New Delhi: The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) has invited proposals from industry bodies, organisations and institutions across the media and entertainment (M&E) sector to conceptualise and execute the second edition of the Create in India Challenge (CIC), a flagship initiative under the World Audio Visual and Entertainment Summit (WAVES) 2027.
To streamline the selection process, the ministry has launched a dedicated unified online portal through which applicants can submit proposals. The platform is designed to facilitate a transparent, merit-based evaluation of both the proposed challenges and their implementing agencies.
For the upcoming edition, the ministry plans to roll out more than 50 industry-led challenges, with a strong emphasis on nurturing young talent, promoting innovation and strengthening skills across emerging creative and technology-driven sectors.
The challenges are expected to span a broad spectrum of the M&E ecosystem, including Artificial Intelligence (AI), Digital and Social Media, Animation, Visual Effects (VFX), AVGC-XR (Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming, Comics and Extended Reality), Online Gaming, Esports, Broadcasting, Films, Music, Dance, Comics, and immersive technologies such as AR, VR and XR.
According to the ministry, the initiative aims to foster industry-academia collaboration while creating opportunities for mentoring, capacity building, upskilling and innovation. Winning participants and their projects will be showcased at CreatoSphere, a dedicated platform during WAVES 2027.
To encourage high-quality proposals, the government has announced that selected challenges may receive a one-time grant of up to ₹1 crore each. Funding will be awarded based on multiple parameters, including the proposal’s innovation quotient, expected outcomes, grassroots outreach, skill development impact, and technical and financial evaluation criteria outlined in the Invitation for Proposals (IFP).
The ministry has invited eligible organisations from across the media and entertainment value chain to submit proposals through the dedicated online portal by July 31, 2026.
With the second edition of the Create in India Challenge, the government is looking to deepen industry participation in India’s expanding creative economy while positioning WAVES 2027 as a platform to showcase innovation, emerging talent and next-generation media technologies.
