Event Overview

PROTOWAR is a national-level prototype (solution) development competition where students and researchers transform bold ideas into working innovations. Participants will engage in the complete product development journey, from ideation and problem analysis to system design, prototype building, and final demonstration, using engineering fundamentals, Al/ML, IoT, and rapid prototyping techniques.

The event will foster creativity, interdisciplinary collaboration, and practical problem-solving, preparing participants forreal-world challenges beyond the classroom.

Guided by expert mentorship from IIT Delhi specialists and startup founders, PROTOWAR 1.0 emphasises technical excellence, originality, and industry relevance. Evaluated by professionals, teams will receive constructive feedback, hands-on experience, and national-level exposure. More than a competition, the event will cultivate research thinking, entrepreneurial mindsets, and career-ready skills, identifying high-impact ideas and inspiring participants to turn prototypes into viable innovations.

Objectives

• Promote innovation through real-world problem-solving

• Bridge theory and practice by converting ideas into working prototypes

• Encourage interdisciplinary collaboration across engineering, polytechnic, and research domains

• Develop industry-ready skills in system design, optimisation, and real-time implementation

• Foster creativity, research mindset, and entrepreneurship

• Identify and reward technically strong, high-impact prototypes at a national level
  
  Prizes

  • First Prize: 71,00,000

  • Second Prize: ·50,000

  Who Can Participate?

  • Engineering, polytechnic, and research students from any discipline

  • Team size: 1 to 4 members

  • Interdisciplinary teams are encouraged

  • Ideal for participants interested in innovation, Al, ML, and loT

  Mode of Event

  • Phase 1: Online

  • Phase 2: Pre-Event Program (Hybrid)

  • Round 1 & Round 2: Offline (On-Campus)

  Schedule & Timeline

  Pre-Event Program

  • Dates: 13th-14th February 2026

  • Shortlisted teams receive expert guidance before the main event

  Round 1- Prototype Development (On-Campus)

  • Dates: 20-21 February 2026

  • Venue: Chandigarh University Campus, D3 Block

  • Participants: Top 50 teams

  What Happens in Round 1:

  • Problem research and analysis

  • Prototype development

  • AI/ML model development (if required)

  • Continuous monitoring by expert panel members

Round 2 - Grand Finale Presentations

Teams present:

• Working prototype

• Novelty and uniqueness of implementation

• Insights, optimisation logic, and outcomes

• Key learnings from the development process

Key Benefits & Opportunities

• Gain real-time experience in conceptualising, designing, building, testing, and demonstrating functional hardware prototypes under competitive conditions.

• Learn directly from IIT Delhi experts and successful startup founders, gaining insights into advanced technologies, innovation workflows, and product validation.

• Compete for a prize pool of up to 71,00,000, motivating innovation and high-quality prototype development.

• Strengthen technical, analytical, problem-solving, and presentation skills through structured competition rounds.

• Earn certificates and national-level recognition by participating in a high-impact hardware innovation platform.

• Develop an industry-oriented and startup-ready mindset through exposure to rapid prototyping, system optimisation, Al/ML integration, and real-world engineering constraints.

Qualifying Rounds & Selection

• Teams register and submit a problem statement

• Expert evaluation based on novelty and real-world relevance

• Shortlisted teams receive an invitation for the pre-event program

• Final participation in offline rounds on 20th-21st February