Back to landing Judges & Partners

VOICE OF YOUTH

Register Meet the judges & partners →
open · proposals due 4 jul 2026 · — calculating —
The belief

I before We,
We before I.

the belief that started Voice of Youth.
“ Make the problems of society your problems.”

People preach about change. The summit asks you to act — without waiting for it to come from somewhere else.

Why we’re here

Ideas are everywhere. Action isn’t.

Across governance, technology, climate and the economy, everyone talks about change. Voice of Youth is built on one belief: it begins the moment young people stop talking and start building.

the vision

India’s greatest strength is its youth — and its greatest challenge is unlocking that potential. We give students a national stage to think boldly, act responsibly, and create real solutions for the challenges shaping the country’s future.

the mission

Turn potential into action: problem-solvers instead of passive learners, innovators instead of spectators, youth-led solutions with measurable impact — weighed by experts, mentors and people who’ve built things that matter.

the desire

More than a summit, a movement — a generation that doesn’t wait for change to arrive, but has the courage to create it.

Read the full story — why we’re doing this
The mission

What this actually is.

01
where

West Bengal. India's first innovation youth summit. Held in Kolkata, August 2026.

02
who

Students, 13–18. From anywhere in India. Enter on your own or with a team of up to three. No experience needed — just one problem worth solving.

03
what
Any problem you see. Pick a domain:
  • social
  • technical
  • diplomatic
  • sustainability

whatever is keeping you up at night.

04
how
Two rounds.
  1. a. Online QualifierJuly 2026
  2. b. Offline SummitKolkata · 1–2 August
Judged by a panel of different careers — impartial, objective.
The five domains

Pick a door. Walk through.

Five categories, open sub-topics. Click any card to see what the domain actually covers.

—
—

—

The calendar

Five dates between now and the summit.

Two months. Proportionally laid out — the gaps you see are the gaps you'll feel. Hover any post to read it.

JUN JUL AUG
▾ today
Hover or tap a post

to read what happens.

The rubric

How one hundred points are spent.

Every proposal is scored out of one hundred. Here’s how those points are split — and what each one is really asking for.

  • 40 Design & feasibility of the solution. The biggest slice. Does this idea actually work? Could you build a prototype tomorrow? Drawings, 2D designs, schedules and costs live here.
  • 20 Relevance of the problem in society. A problem that actually exists, actually matters, and affects people you can name. Specificity beats abstraction.
  • 20 Creativity & sustainability of the solution. Has anyone tried this before? If they did, what made theirs fail? Could your version still be running five years from now?
  • 10 Business or outreach model for expansion. How does this get to scale — funding, partnerships, distribution, adoption? Even a non-commercial idea needs an outreach plan.
  • 10 Presentation — diagrams, graphs, charts. A proposal is also a piece of design: clean diagrams, well-labelled charts, considered typography.
Six rules

Six rules. Tick them as you read.

These are the proposal rules. Read each one. Tap to tick. You can’t actually be held to it — but it’s a good way to make sure you didn’t miss any.

0/6 ticked
none yet
✓
Ten pages, Times New Roman 12, 1″ margins. Photos, diagrams welcome. MLA8 or APA citations — uncounted.
✓
Four essential components. statement → need → description → scale
✓
No AI. No plagiarism. Max 5% AI use. Breach = disqualification. No appeals.
✓
Teams of one to three, ages 13–18. Age cutoff: 1 July 2026. Schools may send multiple teams.
✓
Optional: business model, schedules, 2D designs. If your solution scales, show how.
✓
Submit by 4 July 2026, 11:59 pm IST. — · Results 14 Jul.
Two days at Kolkata

Two days, one stage, fifteen minutes each.

Raajkutir, Kolkata — an IHCL SeleQtions hotel. Refreshments, meals and water throughout. Around twenty teams, a panel of judges, two days, and one investor round.

Venue — view on the map
1
Day One
1 August 2026 · Kolkata
am
Opening ceremony. Welcome, the brief, what the panel is looking for.
am
The judges — drawn from different fields — are introduced.
noon
Panel discussion. One or two speakers on global education and studying abroad.
noon
Fireside conversation. Mr Harshavardhan Neotia — Padma Shri, Chairman of the Ambuja Neotia Group — in conversation.
pm
Pitching begins. Fifteen minutes per team, questions included.
2
Day Two
2 August 2026 · Kolkata
am
Pitching continues. The teams who advance from day one take the stage for the next round.
midday
Shark-tank round. Around ten standout teams pitch live to investors — the strongest projects can win funding on the spot.
noon
Deliberation. The judges retire.
pm
Prizes & closing. Winners announced across all five domains and the prize pool awarded — then what’s next: mentorship, patents, funding.
Certificates for every participant · Merit certificates for round-2 qualifiers · Prize pool for the top teams in every domain
After day two

The summit doesn’t end on day two.

Day three doesn’t exist. But the work after the work is real.

IV act four

Mentorship.

Long-term mentorship and networking with professionals across the five domains.

scalable initiatives
V act five

Patent support.

Patent guidance and professional support through external networks.

legal & IP backing
VI act six

Funding pathways.

Jurors and partners may sponsor, fund, or co-develop ideas.

real-world implementation
0 teams
0–0 students
1 launchpad
then a real handoff to people who can keep it moving.
Questions

The things people actually ask.

Everything worth knowing before you register. Tap a question to open it.

Who can participate?
Students aged 13–18 (as of 1 July 2026), from any school across India — individually or in teams of up to three. No prior experience required.
Is there a registration fee?
Yes — a flat ₹700 per team for the online qualifier round, paid by UPI when you register.
How do I enter?
Register and pick a domain, then submit a proposal for the online qualifier. Clear it and your team advances to the national offline round in Kolkata.
What are the proposal requirements?
Up to 10 pages, Times New Roman 12, 1-inch margins. Citations in MLA8 or APA — they don’t count toward the page limit. Under 5% AI use. Due 4 July 2026, 11:59 pm IST. Read the full guidelines →
How are proposals judged?
A 100-point rubric: design & feasibility (40), relevance of the problem (20), creativity & sustainability (20), business / outreach (10) and presentation (10).
What do finalists and winners get?
A prize pool of over ₹1,00,000, certificates for every participant, and — for standout teams — mentorship, patent guidance, networking and funding pathways beyond the summit.
When and where is it?
Registrations open 1 June 2026; proposals are due 4 July; results on 14 July. The offline national round is held in Kolkata on 1–2 August 2026.
here’s the door

So — got something?

three steps in, one window left:

  • 01pick a domain.
  • 02form a team — one to three.
  • 03spot a problem worth fixing.
window closes
4 July 2026 · 11:59 pm IST
—
↓ walk through
click the door · enter registration