XR Creator Hackathon Winners Announced, Teams Gearing Up To Take Innovations Global
India’s growing extended reality (XR) ecosystem received a major boost as the winners of the XR Creator Hackathon were announced during a virtual ceremony hosted via YouTube Live. Organised by the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting in partnership with AR/VR firm Wavelaps, the competition spotlighted the country’s most promising XR innovators across five key sectors: education, healthcare, tourism, e-commerce, and entertainment.
Out of more than 2,200 registrations from across India, five standout teams were selected after three evaluation rounds. Their ideas ranged from immersive school science labs to cross-platform gaming and virtual travel guides.
Leading the pack in the education category was team XR Runners from IIT Kharagpur. Their winning project, Eduscape XR, is a virtual reality-based science lab that enables students to perform hands-on experiments in physics, chemistry, and biology. "In many parts of the country, students study science without doing real experiments. We wanted to change that and our project aims to revolutionise education by providing STEM practicals on a virtual reality platform," said Vedanta Hazra, who led the project with Sahil Patel and Shaurya Baranwal.
In healthcare, team Cognihab secured the top spot with their XR-assisted therapy platform designed for conditions like stroke, anxiety, and lazy eye. "We’re focused on outcomes in real medical settings and this hackathon helped us sharpen our approach and reach new stakeholders," said team lead Rishab Kapur. Team members included Pintu Kumar and others with a background in XR-based health tech.
Team LumeXR won under the immersive tourism theme for their Immersive Travel Guide project. Using drone-captured visuals, 3D maps, and storytelling, the platform allows users to explore destinations virtually before booking trips. "This isn’t just a travel app — it’s immersive cultural storytelling," said team lead Savio.
From Virtual Homes to Cross-Platform Gaming
In the e-commerce and retail category, team EMO was recognised for Heaven Estate, an AR and 3D interior design platform that helps users preview home designs in real spaces. "We wanted to create a real bridge between homeowners and professionals," said team lead Utkarsh Rai, who built the project with Himanshu Mahto, Ashutosh Mishra, and Ishita Gaur.
Meanwhile, team Youth Buzz won in the digital media and entertainment category with The Game of Dimensions, a tactical multiplayer war game that supports both mobile and VR play. "We wanted to unify the gaming experience across platforms and realities," shared team leader Mohit Kumar Sharma. His teammates included Anish Dombale, A Shivam Raj, and Yash Sadhukhan.
The hackathon attracted a diverse mix of talent: 66 per cent of participants were from Tier 2 and 3 cities such as Chengalpet, Manipal, and Veraval. The age of participants ranged from 17 to 35, with students comprising 53 per cent of the finalists, followed by working professionals (33 per cent) and self-employed entrepreneurs (14 per cent). Notably, women made up 19 per cent of the finalist pool.
Also Read : Meta Undermined National Security, Betrayed American Values To Expand In China, Claims Whistleblower
Preparation For WAVES Summit
For the next step, all five winning teams are now preparing to showcase their projects at the upcoming WAVES Summit, a global media and entertainment event taking place in Mumbai from May 1–4, 2025.
"The XR Creator Hackathon is not just nurturing innovation — it’s building the foundation for a new digital India. These solutions will redefine how we learn, heal, travel, and connect," said Ashutosh Kumar, Founder & CEO of Wavelaps.
With backing from Wavelaps, the Ministry, and XR communities like BharatXR and XDG, these winning teams are now set to take their made-in-India innovations to the global stage.
business