Celebrating the innovators of tomorrow, winners of National AI Olympiad 2025 announced by TalentSprint, Part of Accenture

India is rapidly adopting Artificial Intelligence across classrooms, industries, and workplaces. This growing momentum is being encouraged by national initiatives such as the National Education Policy (2020) and the National AI mission.

Yet millions of learners exploring AI today face a fundamental challenge, they don’t know where they stand in terms of AI readiness.While access to AI learning continues to grow, a uniform benchmark for AI readiness has been missing, one that helps assess how prepared students and professionals are for an AI-driven future.To address this gap, TalentSprint, Part of Accenture, launched the first-of-its-kind National AI Olympiad (NAIO). It is a national assessment designed to benchmark AI readiness across three categories ensuring the evaluation is relevant for learners at different stages of their academic and professional journey:

How NAIO 2025 unfoldedThe first edition of NAIO kicked off in September 2025, with an overwhelming response that garnered interest from over 20,000 participants from 680+ schools, 460+ colleges, and 820+ organizations nationwide. The scale and inclusivity of NAIO 2025 were significant: 60% of participants came from Tier-2 and Tier-3 regions, reflecting the Olympiad’s broad national reach. The Olympiad was designed as a two-stage journey, guiding learners from assessment to practical application.Stage 1 tested foundational AI knowledge through an MCQ-based national assessment, and participants could opt for a prep kit to strengthen their understanding before taking the assessment.From stage 1, around 250+ top rankers across all categories were shortlisted for Stage 2 and received certificates of merit along with their performance summary report.

Everyone else received a certificate of participation, along with their performance summary report.In Stage 2, learners worked on hands-on projects under TalentSprint mentorship for about 4-5 weeks, with access to dedicated sessions to clarify doubts and receive guidance. They developed projects related to domains such as healthcare, education, finance, sustainability, and predictive analytics, applying their skills to real-world problems. The shortlisted top rankers then presented their work to a jury of academic and industry leaders. From each category, the most outstanding participants were recognized as NAIO 2025 national winners and awarded prizes including laptops, smartphones, and tablets.The NAIO 2025 winners were felicitated at recently held Accenture LearnVantage Conclave 2026 in Hyderabad, which brought together leaders from academia and industry to discuss building future-ready talent for an AI-driven world.

Hear from the winners as they share their experiences

Mapping India’s AI Talent through the NAIO lensFoundation Category (Grades 6-8)The national winners from this category were Piyansh Kaarthik from Hill Spring International School, who secured Rank 1, followed by Shaurya Singh from Samashti International School at Rank 2, and Debottam Ghosh from South Point High School who achieved Rank 3.

Participants from schools such as DAV Public School, Hyderabad Public School, Oakridge International, Chirec International, and many more explored foundational concepts like The World of AI and AI in Action. Python programming and The Core of AI emerged as exciting areas for further learning.The response from participants was highly encouraging and shared thoughtful reflections on their experience: “The Olympiad was an excellent opportunity to explore AI concepts,” “This was a valuable learning experience, and I hope these assessments continue to be conducted in upcoming years as well”Foundation Category (Grades 9-12)The national winners from this category were Charu Singhania from Krishna Public School, who secured Rank 1, followed by Akshat Bariyar from City Montessori School at Rank 2, and Jenita John Paul from Chennai Public School, who achieved Rank 3.

Participants from schools including Dhirubhai Ambani International School, Chennai Public School, National Public School, Ryan International School, Vellore International School, and others showcased capabilities in Generative AI and NLP & Transformers, while Deep Learning and ML fundamentals were highlighted as key growth areas.Participants of NAIO 2025 shared enthusiastic feedback about their experience, describing it as “an inspiring experience that prepares you for future AI learning” and “an excellent platform to showcase skills.”Advanced Category (College Students) The national winners from this category were Priyanshi Rai from UPES, who secured Rank 1, followed by Dhruv Chatrani from VESIT.

Learners from institutions including CVR College of Engineering, Indira Gandhi Delhi Technical University for Women, MIT World Peace University, SRM Institute of Science and Technology, and Chaitanya Bharathi Institute of Technology showcased strong command of Deep Learning, Agentic AI, and NLP & Transformers, while Generative AI and ML fundamentals offered opportunities to strengthen their expertise.The response from participants was truly inspiring. Sriharshini Manda, who secured National Rank 28, reflected, “It was a challenging yet rewarding experience, and I am humbled by the outcome.”Alok Raj, National rank 172, shared, “This experience was an incredible opportunity to deepen my understanding of core AI concepts.”Professional CategoryThe national winners from the Professionals category were K Naga Samanvitha from Track3D, who secured Rank 1, Ujala Singh from Atlan at Rank 2, and Lokesh Kumar M from Presight G42, who achieved Rank 3.

Working professionals from organizations such as Amazon, Deloitte, Google, IBM, ICICI Bank, JP Morgan, L&T Technology Services, and Microsoft applied their AI skills to real-world challenges. They demonstrated strong capabilities in Deep Learning, Agentic AI, and NLP & Transformers, while Generative AI and ML fundamentals emerged as areas for further growth.Participants found the experience both engaging and rewarding."The Olympiad was a refreshing challenge, letting me test myself against some of India’s top AI minds," said Arpit Jain, who secured National Rank 4."Participating in the National AI Olympiad was a thrilling way to push beyond daily work and reignite my passion for learning," shared Sanket Bharadwaj, National Rank 80.Following the resounding response to its 2025 edition, registrations are now open for the next edition of NAIO, scheduled for 8–9 August 2026. Learners and professionals across India are encouraged to participate and showcase their AI readiness on the National platform. Corporates, colleges and schools are invited to nominate employees and students, respectively, to evaluate and benchmark their AI skills and readiness.Disclaimer: This article has been produced on behalf of TalentSprint by Times Internet’s Spotlight team.