Students from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Hyderabad won the Accenture Innovation Challenge 2026, themed ‘Reinvent with AI’, with teams from IIT Roorkee and IIT Delhi named first and second runners-up, respectively. The challenge is Accenture’s flagship annual innovation competition for STEM students in India.
Now in its eleventh edition, the Accenture Innovation Challenge 2026 attracted over 5,000 registrations from students across 20 IITs and National Institutes of Technology (NITs). It was open to pre-final and final-year undergraduate and postgraduate students enrolled in B.E./B.Tech, M.E./M.Tech, MSc, MCA and integrated dual-degree programmes. Participants applied AI to enterprise challenges spanning business intelligence, responsible AI, manufacturing, and healthcare.
Evaluation process: Over 1100 submissions were evaluated over three rounds during the month-long challenge. The participants first submitted solution proposals outlining their approach to the problem statements, after which shortlisted teams developed working AI-powered prototypes. Ten teams advanced to the grand finale, where they received mentorship from Accenture leaders to further develop their prototypes for enterprise-scale application. The winning solutions were evaluated for their creativity, differentiation, technical strength, business value, responsible use of AI, real-world feasibility, and scalability.
Rewards: The winning, first runner-up and second runner-up teams received prizes worth approximately INR 3,00,000, INR 2,25,000 and INR 1,50,000, respectively. The winners and eligible finalists were also given the opportunity to interview for full-time roles and internships at Accenture.
Accenture quote: Aditi Kulkarni, Lead – Advanced Technology Centers Global Network and Advanced Technology Centers, India, Accenture said, “Harnessing the full potential of AI takes technical skills, creativity, and judgment, as well as a willingness to listen, question, and refine one’s thinking. At the Accenture Innovation Challenge, it was inspiring to see young technologists from leading IITs and NITs draw on the real-world experience of their mentors to turn promising ideas into practical, scalable solutions grounded in business needs.”
