By: Education DeskNew Delhi | October 13, 2025 12:21 PM IST 3 min readViksit Bharat Buildathon 2025: Student presenting their prototype to Union Minister for Education at the event. (Image via X/@AIMtoInnovate)Viksit Bharat Buildathon 2025: The Viksit Bharat Buildathon 2025, described as India’s largest school-level innovation challenge, began nationwide today. The day-long event, running from 10 am to 11 pm, is engaging more than one crore students from Classes 6 to 12 in a nationwide drive to promote creativity and problem-solving.The Buildathon is being live-streamed across schools through official portals – vbb.mic.gov.in and schoolinnovationmarathon.org. Students, teachers, and mentors can join virtually to collaborate and submit ideas in real time. Students participating at the hackathon (Image via X-@kvinshamla)Organised by the Ministry of Education in collaboration with the Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) and NITI Aayog, the initiative seeks to nurture design thinking and innovation at the grassroots level through school participation.Govt goes ‘vocal for local’ with Buildathon 2025 for school studentsAhead of the launch, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan took to X to encourage young participants, saying, “Classrooms are becoming the biggest laboratories of change where ideas turn into innovation and innovation turns into nation building. Our Hon’ble Prime Minister says, Yuvashakti is the heartbeat of Viksit Bharat. The Buildathon is not just a competition, it is a movement — a call to think, create, and build solutions for a better Bharat.” School students participating at the Viksit Bharat Buildathon launch event (Image via X/@kv1_gwl)What are the specified themes?The Viksit Bharat Buildathon 2025 focuses on four key national themes:Story continues below this ad–Atmanirbhar Bharat (Self-Reliant India): Developing tools and systems that promote self-sufficiency.–Swadeshi: Harnessing indigenous knowledge and technology to create innovative solutions.–Vocal for Local: Scaling and promoting local products and crafts for wider markets.–Samriddh Bharat (Prosperous India): Generating ideas that foster economic and agricultural growth.Story continues below this adThrough these themes, the government aims to align young innovation with India’s vision of becoming a developed nation by 2047.Also Read | 3 Gujarat govt schools shortlisted for Viksit Bharat Buildathon 2025The Buildathon carries a total prize pool of Rs 1 crore, aimed at recognising innovation at every administrative level. Winners will be selected across three tiers:CategoryNumber of winnersNational-Level10State-Level100District-Level1,000According to the Ministry of Education, the Buildathon is not only a competition but a ‘nationwide innovation movement’ to prepare school students for future challenges. It seeks to encourage experimentation, teamwork, and practical learning aligned with India’s development goals.© IE Online Media Services Pvt Ltd