- Registration is LIVE!
- Winner Announcement 15th Aug 2026
Arduino Physical AI
Challenge India 2026
Build the Future with Physical AI using Arduino® UNO™ Q Boards.
India’s leading hardware innovation competition.
- In Association with STEMLORE
₹30 Lakhs+Total Prize Pool
Project Submission Deadline
31 July 2026 — Time Remaining
About the Challenge
India's Leading Physical AI Innovation Contest
Open to students, makers, startups, and creators who dare to build real-world AI systems with hardware.
Physical AI Focus
Build AI systems that interact with the real world — sensors, actuators, edge inference, and beyond.
Real Hardware
Use the Arduino® UNO™ Q as the foundation of your innovation — the most powerful Arduino yet.
₹30L+ in Prizes
Win cash, hardware, laptops, certifications, and direct mentorship from Qualcomm & Arduino leaders.
Open to All Levels
Whether you're a first-year student or a seasoned maker — if you have an idea, you can compete.
Eligibility
Who Can Participate?
This contest is open to innovators across every background and experience level.
School / Colleges
School (Any Grade) & College students from any engineering or science discipline solo or teams of up to 4.
Makers & Developers
Independent makers, DIY enthusiasts, and hardware developers of all ages.
Startups & Innovators
Early-stage startups building physical AI products are eligible for the Innovation track.
AI Creators & YouTubers
Tech content creators who build live — document your build journey for the Creator Award.
Contest Tracks
Innovation Categories
Build in the domain that excites you most. Each category has dedicated special awards.
Smart Homes & Consumer AI
Voice assistants, energy monitors, security systems, smart appliances with embedded intelligence.
Gaming, Robotics & Interactive AI
Autonomous robots, human-robot interaction, navigation, manipulation, and collaborative systems.
Industrial & Sustainability AI
Smart factories, predictive maintenance, environmental monitoring, and green tech innovation.
Pick your track and start building today. Registration is FREE.
Prizes & Awards
Win Big. Build Bigger.
Awarded per category — every track has its own Grand Winner, Second & Third Prize.
Total Value
- ₹2.5L+
Cash + Rewards
Grand Winner — Per Category 🏆
Grand Winner
₹1,00,000 Cash Prize
- AI Laptop with Snapdragon® X Elite processor
- Arduino® UNO™ Q Developer Kit
- All-expenses-paid Mentorship in India Qualcomm® Offices
- Feature on Arduino® + Qualcomm® Global Social & Media
- Digital Certificate
Total Value
- ₹1.5L+
Cash + Rewards
2nd Prize — Per Category
Second Prize
₹75,000 Cash Prize
- AI Laptop with Snapdragon® Processor
- Arduino® UNO™ Q Developer Kit
- All-expenses-paid Mentorship in India Qualcomm® Offices
- Feature on Arduino® + Qualcomm® Global Social & Media
- Digital Certificate
Total Value
- ₹1L+
Cash + Rewards
3rd Prize — Per Category
Third Prize
₹50,000 Cash Prize
- Smartphone with Snapdragon® processor
- Arduino® UNO™ Q Developer Kit
- All-expenses-paid Mentorship in India Qualcomm® Offices
- Feature on Arduino® + Qualcomm® Global Social & Media
- Digital Certificate
💡 INNOVATION PICKS
Special Awards & Recognition
Beyond the main prizes, we’ve created targeted awards so every builder — from school students to college teams to women in tech — has a real shot at winning something meaningful.
Best Women Project in AI
₹50,000
Cash Prize · 1 Award (Solo/Team)
- Smartphone with Snapdragon® processor
- All-expenses-paid Mentorship in India Qualcomm® Offices
- Feature on Arduino® + Qualcomm® Global Social & Media
People's Choice Award
₹50,000
Cash Prize · 1 Award (Solo/Team)
- Smartphone with Snapdragon® processor
- All-expenses-paid Mentorship in India Qualcomm® Offices
- Feature on Arduino® + Qualcomm® Global Social & Media
- Awarded to any project achieving Highest engagement on Social Media (Likes, Views, Shares, Comments)
Best School Team
₹50,000
Cash Prize · 3 Awards (Team)
- 10x Arduino® UNO™ Q Developer Kits for Schools Lab (₹1.5L Value)
- Institution approval on official letterhead required
Best College Team
₹50,000
Cash Prize · 3 Awards (Team)
- 10x Arduino® UNO™ Q Developer Kits for College Lab (₹1.5L Value)
- Institution approval on official letterhead required
Key Dates
Contest Timeline
Mark your calendar — every milestone brings you closer to the national stage.
