01About
An ideathon built around one shift in how students think
Most school work asks students to answer questions that already have an answer. Prodigy Ideathon asks them to find a problem worth solving — and to defend the solution.
What is Prodigy Ideathon?
Prodigy Ideathon is an inter-school innovation challenge for students in Classes 9–12, organised by Tera Compute LLP. Teams of 2–4 students identify a real-world problem, research it, design a solution concept and pitch it to expert judges over roughly six days. Cohort 1, the first edition, runs September–October 2026 in Ghaziabad and across Delhi NCR.
Why does Prodigy Ideathon exist?
Students are trained, for the most part, to answer questions that already have a defined answer. Real innovation begins somewhere else — when a student learns to identify a problem, understand who it affects, question assumptions, and construct a solution that can be defended. Prodigy Ideathon is built around that shift. Teams are not asked to arrive with an idea; they are asked to work through a sequence, and to present the reasoning behind it.
What if students didn’t just learn about problems, but learned to solve them?
Cohort 1: key facts
- Programme
- Prodigy Ideathon Cohort 1
- Format
- Inter-school innovation challenge
- Organiser
- Tera Compute LLP (Tera Compute)
- Who can take part
- Students in Classes 9–12, in teams of 2–4, through a participating school
- Dates
- September – October 2026. Exact date agreed with each school.
- Location
- Participating schools in Ghaziabad and Delhi NCR
- Participation fee
- ₹100 per student, collected through the school
- Challenge themes
- Aqua Next, Circular Futures, Sustainability Frontiers, EduNova, HealthForward, Open Impact
- Recognition
- Certificate for every participant; school trophies; Grand Finale cash awards of ₹10,000 / ₹7,000 / ₹5,000
- Register
- A school representative registers the school at prodigyideathon.teracompute.co/register
02 What makes it different
Four things that define the programme
- 01
A challenge, not a class
Six days of structured work where students identify a real-world problem, research it, design a solution concept and pitch it before expert judges.
- 02
Reasoning over prototypes
Teams are judged on problem understanding, originality, solution quality, impact and how well they defend it — not on building hardware.
- 03
Run through schools
Students take part in teams of 2–4 through a participating school. The School Round happens on the school’s own campus.
- 04
Built to recur
Cohort 1 is the first edition of an ongoing programme. The format, rubric and expert network are designed to run again, and grow.
03 What participation looks like
A sequence, not a scramble
Teams are not asked to arrive with an idea. They are asked to work through five steps, in order, and to present the reasoning behind each one. A physical prototype is not required at any stage. Teams are judged on how well they understand the problem, how original and feasible the solution is, the impact it could have, and how clearly they defend it. See how teams are judged and the six challenge themes.
- Problem-solving
- Critical thinking
- Research
- Creativity
- Teamwork
- Communication
- Presentation
- Innovation mindset
- Practical use of AI & technology
The five steps every team defends
- 01 Identify Spot a real problem
- 02 Research Understand why it matters
- 03 Ideate Invent a response
- 04 Design Shape the solution
- 05 Pitch Defend the case
04 Who it's for
A pathway for students, schools, educators and partners
Students take part through their school. Everyone else has a defined way to contribute.
-
Students, Classes 9–12
Take part in a team of 2–4 through your school. Pick a theme, work the five-step journey, and pitch your solution to expert judges.
How it works → -
Schools & institutions
Bring Prodigy Ideathon to your campus. You provide a venue and a nominated judge; Tera Compute provides the framework, external judging, rubric, certificates and two workshops.
Register your school → -
Educators & coordinators
Run the programme with light lift. Batch-wise calling keeps the timetable intact, and a faculty AI workshop is included.
Explore workshops → -
Mentors & industry experts
Judge a School Round panel or a Finale, or lead a session. Bring a real-world lens to the way students frame and defend problems.
Get in touch → -
Organisations & partners
Support the programme as a knowledge, innovation, education, industry or community partner — or host the Grand Finale.
Call for partnerships →
05 The organiser
Tera Compute LLP
Tera Compute is a technology venture working at the intersection of technology, artificial intelligence and sustainability. Prodigy Ideathon is its flagship school-innovation programme.
Prodigy Ideathon is Tera Compute's flagship school engagement. The format, rubric and expert network are designed to run again — Cohort 1 is the beginning, not a one-off.
Visit teracompute.co- DPIIT-recognised startup
- MSME registered
- Incubated at IPEC TBI
- Supported under MeitY GENESIS EIR 1.0
Take part
Bring Prodigy Ideathon to your students
Cohort 1 is registering schools now. Start with a short school registration; the team takes it from there.