Dimapur: The SAMARTH Northeast Innovation Hackathon 2026 was held at the National Institute of Electronics and Information Technology (NIELIT), Kohima, on Saturday, aiming to assess students’ potential by understanding their calibre, behaviour, strengths, and analytical abilities.
NIELIT Kohima organised the programme. Altogether, 13 teams from across the Northeast region participated in the event, with young innovators delivering outstanding performances.
PM Shri School, Mizoram, secured first place in the hackathon competition, followed by PM Shri School, Thahekhu, Dimapur, in second place, and Jalukbari Higher Secondary School, Guwahati, in third place.
All other participants received consolation prizes.
The Principal Director of the Nagaland School Education Department, Shashank Pratap Singh, who attended the event as the special guest, described the hackathon as a recognition of the dedicated efforts of NIELIT Kohima.
He emphasised that a hackathon is more about collaboration than competition.
Shashank expressed his appreciation for the practical ideas presented by young participants. He added that if young minds come together and collaborate on such ideas, their innovations will be highly relevant to society.
He also stressed that ideas should address local issues.
The Director of NIELIT Assam & Nagaland, L Lanuwabang, said that everything begins with a single step.
“Every small step can grow into a significant product in the market tomorrow, and every innovation starts with a simple idea,” he added.
Lanuwabang explained that the SAMARTH approach begins at the school level and focuses on converting theory into practical solutions.
He noted that in today’s AI-driven era, there is a strong emphasis on innovating small ideas with maximum impact and features.
He highlighted that the initiative was made possible through collaboration between NIELIT and the northeastern states, with various experiments being developed in e-content.
He further added that SAMARTH aims to scale up to the national level and create a wider impact, expressing satisfaction that it began in the Northeast region.