WitchHunt 2026 Crowns India's Young Women AI Innovators

By: Women Entrepreneurs Review Team | Tuesday, 16 June 2026

The finale of the WitchHunt 2026 was held at Jyoti Nivas College Autonomous, Bengaluru recently where the best solutions of the program were showcased. As a reputed girl-centric AI hackathon in India, the event promoted innovation and inspired women youth to explore their abilities in the domain of technology.

In the category of Climate Action, Bytebusters from Nellore were declared the winners for coming up with a predictive farm technology solution that would help in adopting sustainable farming practices. Shecoders from New Delhi were declared the winners of the Smart Cities category.

In the Health category, aipaglus from New Delhi bagged the first prize for having developed an AI-based maternal health companion that would assist in improving healthcare access and facilities. In the Education category, We4 from Udupi, Karnataka, were awarded for their innovative voice-first regional language mentor for rural girls.

From a total of 779 ideas, the programme turned 373 concepts into functional prototypes, resulting in one of the highest conversions of ideas to prototypes in history, at 50%. Hosted by the HopeWorks Foundation with the joint efforts of AI4India and Karnataka Digital Economy Mission (KDEM), the event showcased outstanding levels of participation and creativity by engaging 6,151 participants from 23 states all over India.

Key Highlights:

• WitchHunt 2026 converted 779 ideas into 373 AI prototypes, achieving a 50% success rate
• Over 6,100 participants from 23 states competed for ₹19 lakh in prizes and industry opportunities
• Young women innovators developed AI solutions for climate, health, education, and smart cities

In a major win for new innovators, the hackathon distributed a total amount of ₹19 lakhs to winners from four different thematic areas, honoring innovative use of AI-powered applications. In addition to cash prizes, the event made an even greater impact in providing the opportunity for internships and collaboration with industry professionals for developing practical applications of winning projects.

In addition to this, there were two sessions on AI-driven nation building and sustenance of innovation. These sessions were moderated by subject matter experts in their respective fields.

Highlighting the attention of Karnataka towards cultivating an ecosystem that promotes diversity of technologies, Priyank M Kharge, Minister of Home Affairs of Karnataka, drew attention to the state government’s program known as Nipuna, and to the increased success of female entrepreneurs as part of the ELEVATE startup challenge.

During her address, Debjani Ghosh urged India to think not only about using AI but to aim at creating AI, underlining the necessity to build native foundations of AI technology.

Additionally, Debjani highlighted the fact that although there is an increasing use of AI technology in India, it is equally important to invest in these technologies and models. Otherwise, this would mean that India will have to depend on other nations for its crucial needs in terms of AI technology.

The Chairperson of WitchHunt, Chitra Gurjar shared how it continues to fulfill its purpose of promoting women’s involvement in technological fields through fostering innovation and inclusion. Over the span of four months, WitchHunt 2026 was conducted in association with Infosys Springboard and received mentoring from over 300 experts from the industry.