The Chairman of AICTE, Prof Yogesh Singh, launched the Smart India Hackathon (SIH) 2026 today (August 21), marking the beginning of the ninth edition of the nationwide innovation challenge for students and young innovators.
The launch was conducted virtually by Prof Yogesh Singh, Chairman, All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), who unveiled the problem statements during the programme.
The first lot of 226 problem statements was unveiled during the launch programme. Of these, 172 are software-based, and 54 are hardware-based. The problem statements have been contributed by government ministries, departments, PSUs and industry partners to encourage students to develop solutions to real-world challenges.
SIH is aimed at bringing together students, educational institutions, government organisations and industry to develop technology-driven solutions. The initiative also seeks to strengthen innovation and entrepreneurship in line with the broader vision of Atmanirbhar Bharat and Viksit Bharat.
Smart India Hackathon 2026: 17 Themes
The first set of SIH 2026 problem statements includes 172 software challenges and 54 hardware challenges. The launch presentation stated that around 27 ministries have contributed problem statements for the current edition.
More than 10 additional ministries are expected to contribute problem statements over the next 10 to 15 days. The 2026 edition also includes participation from two state governments and 12 PSUs and corporates.
The problem statements are divided across 17 software and hardware themes, covering areas ranging from emerging technologies to sectors of national importance. The 17 themes announced for SIH 2026 are listed below:
- Space Technology
- Smart Vehicles
- Smart Education
- Tourism
- Robotics and Drones
- Heritage and Culture
- Toys
- Smart Automation
- Disaster Management
- Clean & Green Tech
- Fitness & Sports
- Agriculture, FoodTech & Rural Development
- Renewable/Sustainable Energy
- Blockchain & Cybersecurity
- MedTech/HealthTech/BioTech
- Transportation & Logistics
- Miscellaneous
These themes provide students with an opportunity to work on challenges from various areas, such as healthcare, agriculture, cybersecurity, sustainability, mobility, education, space technology, tourism and other key sectors.
Over 18 Lakh Students Participated in SIH Since 2017
During the launch, officials highlighted that over 18 lakh students have participated in Smart India Hackathon since its inception in 2017, with 9,406 institutions registered and more than 2,44,356 teams participating across editions.
The initiative has also recorded more than 3,292 all-female teams, and over 3,171 challenges have been addressed, while over 343 ministries, departments and industries have participated in the programme.
The programme focuses on solving pressing challenges, addressing government and industry requirements, creating startup opportunities, institutionalising innovation and entrepreneurship, and supporting policy advocacy.
SIH Has Evolved into National Open Innovation Platform
During the launch, Dr Tapasya Raghav, Deputy Secretary, Ministry of Education, said that SIH has evolved from a student coding platform into one of India’s largest open innovation initiatives.
Highlighting the role of the programme in converting the creativity and energy of young innovators into practical solutions for real-world problems, she emphasised the importance of developing innovations that are affordable, scalable and capable of contributing to the vision of Atmanirbhar Bharat.
Dr Raghav also stressed that the participation of women innovators reflects the contribution of Nari Shakti to the vision of Viksit Bharat, pointing to around 3,300 all-female teams across SIH editions.
She further noted that SIH allows students to travel to nodal centres, interact with participants from different parts of the country and work together during intensive hackathon sessions.
Students, she said, should focus on understanding the problem before developing a solution. Successful innovations should be technically sound, user-centric, practical and scalable.
‘Do not participate merely to win’: Prof Yogesh Singh
While addressing participants during the launch, AICTE Chairman Prof Yogesh Singh urged students not to view SIH merely as a competition. “Do not participate merely to win. Participate to solve something important, something very significant for our country,” he said.
He encouraged institutions to begin their internal hackathons and guide students in selecting and submitting their best ideas and team nominations.
Prof Singh said India needs solutions that are concrete, sustainable, adaptable and scalable, with the potential to develop from ideas into products and eventually commercially sustainable ventures.
He also referred to the 48-hour non-stop grand finale, describing it as an opportunity to witness students across the country work simultaneously on innovation challenges.
SIH 2026: Detailed Schedule
The official SIH 2026 launch presentation has outlined the schedule for problem-statement submissions, evaluation, results, mentoring and the grand finale.
| SIH 2026 Activity | Timeline |
|---|---|
| Launch, problem statement announcement and idea/solution submission | August 21 – September 20, 2026 |
| Evaluation | September 10 – October 30, 2026 |
| Result announcement | First week of November 2026 |
| Training/mentoring for shortlisted grand-finale teams | November 10 – November 30, 2026 |
| SIH Grand Finale | December 2026 (Tentative) |
Students can register and submit their idea for SIH 2026 from August 21 to September 20, 2026, and the evaluation process will commence from September 10 and continue until October 30.
The results are scheduled to be announced online through the SIH portal in the first week of November 2026. Shortlisted grand-finale teams will then undergo training and mentoring from November 10 to November 30. The SIH 2026 Grand Finale is tentatively scheduled for December 2026.
SIH 2026 Portal Opens for Students
With the launch of the ninth edition, the SIH 2026 portal is now open for registrations, problem-statement exploration, idea submissions and team nominations.
Students are advised to carefully browse the released problem statements based on organisation, category, theme and other available parameters before selecting a challenge relevant to their skills and interests.
Institutions have also been asked to start their internal hackathons and identify their strongest teams for nomination. With 226 problem statements across 17 themes, SIH 2026 has opened another nationwide innovation cycle connecting students with challenges identified by government and industry.
The focus of the programme, as emphasised during the launch, remains on developing practical, sustainable and scalable solutions that can progress from an idea to a product and potentially create opportunities within India’s startup ecosystem.