Datathon 2026 — Reimagining Learning Outcomes Through Analytics

A two-day challenge held on 1 and 2 August 2026 at the IIT Alumni Centre, Bengaluru, co-hosted with Akshara Foundation. It is over, but it is the shape of the open challenges ACSEL runs, so it is worth watching for a repeat.

What you get

• An anonymised dataset of learning assessment data for Grades 4, 5 and 6, covering three years of student performance and broken down by gender and by division, district, block and cluster
• Challenge areas from gender and geographic gaps to predictive early-warning systems, policy design, data visualisation and AI-enabled decision support for education

Who can apply

• University students and research scholars, data scientists and analysts, education researchers and practitioners, EdTech professionals, government fellows and programme associates, competing in interdisciplinary teams

How selection works: Teams work the data on day one and submit an insight presentation. Ten shortlisted teams present to a jury on day two, which picks the winner. Submissions are judged on analytical rigour, innovation, policy relevance, usability and potential for real-world impact.