AIoT Design
Challenge 2026
India's premier electronics design contest, sponsored by DigiKey. Submit your IoT innovation, win up to ₹1,00,000, and get featured across EFY's 5M+ audience.
3 mystery developer boards → revealed after registration
₹6,000 Grant Each for Selected 503 boards. 50 grants. Register to reveal them.
Board specs are only revealed to registered participants. Register free to see which boards are up for grabs.
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Boards revealed post-registration
Board specs, Idea Submission sample, Project Article sample, and videos will be shared with registered participants only.
₹150 Flipkart voucher just for registering
First 500 professionals get a free Flipkart voucher upon registering for the contest and on DigiKey.in
Certificate for abstract submission
Every participant who submits a worthy abstract earns a Certificate of Participation.
Ready to take your 1st step? Registration is open now.
First 500 professionals get a free Flipkart voucher upon registering for the contest and on DigiKey.in
Prizes & Rewards
Win prizes worth ₹6,00,000+
Cash, sponsorship, certificates — and major editorial coverage across EFY platforms.
1st Place
₹1,00,000
◾ Grand Innovator Award Certificate
◾ Published on ElectronicsForU.com
◾ Featured in EFY Magazine
2nd Place
₹30,000
◾ Innovation Excellence Award Certificate
◾ Published on ElectronicsForU.com
3rd Place
₹20,000
◾ Innovation Merit Award Certificate
◾ Published on ElectronicsForU.com
Most Popular · 15 Projects
₹5,000 each
◾ People's Choice Award Certificate
◾ Published on ElectronicsForU.com
Selected 50 · Dev board Grant
₹6,000 each
◾ Grant to cover board and components purchased via DigiKey (processed after the project is submitted)
◾ Finalist Innovator Certificate
◾ Published on ElectronicsForU.com
First 500 Engineering Professionals
₹150 voucher
◾ Engineering professionals get a Flipkart voucher upon registering for the contest and on DigiKey.in
◾ Verified professional email required
The Real Prize: Get your work seen by 5 million+ eyes in the industry
Winners get editorial coverage in ElectronicsForU.com with their own author page, plus promotion across multiple EFY social channels. Even non-winners gain visibility and a public project page on ElectronicsForU.com permanently. Even if you don't win, your work lives on as a public project page building your name and credibility over time.
Meet the Judges
Evaluated by Industry Experts
Your projects will be assessed by seasoned professionals from EFY Group and DigiKey with decades of hands-on electronics experience.
Ashwini Kumar Sinha
Inventor · World Record Holder · Electronics Design Expert
Inventor of the Indusboard Coin and team member at EFY Labs. A two-time world record holder for designing the world's smallest circuits and gadgets, he brings rare hands-on expertise in miniaturised electronics design to the panel. With deep roots in robotics, embedded systems, and hardware innovation, Ashwini has spent his career pushing the boundaries of what is physically possible in circuit design.
Suresh Dwivedi
Senior Electronics Engineer · Circuit Design Specialist
An experienced electronics engineer with around 25 years of hands-on expertise in circuit testing and design. Over his career he has tested approximately 1,500 circuits across various applications and successfully designed around 100 digital and analog circuits. An active contributor to innovative electronics projects and a dedicated hobbyist with a strong passion for the craft.
Akanksha Sondhi Gaur
Senior Technology Journalist · M.Tech Signal Processing · Patent Holder
Senior Technology Journalist at Electronics For You Group with an M.Tech in Signal Processing. Has served as Assistant Professor in ECE and worked in the CISCO VoIP and networking domain, bridging academia and industry. Author of multiple research publications and holder of a granted patent in EEG-based seizure detection, with a strong foundation in digital signal processing and innovation.
Penny Tse
Senior Manager · Application Engineering · DigiKey
Penny Tse is a Senior Manager of Application Engineering at DigiKey and brings 20+ years of industry experience supporting engineers, OEMs, ODMs, CMs, makers, and universities. With DigiKey since 2013, he holds a bachelor’s in Electronics Engineering from HKUST.
Aswin Babu
Academic Program Engineer · Application Engineering · DigiKey
Aswin Babu, Academic Program Engineer at DigiKey. He specializes in embedded systems, IoT protocols, robotics, and computer vision, with degrees in Robotics from University of Surrey and Electrical Engineering from CET.
Timeline
How to get started
Here is the full schedule from registration to winner announcements.
Stage 1 — Registration opens
First 500 professionals get a free Flipkart voucher upon registering for the contest and on DigiKey.in
Stage 2 — Abstract submission
Submit your project idea. EFY will shortlist up to 500 qualified abstracts. Strong ideas will receive guidance to meet the quality bar for publication.
Stage 3 — Project draft submissions
Submit your project draft — one submission per board, multiple submissions allowed across different boards.
Stage 4 — Board purchase & onboarding
Top 50 projects selected. Shortlisted participants are contacted and guided to purchase their board through DigiKey.
Stage 5 — Final project submission
Submit your completed project including a written article and a video proof of concept.
Stage 6 — Public voting Opens
Projects published on ElectronicsForU.com for community voting.
