Category Image
  • Women - led Innovator Award
  • Impact in Rural Areas
  • Make in India Excellence Award
  • Innovation Trailblazers from the North-East and Hilly States and Union Territories
  • Rising Star Award
  • The Next Pioneer Award
  • NextGen Innovator
  • Humanitarian Impact Award
  • Creative Industry Disruptor Award
  • Urban Mobility Excellence Award
  • Circular Economy Innovator Award
  • Community Development Catalyst Award
  • Genesis Innovators of the Year
  • Fintech Revolution Catalyst Award
  • Inclusive Design Excellence Award
  • Sunrise Sector Startup Award
  • F&B Trailblazer Award
  • Agri Innovation Award
  • Health-Tech Excellence Award
  • Resilience Award

NSA 5.0 aims to celebrate and empower startups that drive innovation, sustainability, and social impact, contributing to India's growth journey toward becoming a “Viksit Bharat”.
This 5th edition emphasizes holistic impact and disruptive innovation, honoring startups that address societal challenges, create jobs, leverage technology for transformative solutions, and recognize startups in upcoming sectors.

Applications for National Startup Awards 5.0

Categories for National Startup Awards 5.0

The fifth edition of National Startup Awards - NSA 5.0 aims to recognize, reward, promote and offer exclusive handholding support to a diverse set of startups. Your feedback for the startups awaits! Select the startup from the dropdown below and submit your feedback today.

AWARDS OVERVIEW

The following are the incentives that will be awarded to winners and finalists:

  • A cash prize INR 10 lakhs is proposed to be awarded to each winning startup across the general award categories by DPIIT.
  • The winners and finalists may be given priority for participation in various national and international startup events where DPIIT is participating.

Eligibility Criteria of National Awards 5.0 are as follows:

  • The startup must be a DPIIT-recognized startup and registered with BHASKAR at the time of application. The entity must submit a valid certificate of recognition issued by DPIIT.
  • The entity must have a hardware or software product or a process solution that is present in the market.
  • The entity must have all applicable trade-specific registrations as applicable to their business (example: CE, FSSAI, MSME, GST Registration, etc.)
  • There should not have been any default by the startup participating in the last three years (FY 22-23, 23-24, 24-25) by the startup itself or any of its promoters or any of their group entities.
  • The entity must submit audited financial statements (balance sheet, profit & loss account) for the last three financial years (FY 22-23, 23-24, 24-25)
    In case your startup is less than 3 years old, please upload all available financial statements. Startups which are less than a year old and do not have audited financials, will be exempt from this requirement. In case of non-availability of audited financials for FY 2024-25, provisional statements issued by chartered accountant may be provided.
  • The entity should not be completing 10 years of incorporation on or before the last date of submission of applications.

GUIDELINES FOR NATIONAL STARTUP AWARD 5.0

  • Participation in the National Startup Awards is voluntary.
  • Applicants who were declared as “winners” in any category in any previous National Startup Awards will not be eligible.
  • One startup can apply in maximum 2 categories.
  • All startups may be subject to a legal due diligence review by independent third-party evaluators. If the individual/ organization refuses to such a request, Startup India holds the right to select the next highest scoring nominee to move forward.
  • By participating in the National Startup Awards, the applicants, agree to the Government of India’s and its partners use of its name, URL, photos, and videos for promotional purposes on its website and other promotional material.
  • Any false information provided within the context of National Startup Awards by any entity concerning identity, mailing address, telephone number, email address, ownership of right, or non-compliance with these rules or any terms and conditions or the like may result in the immediate elimination of the entity from the awards process.
  • The decisions of the jury and the implementation committee will be final and binding. At the discretion of the jury, awards may not be presented in any category if a deserving entity is not found.
  • DPIIT reserves the right at its sole discretion to cancel, terminate, modify, or suspend the National Startup Awards or not award any entity in any category. DPIIT further reserves the right to disqualify any candidate/entity that tampers with the submission process, commits fraud or is in violation of criminal and/or civil laws.
  • Allowances will not be paid to any entity for travel or presentation before jury.

Eligibility Criteria for Special Category Awards are as follows:

  • The stakeholder (incubator and mentor) must be registered with BHASKAR.
  • They should be actively working towards supporting startups.
  • There should not have been any default by them in the last three years (FY 22-23, 23-24, 24-25).
  • For mentors, following points may be considered while evaluating – average rating, number of startups mentored, number of mentorship hours.

