National Startup Awards 6.0 open: Rs 25 lakh prizes, new student award
By Siddharth VermaBusiness Correspondent, Peepals Bharat
Representative image: Tumisu / Pixabay
DPIIT opened National Startup Awards 6.0 on October 27, 2026, with 20 sectors, a first student award and Rs 25 lakh prizes; applications close November 20.
What Happened
The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) launched the sixth edition of the National Startup Awards, NSA 6.0, in New Delhi on Tuesday, October 27, 2026, with applications open until November 20, 2026. This edition has 20 sectoral categories and three special categories, including a new award for school and college students, with a cash prize of Rs 25 lakh per winning category. At the launch event, DPIIT officials also said the government is working to use public procurement to help start-ups win more government business.
Key Facts
- Organiser: DPIIT, under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, as part of the Startup India initiative.
- Launch: October 27, 2026, at a curtain-raiser event in New Delhi.
- Application window: October 27 to November 20, 2026.
- Categories: 20 sectoral categories, such as biomanufacturing, defence and security, and space technology, with new categories added in areas including education, sports and travel.
- Special categories: Women-Led Startups, start-ups from the North-East, and a first-ever Student Innovator / Aspiring Entrepreneur Award open to school and college students from all 36 states and Union Territories.
- Prize: Rs 25 lakh per category for winning start-ups in the sectoral categories and the two start-up special categories, subject to the award guidelines; the student award has a total pool of Rs 25 lakh across four sub-categories.
- Procurement push: start-up registrations on the Government e-Marketplace (GeM) have grown from 7,929 in January 2021 to 43,260, and these start-ups have fulfilled 6.23 lakh orders worth Rs 68,105 crore, according to DPIIT figures.
Why It Matters
The National Startup Awards are the government's main annual recognition for start-ups. For a young company, especially one outside the big metros, a national award brings credibility with customers, investors and government buyers, along with the prize money. The new categories widen the field: start-ups working in education, sports and travel, which were not separately recognised before, can now compete in their own sectors.
The student award is the main new feature. For the first time, school and college students who have built a product or a working idea, but have not yet registered a company, can apply. This sends a signal to campuses in smaller towns that the Startup India programme is not only for funded companies in Bengaluru, Delhi or Mumbai.
The special categories for women-led start-ups and start-ups from the North-East continue the awards' focus on founders from groups and regions that are less represented in start-up funding.
The procurement comments matter as much as the awards. Government departments and public sector companies buy goods and services worth large sums every year. Under the General Financial Rules, the government has already relaxed conditions such as prior experience, turnover and earnest-money deposits for start-ups bidding for public contracts. Officials said the remaining problem is awareness and participation: many founders do not know what is available, and fewer take part. The Finance Ministry, the MSME Ministry and the Department of Public Enterprises are working with DPIIT on better support, officials said at the event.
| NSA 6.0 at a glance | Detail |
|---|---|
| Applications open | October 27, 2026 |
| Last date | November 20, 2026 |
| Sectoral categories | 20 |
| Special categories | 3, including a new student award |
| Prize per winning category | Rs 25 lakh |
Impact
Short-term: Founders have a little over three weeks to prepare and submit applications. Students with an innovation, and women-led and North-East start-ups, should check whether they qualify under the special categories.
Long-term: Wider categories and a student award could bring more applicants from smaller cities and campuses into the Startup India network. A stronger procurement channel would give start-ups a steadier source of revenue than depending only on private customers and investors.
Who is affected: Start-up founders across India, especially in sectors newly added to the awards; women founders and founders in the North-East; school and college student innovators; and government buyers, who are being encouraged to source more from start-ups.
Key Takeaway
DPIIT opened applications for the National Startup Awards 6.0 on October 27, 2026, with 20 sectoral categories, a first-ever student award and Rs 25 lakh prizes, and applications close on November 20, 2026.
Questions and Answers
What is the last date to apply for the National Startup Awards 6.0?
Applications opened on October 27, 2026, and close on November 20, 2026.
How much prize money do National Startup Awards 6.0 winners get?
Winning start-ups in each of the 20 sectoral categories and in the women-led and North-East special categories are eligible for Rs 25 lakh per category, subject to the award guidelines. The student award has a total pool of Rs 25 lakh across four sub-categories.
Can students apply for the National Startup Awards?
Yes. NSA 6.0 introduces a Student Innovator / Aspiring Entrepreneur Award for school and college students from all 36 states and Union Territories, the first time the awards have such a category.
How are start-ups doing on the Government e-Marketplace?
According to DPIIT, start-up registrations on GeM rose from 7,929 in January 2021 to 43,260, and these start-ups have completed 6.23 lakh orders worth Rs 68,105 crore for government buyers.
Disclaimer: Prepared by the Peepals newsroom from publicly available sources with AI assistance. Information is accurate to the best of our knowledge at the time of publication and may change. Images may be representative. Not professional advice. Report an error via our contact page.
By Siddharth Verma, Business CorrespondentCovers Business and more for Peepals Bharat. All stories by Siddharth Verma
Get the day's stories in your inbox
Peepals Weekly: the week decoded, free. One email a week, unsubscribe in one click.
Siddharth Verma is a pen name of the Peepals Global Editorial Team, which researches, fact-checks and publishes every story. The portrait is an illustration.
