Naval Innovathon 2025

Sail Beyond Limits - Innovate for the Nation

Description

Naval Innovathon 2025 is a national-level initiative launched by the Indian Navy and is being coordinated by Weapons and Electronics Systems Engineering Establishment (WESEE), the premier R&D organisation of the Indian Navy.

The initiative invites startups, innovators, and students from across India to develop breakthrough solutions for the Navy of tomorrow. Participants will tackle real-world challenges across three key domains:

Each challenge offers ₹2 Lakhs for the winner and ₹1 Lakh for the runner-up, along with the opportunity to interact with Naval leaders and technology experts.

The hackathon serves as a platform to showcase India’s brightest minds, foster defense innovation, and strengthen collaboration between the Navy and the nation’s innovation ecosystem.

🏆 Winners – Naval Innovathon 2025

Autonomous Operations
Winner: Kanan Agarwal (Team ID - 10F9B8)
Runner-up: Team Unit Zero (Team ID - AED710)

Cybersecurity
Winner: Team Mavericks (Team ID - B7633F)
Runner-up: Team TRINETRA (Team ID - 99A249)

Artificial Intelligence
Winner: Team SapidBlue (Team ID - 2E0EE6)
Runner-up: Team MCTE (Team ID - BA06BB)

Eligibility

Naval Innovathon 2025 is open to Indian citizens with at least a bachelor’s degree (including students graduating in 2026).

Who Can Apply

Innovators, researchers, and technologists
Startups, entrepreneurs, and industry professionals
Engineers, developers, and scientists
Students from any discipline (final-year UG and above)

Note: There is no bar on age and experience

Rounds

1 Dec'25-10 Jan'26

Solution Submission

Participants may choose one of the three problem statements released on this portal and submit their innovative solutions through the microsite. Every team can submit a solution for only one problem statement. Multiple submissions are not allowed.

Submissions are to include a concept note along with a detailed product description, a pitch deck, source code and an executable docker container (where required).
Only the team leader can submit the solution on behalf of the team.

Last date for solution submission – 4th Jan 2026

1 Dec'25-10 Jan'26

26 Jan'26

Announcement of Results

Top ideas will be shortlisted by the evaluation committee based on innovation, feasibility and impact. Winners will be declared on 26th Jan 2026 on this portal and felicitated in Delhi on a suitable date that would be intimated directly to the concerned participants.

Maximum of two representatives per winning team will be invited to attend the felicitation ceremony.

26 Jan'26

Rewards

About the organizer

The Indian Navy is a well-balanced, future-proof, credible and cohesive three-dimensional force, capable of operating above, on and under the surface of the oceans, efficiently safeguarding our national interests. The Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS) exercises operational and administrative control of the Indian Navy from the Naval Headquarters (NHQ) at New Delhi. He is assisted by the Vice Chief of the Naval Staff (VCNS) and three other Principal Staff Officers, namely the Deputy Chief of the Naval Staff (DCNS), the Chief of Personnel (COP) and the Chief of Material (COM).

The Navy has the following three Commands, each under the control of a Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief: -

The Western Naval Command (Headquarters at Mumbai)
The Eastern Naval Command (Headquarters at Visakhapatnam)
The Southern Naval Command (Headquarters at Kochi)

The Western and the Eastern Naval Commands are 'Operational Commands', and exercise control over operations in the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal respectively. The Southern Naval Command is the Training Command.

The cutting edge of the Indian Navy are its two Fleets, namely the Western Fleet, based at Mumbai and the Eastern Fleet, based at Visakhapatnam. Besides the Fleets, there is a Flotilla each, based at Mumbai, Visakhapatnam and Port Blair (A & N Islands), that provide Local Naval Defence in their respective regions. Naval ships are also based at other ports along the East and the West coasts of India and the island territories, thus ensuring continued naval presence in the areas of national interest.

FAQs

Who can participate in Naval Innovathon 2025?

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The hackathon is open to all Indian nationals — including innovators, startups, scientists, defence industry professionals, engineers, developers, and graduates from any field.

Are college students eligible?

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Yes, final-year undergraduate students and graduates from any discipline can participate. If you are currently pursuing post-graduation, you are also welcome to register.

What is the team size limit?

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Teams can have 1 to 5 members.

Can startups participate with existing ideas or products?

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Yes, startups can present existing ideas, prototypes, or new concepts relevant to the problem statements. There are no constraints on development stage or source code origin.

What kind of solution needs to be submitted?

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Participants must submit a functional prototype along with the complete source code for evaluation.

Who owns the intellectual property of the submitted solution?

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Upon submission, ownership of the submitted source code and associated IP of the winners will be transferred to the Indian Navy.

Is there an NDA involved?

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Yes, participants (or authorized startup representatives) will be required to sign a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) at the time of final submission.

How will winners be selected?

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A jury appointed by the Indian Navy will evaluate submissions based on innovation, technical execution, and relevance to the problem statement. The decision of the panel will be final and binding.

Will travel expenses for the prize distribution event be covered?

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No, participants must bear their own travel and accommodation expenses for the felicitation ceremony in Delhi.

What happens if plagiarism is detected?

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Any form of plagiarism or unauthorized use of third-party intellectual property will lead to immediate disqualification.

Can I submit a solution for multiple problem statements?

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No, a team can only submit a solution for any one of the problem statements. If multiple submissions are made, the team will be disqualified.

Where can I get help or ask questions?

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You can email us at compete@apna.co or join our Discord Channel - https://discord.gg/8crJ8fD5z7

Results

The final results will be communicated to you by the organiser directly

Support

compete@apna.co

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