📌About the Event

SBI Youth Ideathon 2026 is a nationwide innovation and entrepreneurship competition that invites school and college students across India to identify real-world problems and develop innovative solutions. Organised by ThinkStartup and the Management & Entrepreneurship and Professional Skills Council (MEPSC) in association with IIT Delhi, with State Bank of India (SBI) as the title partner, the competition aims to encourage young people to become innovators, entrepreneurs and job creators. The 2026 edition features parallel tracks for school and college students.

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ℹ️ Event Details

• Mode of Conduct: Hybrid
• Initial Stage: Online registration and idea submission
• Participation: Individual or teams of up to 5 members
• School Track: Students from Classes 8–12
• College Track: Undergraduate and postgraduate students across India
• Participants progress from idea submission to pitching and regional/national selection stages.
• The competition includes regional finales/championships before the national finale.

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📅 Important Dates

• Last date for idea submission: September 30, 2026
• Regional Championships: November 17–27, 2026
• Top 100 teams announcement: November 30, 2026
• National Grand Finale: December 15, 2026

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🎯 Eligibility & Rules

• Eligibilty:
• Open to undergraduate and postgraduate students from Indian colleges and universities.
• Students can participate individually or in teams of up to five members.
• Ideas must be original and developed by the participant/team.
• Participants below 18 must provide their parent or guardian’s contact details during registration.
• Each participant should use a single registered account.
• Participants retain ownership of their ideas; organisers receive limited permission to evaluate, display and feature entries for competition-related purposes.
• Initial entries are shortlisted based on submitted innovation/startup ideas.

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🏆 Benefits for the Participants

• Total prizes and awards: Up to ₹25 lakh
• Participation and recognition certificates are available to eligible participants.
• Selected teams receive opportunities for entrepreneurship mentoring and expert guidance.
• Top teams can access incubation opportunities through a network of 20 incubators across India.