Gandhinagar: Chief minister Bhupendra Patel on Friday launched the 2026 editions of the Gujarat Gyan Guru Quiz (G3Q) and Seva First Innovation Challenge (SFIC), with the two competitions together offering prizes worth around Rs 12 crore.Organised jointly by state education and science and technology departments, the initiatives aim to engage students and citizens through knowledge, technology and service, while creating awareness about development initiatives of Centre and state govts and developments in the education sector.Launching the programmes at Gandhinagar Town Hall, Patel said lack of awareness about eligibility criteria and application procedures often prevented people from availing themselves of govt benefits. “Student life is the best time to fulfil one’s social responsibility along with studies and career-building,” he said, stressing the need to take welfare schemes beyond cities and into villages through a saturation approach.The G3Q-2026 will be open to Class 9-12 students, college students and citizens across Gujarat. The quiz will be conducted over eight weeks at taluka, district and state levels, with online participation from Sunday to Friday. Winners will receive cash prizes worth more than Rs 11 crore through direct benefit transfer (DBT).Education minister Pradyuman Vaja said the latest edition would also use an AI-based learning system to provide students with personalised learning experiences. Registration began on Friday, while the quiz will start on Sept 20. The school-level state winner will receive Rs 1 lakh and the college-level winner Rs 3 lakh.The SFIC, meanwhile, will connect around 20,000 students with real-world challenges faced by administrative systems and industries. Participants will be encouraged to develop practical, transparent and technology-driven solutions, with prizes worth around Rs 1 crore.Patel said hackathon-style initiatives would provide young people an opportunity to apply creativity and technology to social problems. He also urged students to participate in the Seva Sankalp Abhiyan being held to mark Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 25 years in public life.
