“This is the beginning of a big revolution of the AI journey in India and students are at the forefront of it,” said Rahul Attuluri, Co-founder & CEO of NxtWave, at India’s largest student buildathon at India AI Impact Summit 2026.
Held at Sushma Swaraj Bhawan in New Delhi, the national finale of the OpenAI Academy x NxtWave Buildathon brought together the country’s youngest innovators, many travelling from smaller cities to present working prototypes rather than presentations.
Over 70,000 students had registered, and only 90 teams made it to the final stage.
Organised under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology’s IndiaAI initiative, the event reflected a visible shift — AI innovation was no longer confined to metropolitan engineering colleges.
Nearly 60 per cent of finalists came from Tier 2 and Tier 3 regions, pitching solutions drawn from real community problems.
WHO WAS THE WINNER OF BUILDATHON 2026?
The loudest cheer of the evening was reserved for Unfazed from Pillai HOC College of Engineering and Technology, Maharashtra as they won Rs 5 lakhs.
Speaking to India Today, they said that their project, LUMOS AI, was inspired by a visit to an orphanage when a child wished for a way to function independently without assistance.
“AI pod classes for Blind, Deaf and Mute people which solve the problems of all the three in a single time,” Team Unfazed said.
“LUMOS AI is a real-time wearable assistive system that empowers blind, deaf, and mute individuals with independent communication and environmental awareness,” Team Unfazed added.
The wearable device aims to cost about Rs 10,000 and took six months of continuous development. Judges noted its practical design and immediate usability, not a prototype waiting for a lab, but a product ready for people.
RUNNERS-UP SOLVING REAL PROBLEMS
The first runner-up, Project K from NIAT (AMET), Tamil Nadu, tackled urban congestion, winning Rs 3 lakh.
“Project K transforms India’s existing traffic cameras into a unified AI-powered real-time traffic intelligence system that prioritises ambulances, reduces congestion, and saves lives,” Team Project K said, demonstrating automated ambulance prioritisation at intersections.
Second runner-up ProteinX from BV Raju Institute of Technology, Telangana, focused on engineering workflows that won Rs 2 lakh.
“ProteinX is an AI-powered CAD copilot that enables engineers to design and modify complex models using natural language, dramatically accelerating precision workflows,” Team ProteinX said.
Their system converted a text prompt into a ready-to-print 3D model in minutes.
BEYOND SOFTWARE: RESEARCH AND ROADS
Winning Rs 50,000, LineLens from MS Ramaiah Engineering College, Karnataka, secured the third runner-up position with a research productivity tool.
“LineLens converts a researcher’s browser into an intelligent CRM workspace that automates discovery, outreach, and collaboration tracking through agentic AI,” Team LineLens said, adding the tool already has more than 150 organic users globally.
RudraX from NIAT (VGU), Rajasthan, finished fourth with iSARTHI with the cash prize of Rs 50, 000.
“iSARTHI turns everyday vehicles into AI-powered road auditors that detect infrastructure defects and enhance driver safety in real time,” Team RudraX said, explaining how the system inspects areas difficult for manual surveys.
FROM COMPETITION TO CAREERS
Present at the event as one of the jury members, Bonnie Chatterjee, Global Head of Solution Architecture, OpenAI, said the projects showed a shift from experimentation to implementation. “India is rapidly becoming a global epicentre for AI talent,” she said.
Another jury member, Rama Devi Lanka, Lead Architect, NITI Frontier Tech Hub, NITI Aayog, called students the “first generation of AI nation-builders,” urging sustained ecosystem support.
Addressing the participants, she said, “You are the first generation of AI-nation builders. When you choose to build with purpose, it’s going to transform India.”
Speaking to India Today, Attuluri said the Buildathon was designed to move students beyond learning technology to solving real problems and promised continued backing. Teams will now be connected to incubators and investors to scale their ideas.
Organisers framed the Rs 10 lakh prize pool as seed fuel; the larger win was validation that regional students, given access and mentorship, can build generative AI for the public good.
The Buildathon ended with hope for plans for follow-on support and a clear conviction: India’s next wave of AI builders has already begun.
