India : Avishkaar, one of India’s largest robotics, coding and STEAM education providers, has opened registrations for its flagship global competition, Avishkaar League 2020. This year, the League aims to identify and celebrate superhero innovators that think differently to improve the world that is currently inundated by COVID-19, and create a better tomorrow through innovation.  The competition has been designed for students between grades 1 to 9 to showcase their innovation in STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics) through various activities.  With the theme “Search for Avishkaar Superheroes”, the goal of Avishkaar League 2020 is to identify Makers, Coders, Roboticists, Thinkers, Speakers and Storytellers of the next generation.

This time around, Avishkaar League 2020 is set to go virtual and bigger than before in the hunt for Avishkaar Superheroes. The League has received 3000 registrations across 325 Indian schools, so far. The competition has been divided into five categories across three levels viz. Junior (Grade 1 & 2), Middle (Grade 3 – 5) and Senior (Grade 6 – 9):

• IRC League (Robotics Challenge) – COVID-19 affects the humans but it’s powerless in front of robots. Via this competition, Avishkaar is looking for Roboticist Superheroes who will make some robots to aid our battle against the virus

• Avishkaar Makeathon (STEM Competition) – These MAKER Superheroes are expected to bring joy back into our lives despite social distancing by building innovative games and machines

• Hackathon (The Coding Challenge) – Problem solving through algorithms and codes is one of the few things unchanged and we need a lot of it now. The Hacker Superhero needs to crack open a problem statement by writing some awesome code

• Avishkaar Talks (The Leadership Challenge) – This segment looks for young presenters who inspire others and help navigate these unprecedented times. This competition is all about participants giving a talk on an assigned topic. Chosen winners will be crowned Leader Superheroes!

• Art Challenge (The Creativity Challenge) – In this competition, the Artist Superheroes will have to create posters, comics and videos that inspire the viewers to improve their standards of living in these testing times using technology

Commenting on the announcement, Tarun Bhalla, CEO & Co-founder, Avishkaar said, “Over the last nine years, Avishkaar League has served as an arena for children across age groups to be the changemakers by solving real world problems using STEAM. This year’s edition is a big milestone for all of us at Avishkaar. In its tenth year, the League aims to identify the ‘Superheroes’ among us. The activities have been specially curated to kindle the creative genes of every individual, inspiring them to build their best innovations with their own hands.”

Participants can work on their projects from the comfort of their homes with access to a computer and good internet connection. Post registration, the students will be provided with free preparatory courses and guidance videos to help them work on their projects at ease. The entries will need to be submitted in video formats on Avishkaar’s website.The best innovations get a chance to win INR 5 Lakh+ worth of cash prizes along with certificates and accolades. The winners will be announced as part of a grand virtual award ceremony that is scheduled to be held on 25th and 26th January 2021.