Recognising India's most innovative startups — across every sector, every city. Nominations open for 2026.
Nationwide Startup Awards (2026 Edition) honours early-stage, growth-stage, and scaling startups that are building something genuinely impactful across India. If you're disrupting an industry, solving a real problem, or scaling a venture with measurable impact — you can now apply or be nominated for the Nationwide Startup Awards 2026.
We recognise startups across technology, healthtech, fintech, edtech, D2C, agritech, real estate, sustainability, manufacturing, and 35+ other sectors — selected by an independent jury against a published evaluation framework. Selected honourees receive a physical trophy shipped to their address, permanent listing on nationwideawards.org, and editorial coverage across our national media partner network — no event attendance required.
The Nationwide Startup Awards selection process is designed to be transparent, research-driven, and focused on identifying India's most innovative and high-impact startups. Below is the step-by-step journey for applicants and nominees.
1. Nomination / Application
Startups may apply directly or be nominated by founders, investors, mentors, or industry peers. The application form captures essential details on your venture, achievements, market impact, and growth metrics.
2. Eligibility & Background Verification
Our team validates business registration, category fit, sector details, media presence, and supporting documents to ensure the nominee meets the Nationwide Startup Awards eligibility criteria.
3. Research & Evaluation
Each startup profile is assessed through a detailed research framework covering: innovation, business model viability, revenue or traction metrics, founder capability, market differentiation, and social or economic impact. External data sources and sector inputs are reviewed.
4. Shortlisting
Based on scoring models and qualitative evaluation, finalists are shortlisted across sectors including Technology, Healthtech, Fintech, Edtech, D2C, Agritech, Real Estate, Sustainability, Manufacturing, and more.
5. Jury Review
Senior industry leaders, investors, and domain experts evaluate shortlisted startups — ensuring unbiased, credible, and research-backed selection. No commercial consideration influences jury decisions.
6. Announcement of Honourees
Selected startups are published on nationwideawards.org, featured across our national media partner network, and announced publicly as Nationwide Startup Awards 2026 honourees.
7. Trophy, Certificate & National Media Coverage
Every honouree receives a physical trophy shipped directly to their office address anywhere in India, the official Nationwide Awards digital certificate, winner badge, and editorial coverage across our national media partners — no event attendance required.