New Delhi, July 8 (AHN) The government has launched the Handloom Hackathon 2026 — “Weaving Innovation” — a national innovation challenge to harness technology, design, entrepreneurship and sustainable solutions for India's handloom sector, an official statement said on Wednesday.

The hackathon -- organised by the Office of the Development Commissioner (Handlooms), Ministry of Textiles, as part of National Handloom Day 2026 celebrations -- will culminate in a grand finale on August 1 at the Foundation for Innovation and Technology Transfer (FITT), IIT Delhi.

In the grand finale, shortlisted teams will present their solutions before a jury comprising experts from academia, industry, design, technology and the handloom sector.

“The Handloom Hackathon 2026 seeks to bring together the creativity of India’s youth with the rich heritage of the handloom sector,” said M. Beena, Development Commissioner (Handlooms), Ministry of Textiles.

The program aims to generate practical and scalable solutions that address key challenges, enhance competitiveness and contribute to the sustainable growth of the handloom sector by providing a collaborative platform for weavers, students, designers and technologists, she added.

Participation is open to students pursuing higher education in textiles, fashion, design, engineering, management and technology, as well as handloom weavers, artisans, researchers, startups, entrepreneurs, innovators and professionals.

The initiative invites innovative solutions across a broad range of thematic areas, including product and design innovation, sustainability and circularity, digital technologies, market access, branding, supply chain efficiency, productivity enhancement, business development and social impact.

Online registrations are open until July 20, 2026 and eligible participants may register and submit their ideas through the online portal of the hackathon, the statement from Ministry of Textiles said.

The Hackathon aims to identify promising and implementable solutions that may be considered for mentoring, incubation and further development in collaboration with partner institutions, wherever feasible.

The initiative seeks to encourage innovation that contributes to the modernisation, competitiveness and long-term sustainability of the handloom sector.

“The initiative seeks to foster closer collaboration between the handloom ecosystem and India’s innovation and startup ecosystem, while encouraging interdisciplinary problem-solving,” the statement noted.

—AHN

aar/ag