National Startup Awards 6.0 Launched

On October 27, 2026, the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) launched the 6th edition of the National Startup Awards (NSA 6.0) under the Startup India initiative.

Key Highlights

Objective: To celebrate and encourage entrepreneurship by granting national recognition to startups demonstrating excellence in innovation, scalability, sustainability, and socio-economic impact.
Award Categories: NSA 6.0 features 23 award categories in total—20 sector-specific categories and 3 special categories.
New Sector Categories: 12 new sector categories were introduced, including biomanufacturing, defense & security, semiconductors, space technology, blue economy, and future mobility.
Special Awards: Three dedicated awards for Women-led Startups, Startups from the North-Eastern Region, and Student Innovators / Aspiring Entrepreneurs.
Student Innovator Award: Introduced for the first time to recognize school and college student innovations across four age-defined sub-categories nationwide.
Startup Cash Prizes: Winners in each of the 20 sector-specific and 2 startup-focused special categories will receive Rs. 25 lakh each.
Student Prize Pool: A combined prize pool of Rs. 25 lakh is allocated across the four sub-categories for winners and runners-up of the Student Innovator Award.
Selection Process: Multi-stage evaluation comprising eligibility screening, domain expert scoring, shortlisting, and final presentations before a National Jury.
Background: Launched in 2019, the National Startup Awards program recognizes excellence under the flagship Startup India initiative.