CBSE Invites Students to National Startup Awards
CBSE invites students aged 10 and above to share their creative inventions for the National Startup Awards, featuring a dedicated prize pool of ₹25 lakh!
Do you love building models, tinkering with gadgets, or coming up with smart ways to solve everyday problems? The Central Board of Secondary Education in New Delhi has announced an exciting opportunity for school students across the country. On 4 November 2026, CBSE issued circular Acad-73/2026, encouraging students aged 10 and above to participate in the CBSE National Startup Awards initiative under a newly launched student category.
This special honour is part of the sixth edition of the National Startup Awards, also known as NSA 6.0. It gives school students across India a grand platform to turn their imaginative concepts into working models and compete for a dedicated prize pool of ₹25 lakh.
What happened?
The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade, working under the Union Ministry of Commerce and Industry, first launched the National Startup Awards programme in 2019. This year, the organizers introduced the Student Innovator or Aspiring Entrepreneur Award to cheer on young problem-solvers. CBSE has directed its affiliated schools to spot learners with original ideas, creative prototypes, and practical answers to real-life challenges.
To keep the contest fair, organizers created four separate age groups:
- Budding Innovators (ages 10 to 14): This category offers a ₹5 lakh prize pool, giving ₹3 lakh to the winner and ₹2 lakh to the runner-up.
- Rising Innovators (ages 14 to 16): In this group, the winner will receive ₹3 lakh, while the runner-up will receive ₹2 lakh.
- Young Changemakers (ages 16 to 18): Here, the top innovator will take home ₹4 lakh and the runner-up will receive ₹2 lakh.
- Emerging or Aspiring Entrepreneurs: This final group is tailored for older youth with entrepreneurial ventures.
Each State and Union Territory can choose and submit up to 10 student nominations through its designated Startup Nodal Agency. Looking at the wider event, NSA 6.0 features 23 categories in total, including 20 industry sectors and three special categories, with an overall prize purse of ₹5.75 crore. Selected student finalists will get expert national mentorship, and the ultimate winners will be officially honoured on National Startup Day on 16 January 2027.
Why does it matter to you?
You never have to wait until you grow up to create something helpful for society. If you have built a working model to save water, clean your neighbourhood, or assist your classmates, your school can put your name forward. Taking part gives you a chance to receive guidance from top mentors, win prize money to expand your project, and present your bright ideas to the entire nation.
Words to know
- Innovator: a person who introduces fresh, creative ideas or invents new things.
- Prototype: a first working model or sample created to test a new invention.
- Mentorship: helpful guidance and advice provided by a trusted, experienced guide.
- Circular: an official notice or printed letter sent out to share important news with many schools.
Did you know?
The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade first started the National Startup Awards programme back in 2019 to celebrate original inventions and business ideas across India.
Think about it
If you could build any prototype today to solve an issue in your school or hometown, what would you make? Who would your invention help the most?
Quick quiz
What is the dedicated total prize pool for the student innovator category in NSA 6.0?
- ₹10 lakh
- ₹25 lakh
- ₹5.75 crore
See the answer
₹25 lakh
Sources
This story was prepared by the Kids Gazette news desk with the help of AI research and writing tools, using the sources listed above.
