The Viksit Bharat Buildathon 2025, a pioneering initiative to promote creativity, innovation, and self-reliance among school students, began on October 13, 2025, at 10 AM and concluded at noon. With a massive prize pool of ₹1 crore, the national-level event was live-streamed across India, drawing enthusiastic participation from students of Classes 6 to 12. Each team, comprising three to five members, was tasked with identifying a real-world challenge and presenting an innovative solution based on one of four key themes. The event was presided over by Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
Speakers at the event highlighted how problems often emerge from everyday experiences — be it a recent incident that evoked joy, a news story that raised concern, or a situation demanding deeper attention. They urged students to view such challenges through the mindset of an innovator, focusing on creating practical and sustainable solutions.
The four guiding themes of the Buildathon were: Atmanirbhar Bharat (developing self-reliant systems and solutions), Swadeshi (promoting indigenous ideas and innovation), Vocal for Local (encouraging the use of local products, crafts, and resources), and Samriddhi (building pathways for prosperity and sustainable growth).
Participating teams are required to submit a two- to five-minute video between October 14 and October 31, 2025, detailing the problem they seek to solve, their innovative idea or prototype, its functioning, and its potential societal impact. A panel of experts will evaluate entries, and the top-performing students and schools will receive long-term mentorship and support, including corporate guidance, adoption opportunities, and access to development resources.
The results, awards, and felicitation ceremony for the best-performing teams are scheduled to be announced in December.
A special highlight of the event was the School Spotlights, where over 150 schools from remote regions, aspirational districts, hilly states, and frontier areas were connected directly to share their progress and their experiences.
By encouraging students to collaborate and innovate through hands-on, experiential learning, the Viksit Bharat Buildathon 2025 is set to become one of the largest live innovation events globally, showcasing the creative potential of young India on both national and international platforms.
