The Government of India announced the launch of the 'AI by HER Global Impact Challenge', a global competition to encourage women innovators to design and deploy AI-driven solutions for public good. It fosters gender equity, inclusive innovation, and real-world social impact through technology.
The challenge, being organized by MyGov India in collaboration with the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) along with IndiaAI, will culminate at the IndiaAI Impact Summit 2026 scheduled for February 19–20 at New Delhi.
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What the challenge offers?
The contest rewards top 10 winning teams with ₹25 lakh cash prize, along with mentorship, global exposure, and sponsored participation at the Summit. The top 30 finalists will have an opportunity to showcase their innovations before policymakers, investors, and global experts.
The competition seeks to uncover deployable AI solutions for solving real-world problems in such sectors as agriculture, healthcare, education, climate, and cybersecurity.
Who can apply?
It is now open to applications globally from women-led teams or individuals. Each team can have up to three members, including at least two women. The lead applicant should hold a key leadership role: Founder, Co-Founder, CEO, CTO, or Product/Technical Lead.
The eligible participants include startups, MSMEs, non-profits, academic and research institutions, and public organisations. Working professionals should submit a No Objection Certificate from their employers.
Entries must showcase pilot-ready or deployable AI solutions; concept-stage ideas will not be considered. Themes and timeline
Applications open via the MyGov portal in October 2025. The first round of evaluation runs from October to November, followed by presentations and bootcamps during November to December 2025. Winners will be declared at the IndiaAI Impact Summit 2026.
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Entries are invited across six categories:
Agriculture category: AI for precision farming, and pest control
Cybersecurity & Digital Wellbeing category: Privacy and online safety solutions
Education category: multilingual and accessible learning tools.
Healthcare category: Diagnostics and predictive analytics
Energy & Climate category: Clean energy and emission monitoring
Wildcard/Open Innovation category: Cross-industry AI applications