Instructions for filling the form:

(A step-by-step guide for participating in National Startup Awards 5.0)
  • Step 1: Register on Startup India and obtain DPIIT recognition.
    • In case you are already registered on Startup India and have a DPIIT recognition number, ensure that all the details given on Startup India registration are correct as certain fields will auto-populate in the application form.
  • Step 2: Go to ‘National Startup Awards’ tab on Startup India Website
  • Step 3: Click on ‘Apply for National Startup Awards 5.0’ tab.
  • Step 4: Click on ‘Apply’ under application closing countdown and select the category under which the startup wishes to apply. You will only be able to fill the form through the registered account of the recognized startup on the Startup India portal.
  • Step 5: Check the auto-populated details in the participation form for National Startup Awards.
  • Step 6: Fill in the details as mentioned in the application form.
  • Step 7: Ensure to keep the following documents ready for upload:
  • A. Certificate of Recognition issued by DPIIT.
  • B. Certificate of Incorporation/Certificate from the Registrar of Firms.
  • C. Memorandum of Association, Partnership deed or other government accepted proof as proof for a woman founder (if applicable)
  • D. PAN card for founder/co-founder.
  • E. Aadhar card for founder/co-founder.
  • F. Startup Pitch Deck (Not more than 10 slides).
  • G. Trade specific registrations.
  • H. Proof of Patent, IPR (if applicable).
  • I. Audited financial statements for the past 3 years (Profit & Loss Statement, Balance Sheet and Income Tax Return) or Provisional financial statements issued by a Chartered Accountant, in case of non-availability of audited financials for FY 2024-25.
  • J. Please attach all relevant documents, MOUs or agreements that would make your application stand out, specially, to differentiate your application and to make it more relevant and specific for the applied category.
    • E.g: Proof of admission into academic institution or proof of graduation or any other relevant document for your application under ‘Next Gen Innovator’. Product proof of manufacturing and ownership certificates for manufacturing facility for your application under ‘Indigenous Ingenuity Champion’ etc.
  • K. 120 seconds video explaining your product or service (this video cannot be a YouTube link; it has to be made for application to National Startup Awards). The video should cover – business model, scalability, innovation, social & economic impact on environment.
  • L. Self-attested documents with proof of active users, number of employees hired, R&D and prototype development, proof of funding raised, proof of TRL level of startup (if applicable).
  • Step 8: Ensure that all the uploads required comply with the size requirement as mentioned.
  • Step 9: Click ‘Submit’

Benefits that National Startup Awards offer

Through NSA 5.0, the endeavor is to not only acknowledge outstanding startups but also provide invaluable support, mentorship, and resources essential for the continued growth and success of startups.

  • INR 10 Lakh Prize money for each general category winner.

  • Notable visibility at the national level and international level.

  • Exclusive handholding support, including investor & government connections, market access opportunities, and much more.

  • A platform
    for recognition.

Frequently Asked Questions

National Startup Awards 5.0 aims to recognize and reward outstanding startups that have demonstrated exceptional capabilities and have built innovative, scalable, and impactful business solutions. These awards will be conferred across 20 categories added to this year’s NSA to appreciate the contribution of startup ecosystem stakeholders.

DPIIT-Recognized Startups and stakeholders registered under the Bharat Registry can apply under various categories of the National Startup Awards 5.0.

DPIIT Recognition is a simple online process where an ‘eligible’ entity as defined under the G.S.R Notification 127 (E) applies for startup recognition, and after verification of the incorporation of the entity, supporting documents attached, and evaluation of the startup briefs provided, the startup may get recognized by DPIIT.
Apply for recognition here.

Startups will be awarded across 20 categories.

Each startup is allowed to apply for a maximum of 2 categories depending on the nature of the solution and the startup's interests. The startup can, however, choose to apply for just 1 category as it is not mandatory to apply for more than 1 category.

Only one startup in each category would be declared a winner.

A cash prize of INR 10 lakhs will be awarded to one winning startup in each of the categories by DPIIT. Every edition of the National Startup Awards provides the winners and finalists with curated handholding support, across different focus areas such as mentorship, investor connect, corporate connect, government pilot, and procurement support among others. The startups will also be given priority for participation in various national and international startup events inwhich DPIIT is participating.

Startups who have won in any of the general or special categories in any of the previous editions of the National Startup Awards will not be eligible to apply. Startups who have been finalists in any of the previous editions are eligible to apply for the National Startup Awards 5.0

The application form is to be filled out only in English by all applicants.

No, this category is based on nominations and their engagements under different initiatives at Startup India.
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