Grand Prize Ceremony Concludes ‘Smart India Hackathon-25’ at KIT, Kolhapur

Kolhapur, : The final prize distribution ceremony of the ‘Smart India Hackathon (SIH) – 2025’, a national-level competition organized by the Innovation Cell of the Ministry of Education, Government of India, in collaboration with AICTE, was successfully held late on Tuesday night, December 9, at the KIT College of Engineering (Autonomous), Kolhapur.

The winning teams across the six divisions, each receiving a cash prize of ₹1,50,000, were:

Division	Team Name	Institute Name
Division 1	Team Bastik	Institute of Engineering and Technology, Lucknow
Division 2	Cable Sense	K.K. Wagh Institute of Engineering Education and Research, Nashik
Division 3	Algo Sapiens	Sinhgad Institute of Technology, Lonavala, Pune
Division 4	Team K-Warriors	Yeshwantrao Chavan College of Engineering, Nagpur
Division 5 (Joint)	Idea Bliss	MIT University, Pune
Division 5 (Joint)	Agratas	K.K. Wagh Institute of Engineering Education and Research, Nashik
Division 6	Hack for Impact	BMS College of Engineering, Bangalore

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Vision for an Atmanirbhar Bharat

The Chief Guest for the ceremony, Deepak Joshi, Vice President of Human Resources at Tata AutoComp Ltd., addressed the participants. He heartily thanked the Government of India for providing young engineers with the opportunity to directly tackle problems of national importance through the Hackathon.

In his guiding speech, Joshi emphasized, “A positive mindset, corresponding hard work, the right utilization of available opportunities, and the dream of a self-reliant (Atmanirbhar) and developed India will form the foundation of your future success.”

He further added, “One must take responsibility for solving meaningful problems. Through sustained hard work, personal knowledge, skills, and intellectual maturity, we can find permanent solutions to these problems.” He urged the engineering youth to adopt an entrepreneurial mindset and leverage the supportive ecosystem to create employment opportunities for millions in the country, thereby enhancing their own credibility.

Summary of the Competition

Dr. Mohan Vanrotti, Director and Chief Organizer of the Competition, presented the event summary. He outlined all the stages of the SIH-25, which took place from December 8-9, 2025, starting from the participants’ arrival in Kolhapur to the final session

• The facilities provided to the contestants and mentors.
• The guidance they received from the judges.
• The cultural program held late at night to keep up the josh (enthusiasm).
• The yoga session held in the early morning.
• The interaction with Hon’ble Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
• The three rounds of evaluations.

He lauded the positive efforts, knowledge, and teamwork displayed by the participants and wished them well for the future.

The World’s Largest Technical Challenge

Akanksha Shejal, the AICTE-appointed Nodal Head for the competition, shared data regarding the national-level necessity, scope, and the significant participation of students and mentors in the event. She highlighted that the SIH is the world’s largest platform that puts the technical skills of Indian students to the test and showcases the nation’s intellectual prowess.

She expressed gratitude on behalf of the AICTE to everyone, from the Central Government to KIT College, who contributed to the success of the massive organization.

Recognition and Awards

• Participation Certificates and mementos were presented to all 28 participating teams.
• Judges from the industry and academic sectors were felicitated with mementos for their contribution to the evaluation process.
• Special Honor: Chief Guest Deepak Joshi honored the KIT team for the excellent planning of SIH-25. Those recognized included Chief Organizer Dr. Mohan Vanrotti (Director), Competition Convener Prof. Ajay Kapse, and Co-Convener Prof. Pravin Gosavi.

The prizes—which included a memento, a cash prize of ₹1,50,000, and a certificate—were awarded to the winning teams by Deepak Joshi, Sajid Hudli (Chairman of KIT), Dr. Mohan Vanrotti, and Akanksha Shejal.

Prof. Shruti Kashid and Prof. Shubhada Savkhande conducted the proceedings, and Prof. Pravin Gosavi delivered the vote of thanks. The ceremony concluded with the rendition of Vande Mataram.