vivo India has unveiled the national winners of its 'vivo Ignite: Technology and Innovation Awards' over the weekend in New Delhi in a function attended by Rajendra Prasad Singh, Chief Scientist and Head, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, Ministry of Science and Technology.
The initiative, conducted in collaboration with NCERT and iHub DivyaSampark, IIT Roorkee, attracted more than 19,000 registrations and received over 4,000 projects from Indian students in Grades 8 to 12. The competition, held in three stages from November 2023 to February 2024, aimed to encourage and showcase the innovative potential of young minds.
The winning project, "Smart Street – Where Innovation Meets Sustainability", claimed the top prize of ₹7 lakh. The prototype focuses on implementing smart streets to create safer, greener, and scenic roads, vivo said in a press release. "Multi-Functional Eco-Friendly Agro Machine", "Automatic Machine For Ready To Grow Oyster Mushroom Bags", "Optimization For Cyclists' Posture Using Real-Time Embedded System And Data Analysis", and "STEMLY" were the runners-up, sharig cash prizes worth ₹14 lakh.
Geetaj Channana, Head of Corporate Strategy, vivo India, congratulated the winners and emphasised the company's commitment to nurturing emerging talent through initiatives like vivo Ignite.
The winners of the 'vivo Ignote Awards'
The sixth- to 10th-placed finalists received a cash prize of ₹25,000.
Prof (Dr.) Indu Kumar, Head, Department of ICT and Training Division, CIET – NCERT, praised the creativity and problem-solving abilities showcased by the youth, citing the winning project as an example of innovative thinking with the potential to improve urban environments.
Manish Anand, CEO, iHub DivyaSampark, IIT Roorkee, celebrated the success of the vivo Ignite Awards, emphasising its role in fostering innovation and entrepreneurship among India's youth.
Certificates and exciting goodies will be awarded to all 10 national finalists and 200 zonal winners. The top 25 ideas, selected based on video submissions, are currently under evaluation for research study/incubation/startup by iHUB DivyaSampark – the innovation centre of IIT Roorkee.
The jury, comprising academicians and industry experts, evaluated the projects based on criteria such as creativity, innovation, utilisation of science and technology, scalability, cost-effectiveness, and potential societal impact.
