New Delhi, Oct 13 (IANS) The government on Monday said it has invited applications for three flagship global impact challenges under the upcoming India-AI Impact Summit 2026, offering a total prize pool of Rs 5.85 crore.

Announced by Minister for Electronics and Information Technology, Ashwini Vaishnaw, in September, the challenges seek to identify, nurture, and showcase transformative AI-driven innovations with strong potential for social and economic impact.

Applications for all three challenges are now open on the official portal, and the last date for submission is October 31.

The three challenges — AI for All: Global Impact Challenge, AI by HER: Global Impact Challenge, and YUVAi: Global Youth Challenge — aim to speed up inclusive, responsible, and scalable AI innovation.

These initiatives aim to inspire groundbreaking ideas that can lead to positive societal change and position India as a centre for global AI excellence.

Chosen innovations will be displayed at the ;India-AI Impact Summit 2026′, set to take place in New Delhi from February 19-20.

The ‘AI for All: Global Impact Challenge’ is a global call for deployable AI innovations addressing key sectors such as agriculture, climate and sustainability, education, financial inclusion, healthcare, manufacturing, urban infrastructure, and mobility.

Up to 10 winners will receive awards worth Rs 2.5 crore in total, along with mentorship, investor connects, compute credits, and post-summit accelerator opportunities.

Twenty finalists will also get travel support to attend the summit. The challenge is open globally to students, researchers, working professionals, startups, and companies with AI solutions ready for scale.

The ‘AI by HER: Global Impact Challenge’, organised by the Women Entrepreneurship Platform (WEP) of NITI Aayog along with other partners, focuses on strengthening the pipeline of women-led AI innovations.

It invites women-led teams and entities to propose AI solutions that deliver tangible social impact across domains such as agriculture, cybersecurity, digital wellbeing, healthcare, energy, and climate. The top 10 winners will share prizes worth Rs 2.5 crore, while up to 30 finalists will receive travel support and access to virtual bootcamps on responsible AI.

The ‘YUVAi: Global Youth Challenge’ targets young innovators aged 13–21 years, encouraging them to develop AI solutions for the public good. With total prizes worth Rs 85 lakh, the top three winners will receive Rs 15 lakh each, followed by Rs 10 lakh each for the next three winners and Rs 5 lakh each for two special recognition awards. The top 20 participants will get travel support to attend the summit and access to virtual bootcamps and investor showcases.

–IANS

aps/na