02 / 08In numbers
1,500 participants
participants
projectgrid.org/programmes/aurora (source, opens in a new tab)
01 / 08Organised by projectGRID · 2026
ProjectGRID programme: Aurora
1,500 builders. 27+ countries. One champion.
← Back to ProjectGRID aurora.projectgrid.org (opens in a new tab) See it on Devpost (opens in a new tab)
- 27+countries
- 1,500participants
- ₹1 lakhin prize laptops
Aurora in numbers
27+
countries
₹1 lakh
in prize laptops
projectgrid.org/programmes/aurora (source, opens in a new tab)
03 / 08Where the teams came from.
27+ countries. One stage.
Aurora ran online, and its participants came from 27+ countries.
- Australia
- Azerbaijan
- Bulgaria
- Canada
- China
- Germany
- Ghana
- India
- Morocco
- Nigeria
- Senegal
- Singapore
- South Africa
- Ukraine
- United States
- +12 more countries
04 / 08How Aurora worked.
How Aurora worked.
Four stages, from a first idea to incubation for the strongest teams.
- Phase 01Idea round
Teams entered with an idea for a real problem.
OutcomeStrongest ideas shortlisted
- 01Problem statement
- 02Proposed solution
- 03Team profile
- Phase 02Prototype
Teams turned the idea into something that works.
OutcomeProjects live on Devpost
- 01Working prototype
- 02Code repository
- 03Explainer video
- Phase 03Live pitch
Teams presented their prototypes live.
OutcomeWinners chosen
- 01Live product demo
- 02Pitch and Q&A with the judges
- 03Scores across five criteria
- Phase 04Incubation
The Top 20 teams moved on to incubation.
OutcomeTop 20 into incubation
- 01Top 20 certificates
- 02Incubation with projectGRID
- 03HP laptops for the winners
“Focus on real skills and experience, not just keywords.”
05 / 08The results
The results.
Grand Prize · Overall Winner
Jerovin Floyd Vincent Joseph
IIIT Delhi
ChillGui
Jerovin, a student at IIIT Delhi, built ChillGui on his own. It is an Edge-AI layer that simplifies everyday app interfaces for older users. The idea came from helping older family members use their smartphones.
Innovation Track · Best Innovation
Gantavya Rohilla
IIT Madras
A personal handwriting model
Gantavya, a third-year student at IIT Madras, built a model that learns a user's handwriting and can do calculations, with the aim of moving note-taking into physical space. He is exploring smart-glasses integration.
Top 20
The Top 20 went on to incubation.
Builders who reached the Top 20 received a certificate of appreciation signed by GRID's co-founders, and moved on to the incubation stage.
- Organiser
- Project GRID
- Format
- Online, designed so students with limited resources and slow internet could take part
- Who could join
- Students aged 14 and above
- Prizes
- ₹1 lakh in prizes, given as HP laptops to the winners
- Outcome
- The Top 20 teams entered incubation
06 / 08How it was judged
How projects were judged.
The brief was open: pick any of the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals and build for it.
- 25%InnovationHow novel is the idea? Does it open a new space or solve an overlooked problem in a genuinely new way?
- 20%FeasibilityCan this actually be built and shipped? Is the technical and business approach grounded in reality?
- 20%Design & UXIs the product intuitive, polished, and built with the end-user in mind?
- 20%ExecutionHow much was built? Does the prototype work? Quality of the live demo and code.
- 15%ImpactWhat is the potential real-world impact? How well does the solution align with the SDG theme?
07 / 08Photos
Aurora, in photos.
01 / 04 Aurora Global Hackathon winners with their awarded laptop prizes.
projectgrid.org/programmes/aurora (source, opens in a new tab)
08 / 08Aurora · GRID organised
More from ProjectGRID
Aurora 2026 is complete. Thank you to every builder, judge and mentor.
See it on Devpost (opens in a new tab) aurora.projectgrid.org (opens in a new tab) projectgrid.org/programmes/aurora (opens in a new tab)