Winners receive ₹2.5 L in equity-free grants. The deadline is 26 July 2026. Participants get pitching workshops and the chance to present to a jury of venture networks, funders, and corporate partners.

Build With Bharat (CodeVerse Community)

Build With Bharat is a national-level offline hackathon held on 1 August 2026 at Microsoft Office, Gurugram. Organized by CodeVerse Community, it is open to undergraduate and postgraduate students from any branch. The 8-hour event involves team formation, project building, and evaluation. Total cash prize pool is ₹30,000. Deadline: 26 July 2026.

SLINGSHOT 2026 Deep Tech Startup Pitching Competition at SWITCH, Singapore (Enterprise Singapore)

SLINGSHOT 2026 is the 10th edition of Asia's leading deep tech startup pitching competition, organized by Enterprise Singapore. It is part of the Singapore Week of Innovation and Technology (SWITCH). The competition offers a total grant prize pool of over ₹15.84 crore, with the grand winner receiving ₹2.88 crore. Five domains: Advanced Computing & Intelligence; Advanced Manufacturing & Industrial Systems; Digital Technologies & Security; Environment, Energy & Sustainability; Health & Biomedical. Top 50 startups get a sponsored trip to Singapore. Deadline: 27 July 2026.

Vande Bharatam (Adani Group)

Vande Bharatam is an innovation movement by the Adani Group to identify and empower innovators from regions often overlooked by traditional startup ecosystems. It focuses on four pillars: Be Local, Think Global; Grassroots First; Build for Bharat; and Sustainable Impact. The program provides mentorship, network, and potential investment. Prize varies. Deadline: 30 July 2026.

UdyogTech Synapse 2026 (IHFC, IIT Delhi)

UdyogTech Synapse 2026 is a flagship initiative by I-Hub Foundation for Cobotics (IHFC) at IIT Delhi, in collaboration with Tech Mahindra, CMTI, and COLORJET. It accelerates deep-tech innovation in industrial robotics, collaborative robotics, and advanced manufacturing. Open to academic researchers, R&D startups, industries, and system integrators. Total prize pool is ₹50 Cr. Deadline: 31 July 2026.

Bharat Ke Super Founders — Season 2 (Rusk Media)

Bharat Ke Super Founders is an entrepreneurial reality series streaming on Amazon MX Player, hosted by Suniel Shetty. Season 2 casting is open for revenue-generating Indian founders. They pitch to a panel of investor "Tycoons" for equity, venture debt, and revenue-based financing from a pool of ₹100 Cr+. The show is organized by Rusk Media and powered by Recur Club. Total prize pool is ₹400 Cr. Deadline: 31 July 2026.

AWE Tech Innovation Challenge 2026 (AWE Funds)

The AWE Tech Innovation Challenge is an investment initiative by AWE Funds, supported by Evergreen Philanthropic Fund, Bayer Foundation, and AWE Foundation. It backs tech-driven startups building scalable solutions for underserved and climate-vulnerable communities in India. Prize range: ₹8.3 Cr – ₹24.9 Cr. Deadline: 31 July 2026.

India High School Exoplanet Data Challenge (Celesta)

This beginner-friendly, low/no-code hackathon organized by Celesta lets high school students work with real astronomical data to identify exoplanets. No prior coding experience required. Runs online from June 15 to July 31, 2026. Total prize pool: ₹9.58 L. Deadline: 31 July 2026.

BASK (Business Achievement Spotlight for Kids) Monthly Pitch Competition (BASK)

BASK is a monthly online pitch competition for children and young students to present business ideas. Submissions via Devpost. Judging criteria: communication, creativity, and social good. Total prize pool: ₹55,800. Deadline: 31 July 2026.

FICCI R&D Awards 2026 (FICCI)

The FICCI R&D Awards recognize outstanding industrial R&D and innovation across critical sectors. Aligned with India's STIP 2.0 and Anusandhan National Research Foundation, the awards aim to boost private sector R&D engagement. Prize varies. Deadline: 31 July 2026.

DropHack (SIEC Community)

DropHack is a high-stakes coding sprint for elite student developers, organized by SIEC Community. Open only to students in technical degrees (B.Tech, BE, BCA, MCA, M.Tech, BSc IT, etc.). Teams of 2-4 members work on secret problem statements in 10 hours. Tracks include five high-demand themes. Total prize: ₹50,000. Deadline: 1 August 2026.

Hack the Arts (Hack the Arts Team)

Hack the Arts is an online hackathon at the intersection of art and technology. Open to individuals and teams worldwide, beginners welcome. Participants create generative art, interactive installations, or digital tools. Build period: July 1 to August 1, 2026. Total prize: ₹90,000. Deadline: 1 August 2026.

Rapid Regen Challenge — the^delta prize (the^delta)

The Rapid Regen Challenge is a CSR initiative by PepsiCo, executed by the^delta prize. It empowers non-profits and CSOs to deploy regenerative agriculture practices on 500 hectares with 500–1,000 farmers in Year 1, scaling to 5,000 hectares by Year 2. Total prize: ₹65 Cr. Deadline: 2 August 2026.

Cross-Border Jobs Competition (Labor Mobility Partnerships)

This competition seeks startups building platforms or services for safer, fairer labor mobility across South and Southeast Asia. Open to early-stage ventures addressing cross-border worker movement. Total prize: ₹8.3 L. Deadline: 5 August 2026.

Electropreneur Park OCP 8.0 (Electropreneur Park Bhubaneswar)

The Open Challenge Program 8.0 by Electropreneur Park Bhubaneswar, established by STPI with MeitY and Government of Odisha support, accelerates startups in ESDM sectors: Semiconductor Design, AI, IoT, Robotics, Embedded Systems, Smart Cities, AgriTech, DisasterTech, PCB Design, and Computer Vision. Prize range: ₹5 L – ₹2.5 Cr. Deadline: 9 August 2026.

Eureka! (E-Cell IIT Bombay)

Eureka! is Asia's largest startup launchpad, organized by E-Cell IIT Bombay. Now in its 26th edition, it is sector-agnostic and open to all stages. Winners receive equity-free grants between ₹2 L and ₹4 L, plus exposure to over 45 VC firms. Deadline: 14 August 2026.

TATA Social Enterprise Challenge 2026 (IIM Calcutta Innovation Park)

The Tata Social Enterprise Challenge (TSEC) is a national platform initiated jointly by Tata Sons and IIM Calcutta. It identifies and nurtures social enterprises. Winners receive ₹10 Cr in total prizes. The challenge promotes social entrepreneurship among youth. Deadline: 15 August 2026.

Before Applying

Several competitions carry specific eligibility constraints. SLINGSHOT 2026 is limited to deep-tech startups in five defined domains. The AWE Tech Innovation Challenge targets ventures serving underserved and climate-vulnerable communities. DropHack is restricted to students in technical degree programs. The Cross-Border Jobs Competition focuses on labor mobility platforms. The India High School Exoplanet Data Challenge is only for high school students. BASK is for children.

Timing is critical: Pitch Fest 2026 and Build With Bharat close on 26 July — the same day as this article. SLINGSHOT 2026 closes on 27 July. Many competitions — UdyogTech Synapse, AWE Tech, FICCI R&D Awards, and others — close on 31 July. The Rapid Regen Challenge closes on 2 August. Eureka! and TSEC are newly launched with later deadlines (14 August and 15 August respectively) but are annual events; missed rounds mean waiting another year. Most competitions accept applications directly online, but the Rapid Regen Challenge is for non-profits and CSOs, not individual startups.