Technothlon 2025 Prelims Sets New Milestone: Igniting Young Minds Across Borders

Guwahati: Technothlon 2025 Prelims, held on July 13, marked a remarkable chapter in the journey of one of India’s most innovative and inclusive school-level competitions. Conceptualized and organized entirely by the students of IIT Guwahati, the event brought together over 40,000 participants from more than 200 private schools, 500 Kendriya Vidyalayas (KVs), and 100 Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas (JNVs), reaffirming its status as a premier national and now international logical reasoning challenge for school students.
Started in 2004 as a small-scale initiative with just 200 students, Technothlon has grown into a celebrated intellectual movement. Over the past two decades, it has championed a unique vision—testing intelligence not by rote learning or syllabus-based evaluations, but by challenging students to think differently, reason critically, and collaborate effectively.
This year’s edition was particularly special. For the first time since the pandemic, Technothlon welcomed back international participants, rekindling its original vision of being a global platform for young minds to connect through the universal language of logic and problem-solving. Participants from various countries competed alongside Indian students, reviving the multicultural spirit that once defined the competition.
Divided into two categories—Junior (Classes 9–10) and Hauts (Classes 11–12)—the Prelims round was a written, team-based challenge that pushed students to the edge of their logical and creative thinking capabilities. Unlike standard academic competitions, the problems posed were unconventional and open-ended, requiring a blend of strategy, deduction, and teamwork.
“It was a tricky question paper where we really had to apply our minds. Each problem felt like a puzzle that pushed us to think differently. We had to approach situations from multiple angles to figure out the best solution. It truly exercised our brains,” said Rachit Shah, Convenor of Techniche 2025, IIT Guwahati’s annual techno-management festival which hosts the final round of Technothlon.
The scale and inclusivity of Technothlon 2025 were particularly noteworthy. Thanks to renewed collaboration with Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan (KVS) and Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti (NVS)—revived after a gap of six years—the exam was conducted seamlessly across a vast network of government schools, including those in remote and underrepresented regions such as the Northeast. This ensured that students from diverse socio-economic and geographic backgrounds got the opportunity to participate on an equal footing.
In the lead-up to the Prelims, Technothlon also engaged students through the LED program—Learn, Experience, Discover. Through a series of webinars, logic-based challenges, and interactive workshops, participants were introduced to the core values of the competition: exploration, intellectual play, and collaborative learning. These sessions helped transform preparation from exam-cramming into an adventure of ideas.
The top 50 teams from the Prelims will now advance to the Mains round, to be held at IIT Guwahati during Techniche. At Mains, participants will dive into immersive challenges that simulate real-world problems, experience the campus life of one of India’s leading technical institutes, and engage in a range of workshops designed to broaden their horizons. Many past participants describe the Mains as a turning point in their academic journeys.
As it celebrates its 22nd year, Technothlon continues to stand as a beacon for alternative learning. In a world increasingly dominated by the need for innovation, collaboration, and critical thinking, platforms like Technothlon are more relevant than ever. Driven by students and powered by passion—not profit—it proves that learning can be fun, challenging, and transformative when placed in the hands of young changemakers.
With a growing global footprint, record participation, and an unwavering commitment to student-led excellence, Technothlon 2025 has set the bar higher for what school-level competitions can achieve.