College students across India have a chance to compete for a Rs 5 lakh prize pool as the Indian Institute of Management Bangalore has opened registrations for the National Student Case Competition 2026.Organised by the Center for Digital Public Goods (CDPG), IIM Bangalore, with support from Perfios – Anumati Account Aggregator, the competition will challenge student teams to develop solutions to real-world problems linked to India’s Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI).The registration and submission deadline is September 7, 2026, at 6 PM IST.What is the IIM Bangalore National Student Case Competition?The National Student Case Competition 2026 is designed to give students an opportunity to work on practical challenges involving India’s rapidly evolving digital public infrastructure.Participants will work in teams to analyse the announced case or problem and develop an innovative solution. Teams that make it through the initial round will get an opportunity to present their ideas at IIM Bangalore in Bengaluru before practitioners, policymakers and academics.The competition is being organised by CDPG, an initiative at IIM Bangalore focused on research, knowledge creation and policy support around digital public infrastructure and digital public goods.Who can participate?The competition is open to students enrolled in recognised colleges and universities across India.The eligibility requirements include:• Students pursuing Bachelor’s or Master’s degrees can participate.• Students from all academic disciplines are eligible.• Both full-time and part-time students can participate.• Each team must have exactly five students.• Each participant can be part of only one team.• There is no restriction on the number of teams that can participate from a particular college or university.The organisers are also encouraging interdisciplinary teams, bringing together students from areas such as engineering, management, public policy, law, economics, design and social sciences.Why the competition could interest studentsUnlike competitions based purely on academic quizzes or theoretical tests, this case competition asks students to work on issues connected to the country’s digital infrastructure.For students, that means an opportunity to apply classroom knowledge to a real-world policy and technology problem.An interdisciplinary team could, for example, bring together different perspectives from technology, business, economics, law and public policy while developing its proposed solution.The organisers are also encouraging teams to be gender-balanced and, where possible, include students from different years and programmes.Rs 5 lakh prize pool and other benefitsThe competition carries a total prize pool of Rs 5 lakh.Beyond the monetary awards, participants can receive certificates of participation and merit. Shortlisted teams will get an opportunity to present their solutions at IIM Bangalore before an audience that includes practitioners, policymakers and academics.Finalists will also have the opportunity to interact with experts attending the CDPG Annual Conclave.For students interested in technology, public policy, management, economics or India’s digital transformation, the exposure could be as valuable as the competition itself.Important datesStudents planning to participate should keep the following dates in mind:• Registrations and submissions opened: August 14, 2026• Last date to submit: September 7, 2026, 6 PM IST• Shortlisted teams announced: By September 15, 2026• National Finals: September 30, 2026• Final venue: IIM Bangalore, BengaluruHow the competition will workThe first stage involves submitting a solution to the announced case or theme.After the submissions are evaluated, shortlisted teams will advance to the National Finals. The final round will be held offline at IIM Bangalore, where selected teams will present their ideas to experts from the fields of technology, policy and academia.The requirement of exactly five members means students should form their teams before submitting their entry.What is Digital Public Infrastructure?Digital Public Infrastructure, or DPI, refers broadly to shared digital systems and platforms that can enable large-scale delivery of services, transactions and other public or private-sector applications.India has developed several large-scale digital infrastructure initiatives, making DPI an increasingly important area for technology, governance and public policy discussions.The CDPG at IIM Bangalore focuses on researching such systems, building repositories of data and knowledge, developing case studies and supporting policy and implementation efforts around digital public infrastructure and digital public goods.Why this is an opportunity beyond a college competitionFor students, the National Student Case Competition offers an opportunity to move from simply studying concepts to applying them to a national-scale challenge.The competition also reflects the growing overlap between technology, public policy, business and social impact.With a Rs 5 lakh prize pool, the chance to present at IIM Bangalore and exposure to practitioners and policymakers, the competition could be particularly relevant for students considering careers in technology, consulting, management, public policy, economics or entrepreneurship.Students interested in participating should complete their team formation and submit their entry before September 7, 2026, at 6 PM IST.
