📌About the Event

The Gems of India Challenge 2026 is a digital storytelling competition inviting creators to showcase the unique identity of their district through short videos. Participants can highlight local culture, heritage, tourism, traditions, history, hidden gems, local stories, and distinctive achievements. The initiative aims to discover and promote grassroots digital creators while bringing India’s diverse district-level stories to a wider audience.

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ℹ️ Event Details

• Mode: Online
• Submission Platform: MyWAVES section of the WAVES OTT platform
• Video Duration: 1–3 minutes
• Theme: Stories highlighting the unique identity of a participant’s district, including culture, heritage, tourism, traditions, history, local achievements and other distinctive features.
• The initiative is being conducted in collaboration with Prasar Bharati, MY Bharat, State/District Administrations and local cultural and educational institutions.
• YouTube and Meta are supporting creator mobilisation and outreach for the challenge.

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📅 Important Dates

• Challenge announced: July 21, 2026
• Submission opens: August 1, 2026
• Last date to submit: August 31, 2026

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🎯 Eligibility & Rules

• Eligibilty:
• The pilot phase currently covers:
  • Andaman & Nicobar Islands
  • Arunachal Pradesh
  • Chandigarh
  • Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu
  • Goa
  • Ladakh
• Creators from the participating districts can showcase stories connected to their respective district.
• The official announcement does not specify a particular educational qualification or student-only requirement; it is positioned as a grassroots digital creator initiative.
• The challenge is expected to expand to all States and Union Territories after the pilot phase.

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🏆 Benefits for the Participants

• District Level: Up to 20 awards of ₹50,000 each per district.
• State Level: One exceptional creator from each district can progress to compete for a ₹2 lakh State-level Award.
• National Level: During the subsequent nationwide rollout, selected State entries can compete for National Awards worth ₹5 lakh each.
• Selected creators also receive recognition through a Government-backed national creator initiative focused on highlighting India’s local stories and cultural diversity.