KIIT IDEATHON 2025 Grand Finale Celebrates Young Innovators from Across India

On Aug 6, 2025

The grand finale of IDEATHON 2025, jointly organized by the Schools of Mechanical, Electrical, and Civil Engineering at KIIT Deemed to be University, in collaboration with KIIT E-Cell, was held on 3^rd August 2025. The event marked the culmination of a six-month journey of creativity, collaboration, and solution-oriented innovation by school students from across the country.

Conceived as a national platform to nurture design thinking and problem-solving skills at the school level, IDEATHON 2025 attracted enthusiastic participation from students representing diverse regions, including New Delhi, Pune (Maharashtra), Vadodara (Gujarat), Varanasi, Bahraich, Gorakhpur (Uttar Pradesh), Khor and Jabalpur (Madhya Pradesh), Hyderabad, South 24 Parganas (West Bengal), Palakkad (Kerala), and several districts across Odisha, including Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, and Puri.

The competition revolved around five socially relevant and interwoven themes: promoting urban vegetation, waste sorting and up-cycling, play-based educational tools, grassroots innovations for local economic development, and inclusive classroom design. These themes guided participants through each stage of the challenge, encouraging the development of practical and impactful solutions.

The journey began in February 2025, with participation from 500+ teams in Stage-I comprising more than 1,000 participants across India. Close to 300 teams advanced to Stage II, where they refined their ideas through six online workshops and webinars organized by KIIT. The top 15 teams then progressed to Stage III, where they developed working prototypes and presented them at the national showcase.

The final project expo, held during the national showcase, featured guest entries from school students across Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, and Puri, adding vibrancy and curiosity to the event. A total of 50 guest teams showcased their working prototypes alongside the 15 finalists of Stage III, reflecting their creativity and problem-solving abilities.

KIIT IDEATHON 2025 Grand Finale Celebrates Young Innovators from Across India

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At the valedictory ceremony held on 3^rdAugust 2025, Dr. Nitin Sharma, Associate Dean, School of Mechanical Engineering, welcomed the finalists and jury, providing an overview of the initiative and lauding the students’ innovation and grit. He also announced that the next editions of IDEATHON and the KIIT National Mathematics Olympiad would be launched soon.

Prof. (Dr.) Suman Bhattacharya, Director, KIIT Kareer School and Chairman of IDEATHON 2025, highlighted the importance of exposing students to real-world challenges early on. He emphasized that such platforms strengthen future readiness by promoting design-based thinking and smart technology integration.

Delivering the keynote address, Shri A. K. Purohit, Director & Head, Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), Bhubaneswar, praised KIIT for creating a structured innovation ecosystem at the school level. He encouraged replication of such models across the nation to empower students with purpose-driven learning and societal engagement.

The final evaluation was conducted by an esteemed jury panel comprising Ms. Sushree Sasmita Sahoo, Deputy Director, School of Engineering, World Skill Centre; Mr. Manoj Pandia, Director – Technology, BookingJini; Shri Sarbeswar Samal, Principal, Royal Public School; and Mr. Deepak Patra, Bureau of Indian Standards, Bhubaneswar.

All finalist teams were felicitated with certificates of participation, while the winning teams received trophies and special commendation awards. Mentors were also recognized for their invaluable support throughout the competition.

To conclude the valedictory session, Dr. Asit Behera, Coordinator of IDEATHON 2025, delivered the formal vote of thanks, expressing gratitude to all participants, jury members, mentors, and organizers for making the event a resounding success.

IDEATHON 2025 reaffirmed KIIT’s dedication to shaping the next generation of critical thinkers and change-makers—students motivated by inquiry, empathy, and a desire to create a positive impact in society.