Participation Guide
How to Participate
From buying the Arduino® UNO™ Q to competing at a national level — here’s your roadmap.
Register (Solo / Team)
Form a team of 1–4 members and register
01
Get Arduino UNO Q
Purchase from Stemlore.com or other resellers. Purchase proof at Project Submission
02
Build Your AI Project
Design a real-world Physical AI Project in your chosen category.
03
Submit Project (Documents)
Demo video, GitHub source code, and a project report (PDF). 📅 Submission portal opens 15 June 2026
04
Expert Evaluation
Judges from Arduino, Qualcomm & Stemlore evaluate your submission.
05
Winner Announcement
Winners will be announced on 15 August 2026.
06
Important: Arduino® UNO™ Q purchase proof Is mandatory for Project submission.
Benefits
Why Join the Challenge?
Global Recognition
Get featured on the Arduino & Quaclomm platform
AI Portfolio
Build a real project to showcase to employers
Industry Exposure
Meet Qualcomm & Arduino teams directly
Arduino Certificate
Official certification recognized globally
Career Growth
Physical AI skills are in massive demand in 2026
Evaluation
Judging Criteria
Projects are evaluated on a 100-point scale by a panel of industry experts.
Working conditions, reliability, implementation of quality, performance, and responsiveness of the project.
Uniqueness of the idea, creativity, and real-world problem-solving approach.
Quality and clarity of project explanation, workflow, BOM, circuit schematics, and code structure.
Project presentation quality, demonstration, design thinking, and creativity in execution.
Ecosystem Partners
Backed by the Best
A world-class ecosystem of technology, education, and innovation partners.
Arduino®
TITLE SPONSOR
Qualcomm®
TECHNOLOGY PARTNER
EFY
IN ASSOCIATION WITH
Legal
Terms & Conditions
Please read carefully before registering.
Eligibility
- Open to participants from India only
- Teams of 1–4 members allowed
- Arduino UNO Q purchase proof is mandatory
- Only original, unpublished projects accepted
Intellectual Property
- Participants retain full ownership of their projects
- By submitting, you grant Arduino & Stemlore.in rights to showcase your project for promotional use
- Plagiarism or copied work will result in immediate disqualification
Judging & Prizes
- Judges' decisions are final and binding
- Prizes are non-transferable and non-exchangeable
- Winners must provide valid ID and bank details for prize disbursement
Competition Format
- Entirely online — no in-person attendance required
- Submission must include video demo, source code & project report
- Organisers reserve the right to modify dates or rules with prior notice
- Arduino UNO Q must be the primary board
By registering, you agree to these terms. For queries write to support@stemlore.com
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Any student, maker, startup founder, or tech creator from India can participate. There is no age restriction, though school students will compete in a dedicated track.
Yes. The Arduino UNO Q must be the primary board in your project. It features both a microprocessor (for Linux/AI tasks) and a microcontroller (for real-time hardware control)
Teams can be 1–4 members. Solo participants are welcome. Teams must include at least one UNO Q per registered team.
Yes! School students are welcome to participate. You can join solo or form a team. A dedicated ‘Best School Team’ award is available for school participants.
The entire competition is 100% online — from registration to submission to evaluation and winner announcement. No in-person attendance is required at any stage.
Projects are scored on: Innovation & Originality (25 pts), Project Functionality & Execution (40 pts), Technical Documentation — BOM, circuit schematics & code quality (20 pts), and Presentation & Creativity (15 pts). Total: 100 points, evaluated by industry experts
Submit a 3–5 minute demo video, your source code on GitHub, a project report (PDF), and a circuit/system diagram. Open-source projects get bonus points.
Snapdragon and Qualcomm branded products are products of Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. and/or its subsidiaries. Arduino and UNO, and the Arduino logo, are trademarks or registered trademarks of Arduino S.r.l.
India’s Leading Physical AI innovation competition, In association with STEMLORE.
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Arduino and UNO are trademarks or registered trademarks of Arduino S.r.l.