Winners announced
Final results published across EFY platforms, prizes disbursed, and winner projects published permanently.
Ready to take your 1st step? Registration is open now.
First 500 engineering professionals get a ₹150 Flipkart voucher upon registering for the contest and on DigiKey.in
Judging Criteria
How your project will be scored
Each submission is evaluated across five areas by our panel of judges. Maximum score is 100 points. Once you register, you will recieve an email with an Idea Submission sample and a Project Article sample.
pts
Creativity & Innovation
- ◾ Does your project solve a real problem or improve people's lives?
- ◾ Does it change how people behave or go about their daily routine?
- ◾ Your idea does not have to be entirely new — a fresh, creative take on an existing idea is just as valuable.
pts
Bill of Materials on DigiKey
- ◾ Create a Bill of Materials (BOM) for your project using DigiKey's MyList feature.
- ◾ List all components you used, with part numbers from DigiKey.in.
- ◾ This helps judges understand your component choices and makes your project easier to reproduce.
pts
Documentation
- ◾ Show how you built your project — include photos, circuit diagrams, screenshots, and code where relevant.
- ◾ Write clearly enough that a beginner could follow your steps and recreate your project.
- ◾ The more design detail you share, the better your score.
pts
Real-world Application
- ◾ Could your project grow into a product or a business?
- ◾ Is there a realistic path to manufacture or commercialise it?
- ◾ Projects with clear, practical applications score higher.
pts
Video Demonstration
- ◾ Submit a short video showing your project working.
- ◾ Explain what it does, how it works, and why you built it.
- ◾ You do not need professional production — clear and informative is enough.
FAQs
Common questions
What types of designs are accepted?
Electronics circuit designs or product concepts involving analog, digital, power electronics, embedded systems, IoT, or AI for industrial applications.
Can I develop a project on any application?
Yes, as long as there is an IoT element in it. If there is no IoT element, your abstract and/or project may be disqualified.
What is the benefit of submitting ideas (aka abstracts)?
The first 50 ideas liked by the jury get grant of ₹6,000 (incl. GST) to buy their components and boards from DigiKey. The grant will be transfered upon submission of the final project article. Plus, all who submit worthy abstracts will get a Certificate of Participation (till Abstract Stage).
What if taxes or customs duty is applied to the components and boards selected?
You should plan for the same, as the maximum reimbursement that we can provide is ₹6,000 only.
Can my final project be different from the abstract I submitted?
Yes, it can be. As long as your project is IoT-related and uses the board(s) you sought sponsorship for, your project will be applicable for jury review.
What is the benefit of submitting our project?
You could win up to ₹1,00,000 in cash. Winners get major promotion via Electronics For You magazine and ElectronicsForU.com. Even if you are not among the top winners, you still gain popularity through public voting and your project remains on ElectronicsForU.com permanently. You also get a Certificate of Full Participation.
Is a project video required?
Optional but encouraged. Videos can be uploaded to YouTube or Vimeo and linked in the submission.
Can non-winning projects be published by EFY?
Yes. Selected projects may be featured on ElectronicsForU.com subject to editorial review.
Can we submit a project even if we are not amongst the Selected 50?
Yes, you may, but you will have to bear all the costs of buying the boards and components yourself.
Do we need to send the working prototype to be judged?
No. Our judges will evaluate your project based on a live video call using Google Meet or Zoom.
Do we get to retain the components and boards if we are amongst the Selected 50?
Yes! These are a reward for the Selected 50, and they get to keep them for their future projects.
Can students participate?
Yes, they can — age or education is not a limit. Your ability to innovate is.
Can industry professionals or consultants participate?
Most certainly yes! This will be a great opportunity to generate free marketing for your own and your firm's design expertise.
How will the projects be judged?
Round 1 (Idea Evaluation): Submit your idea/abstract. The earliest 50 exciting ideas that are selected will be reimbursed up to ₹6,000 for boards and components bought from DigiKey.
Round 2 (Project Evaluation): Selected 50 submit final projects including a working video, schematics, circuit explanation, and parts list, followed by video interviews. Parameters: level of innovation, real-world applicability, documentation quality, explainer video quality, and team expertise.
A separate "Most Popular Projects" category is determined through public voting — this does not influence the jury's main prize decisions. The 15 Most Popular Projects receive ₹5,000 each.
Will public voting influence my chances of winning?
Yes and no. The most popular projects will be keenly evaluated by judges, but the final parameters will not include any metric linked to online popularity.
What kind of project is more likely to win the grant?
We encourage creative and realistic ideas. Pet feeders and home automation systems are very common and less creative. You can refer to the judging criteria setion above to get a better idea.
Do I have to submit a project entry in order to receive the grant?
Yes. A project entry must be submitted by the contest deadline to be eligible to receive the grant.
Announcements
Latest updates
Registration is now open. First 500 professionals get a ₹150 Flipkart voucher
Register with your professional email ID and use the same to register on DigiKey to qualify for the early-registrant voucher.
NewFor any queries not answered in the FAQs, reach out at contest@electronicsforu.com