In a significant move to cement its position as a global leader in artificial intelligence, the Indian government has opened applications for three international AI challenges with a combined prize pool of ₹5.85 crore.[1][2][3][4] The initiatives, named 'AI for All,' 'AI by HER,' and 'YUVAi,' are designed to identify, nurture, and scale transformative AI-driven solutions that have high potential for social and economic impact.[5][6] Announced by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, these challenges aim to accelerate inclusive and responsible AI innovation by providing a platform for innovators to receive mentorship, access to investors, and global visibility.[3][5] The application window is open to participants worldwide until October 31, 2025, with the selected projects set to be showcased at the flagship India-AI Impact Summit in New Delhi, scheduled for February 19-20, 2026.[1][3][6]

The broadest of the three initiatives, the 'AI for All: Global Impact Challenge,' is a global call for deployable AI solutions that address critical national and international needs.[6][7] With awards totaling up to ₹2.5 crore for the top ten winners, this challenge seeks innovations across vital sectors such as agriculture, climate and sustainability, education, financial inclusion, healthcare, manufacturing, and urban mobility.[1][6][7] The competition is open to a wide range of participants, including students, researchers, professionals, startups, and established companies from around the globe that have AI projects ready for piloting or scaling.[1][5] Beyond the financial incentive, the program offers substantial support to finalists. Up to 20 finalist teams will receive travel assistance to participate in the 2026 summit, providing them with a unique opportunity to connect with investors, industry experts, and policymakers.[2][6] Participants will also gain access to mentorship, potential cloud and compute credits, and post-summit accelerator programs designed to help deploy their solutions in the real world.[1][2][7]

Addressing the critical need for gender diversity in the technology sector, the 'AI by HER: Global Impact Challenge' is specifically designed to identify and strengthen the pipeline of women-led AI innovations.[8][6] Organized in collaboration with NITI Aayog's Women Entrepreneurship Platform (WEP), this challenge also features a prize pool of ₹2.5 crore to be shared among the top ten women-led teams.[1][5] The initiative invites AI solutions that create tangible social impact in fields like agriculture, cybersecurity, digital wellbeing, healthcare, and energy and climate action.[1][5][6] Eligibility is open globally to teams where a woman holds a key leadership position, such as CEO, CTO, or technical lead, and whose projects range from working prototypes to mature solutions.[8][1] A key feature of this challenge is the comprehensive support system for up to 30 finalist teams, which includes travel and accommodation for the summit, curated investor engagement sessions, and intensive virtual bootcamps focused on Responsible AI, investor readiness, and effective storytelling.[8][2] This targeted support aims to not only reward innovation but also to equip women entrepreneurs with the skills and network needed to scale their ventures.

To cultivate the next generation of innovators, the 'YUVAi: Global Youth Challenge' focuses on inspiring and empowering young minds between the ages of 13 and 21.[1][4][6] This initiative encourages individuals or small teams to develop AI-driven solutions for the public good, with themes centered on empowering communities, transforming key sectors, and building future-ready, smart infrastructure.[6][9] The challenge offers a total prize pool of ₹85 lakh, which will be distributed among the top winners, including three first-prize awards of ₹15 lakh each, three second-prize awards of ₹10 lakh each, and two special recognition awards of ₹5 lakh each.[3][10] Beyond the prize money, the program is a launchpad for young talent, providing mentorship from AI experts, technical training through virtual bootcamps, and a global stage at the India-AI Impact Summit to present their ideas to leaders and investors.[10][11][9] This early-stage encouragement is crucial for building a robust and diverse talent pool capable of solving future challenges.

These challenges are a cornerstone of the broader IndiaAI Mission, a national strategy aimed at establishing a comprehensive AI ecosystem to foster innovation and build domestic capacity.[12] The government's "AI for All" vision emphasizes a human-centric and inclusive approach, ensuring that the benefits of artificial intelligence are distributed equitably across society.[3][13] By launching these global competitions, India seeks to attract diverse talent and cutting-edge ideas, positioning itself as a hub for developing and deploying scalable, ethical, and impactful AI solutions, particularly for the Global South.[8][14] The initiatives provide a direct pipeline for identifying promising AI applications that can be piloted and adopted to improve public services in priority areas.[4] The culmination at the India-AI Impact Summit 2026 will not only celebrate the winners but also signal India's ambition to lead the global conversation on shaping a future where AI drives progress for all of humanity.[15]