AI Kaushal Hackathon 2026: UP youth can register till November 20

The Uttar Pradesh government and the technology company InMobi have launched the AI Kaushal Hackathon 2026, a contest in which young people and start-ups in the state build artificial intelligence (AI) solutions to real problems set by government and industry. The launch was announced on Thursday, 12 November 2026. Registrations are open to students, start-ups, accelerators and professionals living in Uttar Pradesh until Friday, 20 November. The grand finals will be held on Tuesday and Wednesday, 8 and 9 December, at IIIT Lucknow, the Indian Institute of Information Technology in the state capital, which is the academic partner.

"Kaushal" means skill, and the contest is built around turning AI skills into working tools. Most hackathons ask participants to invent a problem and a solution in a weekend. This one starts from public-private problem statements set with the state government, and promises that the best prototypes will be looked at for actual use by departments. For a student or a young founder, that is the most valuable part: a chance to see an idea tested inside a real government system, not just judged on a stage.

The two-stage format also lowers the barrier to entry. Teams do not need a finished product to register. They first submit a use case, which is a short description of the problem they want to solve and how AI could help. Only those shortlisted go on to mentoring and the 24-hour build. A 24-hour build, common in hackathons, means teams code and assemble a working prototype in a single continuous session at the venue.

Subi Chaturvedi, Global Senior Vice-President and Chief Corporate Affairs and Public Policy Officer at InMobi, said the programme brings together grassroots talent, mentorship and real-world public-private problem statements with the state government and IIIT Lucknow. She also said public problem statements give young people a chance to build solutions the state may deploy.

The residency rule matters. The hackathon is limited to people living in Uttar Pradesh, so it is designed to build an AI talent pool within the state rather than to attract teams from the established technology hubs. With an IIIT as academic partner and the finals in Lucknow, students from colleges across the state's districts have a route into AI projects without leaving home.

Peepals timeline: The hackathon was announced on 12 November 2026. Registrations close on 20 November, giving applicants eight days from the announcement. Shortlisted teams then receive mentoring before the grand finals and 24-hour build on 8 and 9 December at IIIT Lucknow, ending with the prize ceremony on 9 December.

Peepals calculation: Five teams winning Rs 1 lakh each makes a total prize pool of Rs 5 lakh (5 × 1,00,000). Our calculation from the reported figures.

Short-term: Students and young founders in Uttar Pradesh have eight days to register and submit their use cases, so college clubs and incubators will need to form teams quickly.

Long-term: If prototypes from the contest are actually deployed by state departments, it would give the state a pipeline of locally built AI tools and give young developers real public-sector experience and references.

Who is affected: College students, young professionals and start-ups in Uttar Pradesh interested in AI, IIIT Lucknow, state government departments that set problem statements, and InMobi.

What to watch next: Registration closes on 20 November; the finals are on 8 and 9 December at IIIT Lucknow.

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