In News:

The Viksit Bharat Buildathon 2025 is a nationwide innovation movement being organised by the Department of School Education & Literacy (DoSEL), Ministry of Education, in collaboration with Atal Innovation Mission, NITI Aayog.

• This largest-ever school hackathon aims to strengthen the culture of innovation at the school level by encouraging students to ideate or build prototypes on four themes: Atmanirbhar Bharat, Swadeshi, Vocal for Local, and Samriddh Bharat.
• The Buildathon aims to foster innovation, creativity, and problem-solving among our youth so that they become key drivers of a prosperous, developed, and self-reliant India.

The Buildathon will provide hands-on, experiential learning in line with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. Participation is inclusive with special focus on Aspirational Districts, Tribal and Remote Regions.

Key Features

• Dedicated Portal: There is a national portal for registration and submission of final entries (ideas or prototypes)
• Mode of Participation: A team of 3-5 students will participate in the Buildathon and submit entries (ideas/prototypes) in the form of videos. There will be no limit on the number of teams from a school.
• Mentorship Support: Dedicated support will be provided by volunteers and mentors from Incubation Centres, Mentor of Change Network, Higher Education Institutions, and Corporates to help students build their projects at the school level.
• National Live Event: National level virtual live streaming session will be organised, which shall be joined by all schools (6th to 12th standard).
• Global Streaming: The event will be streamed on nationwide news and media channels.
• Inclusive Spotlight: A Special spotlight will be given to schools from Aspirational Blocks, Tribal Regions, Frontier Villages, and Remote Areas.
• District & State-Level Events: Schools will conduct Innovation activities. States are encouraged to organise community level innovation events inviting multiple schools and dignitaries.
• Submission of Entries: Post-event, schools will submit videos of their innovation entries (Ideas or Prototypes).

How to Participate

• Eligibility: Participation is open to all school students from class 6-12, across India. Students must form a team of 3-5 members from same schools. Students can register with the help of their teachers. There is no restriction on the number of teams per school.
• Registration of Team: Schools/teachers have to encourage students to form teams and then register their teams on the official Buildathon portal after which a unique registration ID will be generated for each team. The Registration Link for schools for Viksit Bharat Buildathon is - vbb.mic.gov.in
• Selection of Theme: Each team will need to choose one out of the four Buildathon themes and identify any problem statement.
• Brainstorm & Build: The team will ideate to solve community problems.
• Prepare for Submission: Teams will be required to create a 2–5 minute video explaining the problem it is solving, the innovative solution/prototype they have created, how it works and its possible impact.
• Submission: The project video/ summaries have to be submitted on the Portal within the submission window of Oct. 13 to Oct. 31, 2025

Awards

• A panel of experts will evaluate the entries, and the top student teams will be awarded prizes. These schools and students will receive long-term support through corporate adoption, mentorship, and resources to further strengthen their innovations.
• There will be an Awards Pool of Rs. 1 Crore, with 10 National Level winners, 100 State level winners and 1000 District level winners.

In News:

• Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan launched the Viksit Bharat Buildathon 2025, a nationwide school innovation movement aimed at nurturing creativity, entrepreneurship, and technological problem-solving among young students.
• The initiative seeks to transform school campuses into innovation hubs, empowering youth as the architects of a self-reliant and developed India.

About Viksit Bharat Buildathon 2025

• Organisers: Department of School Education and Literacy (DoSEL), Ministry of Education, in collaboration with Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), NITI Aayog, and the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE).
• Culmination: January 2026, with felicitation of over 1,000 winners.
• Participants: School students across India — the largest school-level hackathon ever conducted.

Objectives

• Promote Grassroots Innovation: Cultivate a problem-solving mindset and creative thinking among school students.
• Foster Self-Reliance: Encourage innovation aligned with the principles of Atmanirbhar Bharat and Vocal for Local.
• Celebrate Swadeshi Innovation: Build indigenous solutions addressing real-world challenges.
• Enable National Development: Channel student ideas into tangible solutions for Samriddhi (prosperity) and Viksit Bharat (developed India).
• Create Global Impact: Project India as a global innovation capital and potential record-holder for the world’s largest synchronized innovation event.

Themes of the Buildathon

The competition revolves around four guiding themes that reflect India’s developmental vision:

• Vocal for Local – Promoting indigenous products and local entrepreneurship.
• Atmanirbhar Bharat – Encouraging technological self-reliance and innovation.
• Swadeshi – Leveraging traditional knowledge and indigenous technologies.
• Samriddhi – Designing solutions for inclusive and sustainable prosperity.

Structure and Timeline

Building on Previous Success

The Buildathon builds upon the momentum of the School Innovation Marathon 2024, which led to:

• The Student Innovator Programme (SIP) and Student Entrepreneurship Programme (SEP).
• Multiple patents and startup ventures emerging from Atal Tinkering Labs (ATLs).

This continuum strengthens India’s school innovation ecosystem, linking student creativity to research, incubation, and entrepreneurship.

Significance

• Grassroots Empowerment: Encourages innovation at the school level, making every student a potential problem-solver.
• Integration with NEP 2020: Supports the National Education Policy’s emphasis on experiential learning, design thinking, and skill development.
• Atmanirbhar Bharat Vision: Aligns student innovation with national priorities of self-reliance and sustainable growth.
• Innovation Pipeline: Provides pathways for students to transition into formal innovation ecosystems — from idea to patent to startup.
• Global Positioning: Aims to showcase India’s youth-driven innovation capacity on international platforms.