Event Overview

Milletverse 2026 is a hands-on product development challenge focused on reimagining millets as future-ready foods. The initiative brings together health, nutrition, sustainability, and entrepreneurship, encouraging students to turn traditional grains into innovative, market-relevant food products.

Participants will work through guided ideation, expert-led workshops, and structured product development support, combining scientific understanding with creativity, design thinking, and business strategy. The journey culminates in a Grand Finale, where student-developed millet-based products are showcased, evaluated, and celebrated by industry and academic experts.

Objectives

• Promote awareness and scientific understanding of millets as nutrient-dense, climate-resilient future foods

• Encourage interdisciplinary collaboration in product ideation, design, and development

• Equip participants with practical skills in food innovation, prototyping, and market-oriented product development through expert-led workshops

• Nurture student entrepreneurship by guiding ideas from concept to viable product solutions

• Provide a competitive platform for students to create, compete, and showcase innovative millet-based products, evaluated on innovation, feasibility, and impact

Prizes

• 1st Prize: 78,000

• 2nd Prize: 74,000

• 3rd Prize: 73,000

• Certificates of Participation for all participants and winners

Who Can Participate?

• Open to Undergraduate (UG), Postgraduate (PG), and PhD students

• Students from all disciplines, including:

• Biotechnology

• Agriculture

• Food & Nutrition Management

• Engineering

• Allied Sciences

• Interdisciplinary and inter-institutional teams are encouraged

• No prior experience required; interest in innovation, food, and entrepreneurship is sufficient

Mode of Event

• Pre-Event Workshop & Ideation: Hybrid Mode

• Product Demonstration & Grand Finale: Offline Mode

Key Benefits & Opportunities

• Hands-on exposure to millet-based food innovation and product development

• Expert-led workshops on ideation, product design, and prototyping

• Opportunity to develop market-oriented, sustainable food solutions

• Interdisciplinary collaboration across science, engineering, agriculture, and management

• Platform to showcase innovations before academic and industry experts

• Cash prizes of 15,000+, certificates, and recognition for winning teams

• Enhancement of research, innovation, and entrepreneurial skills

• Contribution toward nutrition security and sustainable food systems

Registration Fee:

• R200 per participant

Qualifying Rounds & Selection

Pre-Event Workshop & Ideation Round

• Mandatory participation in the pre-event workshop

• Teams will receive guidance on millet science, ideation, and product development

Concept Screening

• Teams submit a brief product concept outline after the workshop

• Evaluation based on:

Innovation and uniqueness

Nutritional and sustainability relevance

Feasibility and practicality

Final Product Development & Grand Finale

• Shortlisted teams proceed to develop and present their millet-based product prototype

• Final evaluation based on:

Product innovation and functionality

Scientific rationale and nutritional value

Market potential and presentation

Schedule & Timeline