India's Premier Sustainable AI Challenge

Join ZIROH LABS for a 30-day AI Challenge, starting from 26th April and compete for a ₹7,50,000 prize pool.

ONLINE FREE TEAM SIZE: 1-5 Download Brochure Download
India's Premier Sustainable AI Challenge Hero Banner
About the Kompact AI Hackathon
The Build Next 2026, powered by Kompact AI is a national-level AI Challenge for students and working professionals in India. Hosted by ZIROH LABS, this AI competition challenges you to build Next-Gen AI Applications that have real-world impact

Build with the Kompact AI Runtime

  • Top 20 finalists will get exclusive access to Kompact AI inference runtime. Build powerful AI agents, RAG systems, and predictive applications that are not only smart, but also cost-effective to develop and deploy, efficient and secure.
  • Exclusive details will be shared with the selected teams. Follow our social sites for updates.

Win over 7 Lakhs & Named Awards

  • We are deeply privileged to announce three Signature Memorial Prizes, dedicated to the memory of three icons of Indian science and technology.
  • These prestigious awards will be presented by the families of the honorees to the Top 3 Teams.
The Pushpak Bhattacharyya
Memorial Award
₹2,50,000
The Priti Shankar
Memorial Award
₹2,50,000
The Anup Kumar Gogoi
Memorial Award
₹2,50,000
2-Phase Selection Process
Code icon
PHASE 1
Project Submission
The entry project submission link will be open till 18th April, 2026. Top 20 Finalist teams will be announced on our social media pages by 24th April, 2026.
Users icon
PHASE 2
Build Next 2026
The top 20 finalist teams will compete for the prize. 26th April is the tentative event start date. Additional exclusive information will be provided to teams that qualify for the Top 20 Finalists.

Honorees

Dr. Pushpak Bhattacharyya
Dr. Pushpak Bhattacharyya
Godfather of Indian NLP
July 1962
October 2025
Prof Priti Shankar
Prof Priti Shankar
A Trailblazer for Women in STEM
September 1947
October 2011
Prof Anup Kumar Gogoi
Prof Anup Kumar Gogoi
A Founding Architect of EEE at IITG
March 1953
March 2024
Who can apply?
File Icon
Collegiate level,
working professionals
Users Icon
Team Size - 1 to 5 members
Ready to build Next Gen AI Applications?
Deadline: 18th April, 2026
Register for Build Next 2026 Today Join our WhatsApp Channel

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Build Next 2026?
The Build Next 2026 is a premier, national-level AI Challenge hosted by ZIROH LABS. It's an exclusive event for India's brightest tech and business innovators to build the "Next-Gen AI Applications." The 20 top-selected teams will compete for a total prize pool of ₹7,50,000 and exclusive career opportunities at ZIROH LABS.
Toggle
Who is eligible for this AI Challenge?
Collegiate students and working professionals across India are eligible to apply. Teams can consist of 1 to 5 members.
Toggle
Is Build Next 2026 an online or offline event?
The challenge is held online. Selected finalists will receive virtual access to exclusive developer tooling and inference runtimes.
Toggle
What is the prize money?
The total prize pool is ₹7,50,000 distributed across three signature memorial prizes of ₹2,50,000 each for the Top 3 Teams.
Toggle
What is the Kompact AI Runtime?
Kompact AI Runtime is ZIROH LABS' proprietary high-performance inference runtime designed for ultra-fast, secure, and cost-effective AI model deployment on edge and cloud infrastructure.
Toggle