The renowned Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur (IIT-Kharagpur) has recently announced the launch of the 7th edition of its flagship competition, the Young Innovators Programme (YIP), inviting school students from classes 8 to 12 across India to participate in a thrilling journey of creativity and innovation. 

The programme, organised by the institute’s Student Branding and Relations Cell (SBRC), is designed explicitly to nurture scientific curiosity and problem-solving among young minds. Students interested in joining must act quickly: abstract submissions begin now and the deadline for Round 1 is November 30, 2025. 

Here is how the competition unfolds:

Round 1: Participants submit a project abstract outlining their innovation idea. This phase runs from October 14 to November 30, 2025. 
Round 2: Selected teams will be invited to the IIT-Kharagpur campus from January 3, 2026, to present prototypes, demonstrations, and charts in front of faculty and researchers. 
Round 3: The final stage involves full presentations, live demonstrations, and interactive Q&A sessions before a panel of experts. 

One of the standout strengths of this initiative is the opportunity for school-students to step beyond textbooks and bring their ideas into the real world. The organisers emphasise not letting “exceptional ideas languish in dormancy” a call to action for students to apply their inventive thinking. Additionally, the competition gives young participants a rare chance to experience a premier institute’s scientific ecosystem: team-account management via the school’s coordinating teacher, submission portals, prototype development and on-campus showcase all combine to provide immersive exposure. 

From an educational viewpoint, the programme serves as a bridge between standard school curriculum and hands-on innovation. By engaging early in prototype creation and demonstration, students develop critical thinking, design thinking and presentation skills that go beyond exam preparation. For India’s youth — increasingly looking ahead to technology-driven futures this kind of engagement builds confidence and a mindset of solving real-world problems rather than only absorbing information.

For schools and teachers, the process is straightforward yet exciting: a coordinating teacher registers the school, creates team accounts on the YIP portal, and manages uploads of student-submissions. Schools can sponsor multiple teams, enabling wider student participation. For students, the key tip is to start early: craft a strong abstract that identifies a clear problem and proposes an innovative solution, ideally linking to prototype possibilities. Given the campus rounds and presentations, students should also prepare for demonstration-readiness and presentation clarity.

In summary, the Young Innovators Programme at IIT Kharagpur offers a compelling platform for school students who are eager to experiment, design and present real-world solutions. If you’re in class 8 to 12 and bursting with ideas, this is your chance to showcase them, learn from top-tier faculty, and perhaps even become one of India’s next young innovators.