Rules & Terms

Young Founders Challenge India 2026 is founded and organised by Aaryaveer Jatia (the “organiser”). This competition is independently organised and is not affiliated with any school, university, government body or other organisation unless expressly stated.

Participants must be aged 13–18 at the application deadline and may participate from anywhere in India. Solo participants and teams of up to four participants are permitted, with one primary applicant or team leader per entry. Existing ventures and new ideas are both eligible. No revenue, prototype or previous entrepreneurship experience is required.

Participants under 18 require parent or guardian consent, which must be given as part of the application.

Applications close 30 September 2026 · 11:59 PM IST. Round 2, semi-final and final deadlines are communicated by email to participants who progress. Missing a stage deadline may result in the entry not advancing.

The standard entry fee is ₹999 per application. The fee covers participation and administration of the competition. Each idea requires a separate application and a separate fee.

An application is only treated as successfully entered once payment has been confirmed by the payment provider. Paying the entry fee does not influence judging in any way and does not guarantee progression to any round.

Entries are scored against the published rubric: Problem & Need 20%, Solution 20%, Business Potential 25%, Execution / Traction 20%, Founder Understanding & Pitch 15%. For ideas that have not launched, Execution / Traction considers research, validation, planning, initiative or progress rather than revenue.

The highest-scoring 75% of eligible Round 1 entries progress to Round 2; the lowest-scoring 25% do not advance. Approximately the top 20 entries progress to the semi-final and approximately 8–10 finalists pitch in the grand final. All entries are evaluated by the organiser, Aaryaveer Jatia, against the published rubric.

Any conflict of interest is declared, and an entry affected by a material conflict of interest is not scored. Scoring decisions are final.

An entry may be disqualified for providing false or misleading information, missing eligibility criteria, plagiarism or misrepresenting another person's work as your own, abusive or dishonest conduct, or attempting to improperly influence the outcome. Where an entry is disqualified for the participant's own breach, the entry fee is not refundable.

Participants retain ownership of all intellectual property in their idea, materials and submissions. The organiser claims no ownership, licence to commercialise, or equity of any kind.

Submissions are reviewed by the organiser. The competition does not create an NDA or confidentiality obligation, and the organiser cannot guarantee that a similar idea will not be submitted by someone else. Submit only what you are comfortable sharing for evaluation.

By entering, participants permit the organiser to publish the participant's or team leader's first name, city, idea name and one-line description, and — for finalists and winners — recognition of their result, for the purpose of announcing and documenting the competition. Parents or guardians may request that a participant's name be withheld and replaced with initials by writing to hello@youngfounderschallenge.in. Participation in live final sessions may be recorded.

The guaranteed cash prize pool is ₹25,000: ₹15,000 for 1st place, ₹7,000 for 2nd place and ₹3,000 for 3rd place. The pool is guaranteed and is not dependent on the number of entries received.

Prizes are paid by bank transfer after verification of identity, age and eligibility, normally within 30 days of the final. Where a team wins, the prize is paid to the team leader on behalf of the team, and the team is responsible for dividing it. Prizes cannot be exchanged for another benefit. Any taxes, statutory deductions or reporting obligations arising from a prize are the responsibility of the recipient, and the organiser may withhold amounts where required by law.

The organiser may adjust dates, round structure or format where reasonably necessary, and will notify affected participants by email. If the competition is cancelled by the organiser before judging is complete, paid entry fees are refunded in full — see the Refund & Cancellation Policy.

The organiser is not liable for delay or failure to perform caused by events beyond reasonable control, including internet or platform outages, natural events, public health measures, or government action. Where possible, affected stages are rescheduled rather than cancelled.

Participants and their parents or guardians are expected to behave respectfully in all competition communication and sessions. Harassment, discrimination, abusive language and dishonesty are not tolerated and may result in removal from the competition.

A parent or guardian must confirm that they consent to the participant entering, to the processing of the information provided, and to the participant taking part in online sessions where required. The organiser may contact the parent or guardian to verify consent.

The organiser may interpret and apply these rules, resolve situations they do not cover, and make final decisions on eligibility, disqualification and progression. To the extent permitted by law, the organiser's total liability in connection with the competition is limited to the entry fee paid.

Final legal entity details, registered address and governing-law details will be added here once confirmed. Questions about these terms: hello@youngfounderschallenge.in.