Thirteen active startup competitions are currently open to Indian founders, offering ₹78.2 crore+ in combined prizes — and several of them close within days. Here are the deadlines you cannot afford to miss.
The biggest window closes first: the AWS × IDFC × Campus Fund Grand Challenge 2026, billed as India's largest competition for student startups, is accepting applications until October 10, 2026. Eligibility is straightforward — current students, recent graduates or dropouts from 2023 onwards holding at least 25% equity — and applications are free. The challenge has funded 25+ startups in previous editions, with top finalists pitching live in December 2026.
Also concluding on October 10, 2026: Hefty-Hacks, the TechZap finance × trading hackathon, which accepts teams of 2–6 (no solo entries) and offers ₹75,000 in prizes.
One window has just closed: Electropreneur Park OCP 3.0 Delhi, for startups in the ESDM domain, shut its applications on October 6, 2026.
Beyond the immediate deadlines, several rolling programmes are worth tracking. The FICCI Agri Innovation Hackathon 2026 offers ₹5 lakh–₹1.5 crore in prizes for agritech innovation; the Social Alpha SpIN SpaceTech Innovation Program backs spacetech founders with ISRO-supported infrastructure; and the Maruti Suzuki–NSRCEL Mobility Incubation Program offers prizes up to ₹10 crore for mobility startups. (Compiled by Startup Grants India.)
Why it matters for founders
Non-dilutive capital is the cheapest money you will ever raise — and the October 10 deadlines for the Campus Fund Grand Challenge and Hefty-Hacks are days away. Even beyond this week, programmes like the FICCI hackathon and the Maruti Suzuki–NSRCEL incubation offer prize money up to ₹10 crore. Calendar every rolling deadline and apply to all that fit.