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The fourth edition of National Startup Awards, NSA 2023 has been announced by Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT). The applications for National Startup Awards 2023 have been made live from April 1 2023. These awards will focus on celebrating innovation from across the country, in line with Vision India @2047.
The first National Startup Awards were concluded in October 2020 by DPIIT to reward outstanding startups and ecosystem enablers that are building innovative products or solutions and scalable enterprises, with high potential of employment generation or wealth creation, demonstrating measurable social impact. In three years, Over 6,400+ startups and has recognised over 450 startups as winners and finalists.
In the recent edition of National Startup Awards 2023, the startups will be awarded across 20 categories, which have been decided upon thorough deliberations on current Indian and global economic focus points. These categories have been accommodated to ensure that the best startups of the ecosystem are being awarded and to create a more cohesive and cross functioning startup ecosystem.
Eligible Categories for Startups
Categories of Awards One startup in each of the categories would be declared the winner:
| S. No. | Award Category | Award Focus Area |
| 1 | Women-Led Innovation | Startups led by at least one-woman director |
| 2 | Impact in Rural Areas | Startups creating wealth, livelihood and improving lives through their innovations in rural areas |
| 3 | NextGen Innovator | Startups with student founders who have built innovative solutions at a young age |
| 4 | Indigenous Ingenuity Champion | Startups that have been manufacturing in India |
| 5 | India’s Social Impact Champion | Startups working towards social impact in healthcare, Indic language, education, livelihood, or any other allied area |
| 6 | Excellence in Innovation from the North-East and Hilly States/UT | Startups with innovative solutions from Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim, Tripura, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Ladakh and Uttarakhand |
| 7 | Sustainability Champion | Startups focused on climate change, sustainability, waste management, renewables, or allied sectors |
| 8 | Champions of Cultural Heritage | Startups preserving or proliferating textiles, art, and tourism among others |
| 9 | Retail Innovator of the Year | Startups in retail technologies or food processing |
| 10 | Best Startup of the Year | Startup with the aggregate highest score amongst all categories |
| 11 | Rising Star Award | Early-stage startups with growth potential |
| 12 | Genesis Innovators of the year | Startups focused on disruptive technology, including, Deep-Tech |
| 13 | Accessibility Innovation Award | Startups working towards improving accessibility for people with disabilities (PwD) |
| 14 | Financial Inclusion Award | Startups working towards financial inclusion & literacy |
| 15 | AeroInnovate Award | Startups focused on aerospace, drones, or aviation solution |
| 16 | Excellence in Local to Global | Startups with an international consumer base |
| 17 | Independent Trailblazer Award | Startups who have been bootstrapped from their inception |
| 18 | PivotPro Award | Startups that have changed the existing business model and successfully revamped their business in the face of adversity |
| 19 | The Next Pioneer Award | Startups that have strong product-market fit, and are building a sustainable, successful business |
| 20 | Innovators for Agriculture and Animal Husbandry | Startups working for adoption and promotion of innovative farming and production practices |
To know more read here: https://www.startupindia.gov.in/content/sih/en/nsa2023.html
Prize Detail:
Winner will get cash prize of INR 10 lakhs will be awarded to one winning startup in each of the categories by DPIIT. Winners and finalists will also be given exclusive government support, including investor and government connect, mentorship, international market access, and corporate and unicorn connect, DPIIT said in a statement.
Deadline for applying:
The applications for National Startup Awards 2023 have been made live from April 1, 2023 and the deadline for submissions is May 31, 2023 as per official release by the commerce ministry.