Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change launches Eco-Hackathon in partnership with Amazon and Pi Jam Foundation

India, September 26, 2024: Amazon.in today announced that it has launched an Eco-Hackathon in partnership with Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), Govt. of India and Pi Jam Foundation. Aligned with the Honourable Prime Minister’s LiFE campaign, the hackathon aims to empower students to become eco problem solvers through technology and creativity. School students from class 6^th to 12^th from government schools are invited to participate across 14 states, including Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Jammu & Kashmir, Gujarat, Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Delhi, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Maharashtra and Karnataka. 

Shri Kriti Vardhan Singh, Minister of State in the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, and Ministry of External Affairs, Govt. of India said, “This Eco Creativity and Innovation Hackathon is an environment education program under our Honourable Prime Minister, Sri Narendra Modi's LiFE campaign. Our goal remains to ignite passion amongst young minds to solve environmental issues. We encourage and invite creative solutions to tackle pressing environmental problems, whether at home, in their neighbourhood, or on a global scale. This hackathon will improve their problem-solving capabilities by puzzle solving and thinking out of the box. We thank our partners, Amazon Future Engineer and Pi Jam Foundation, who leverage their respective strengths in technology and education, to help us realize India's environment and climate goals.” 

Akshay Kashyap, India Lead, Amazon Future Engineer Program said, "We are honoured to collaborate with the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Govt. of India and Pi Jam Foundation to host the Eco-Hackathon, an initiative that aligns with the Honourable Prime Minister’s LiFE Campaign. It is a step to encourage students from diverse regions across India to think creatively and develop solutions to some of the most pressing environmental issues of our time. Through such initiatives, Amazon Future Engineer Program is equipping school students with an aim to nurture a generation of problem solvers who can help realize India's climate commitments.” 

Pranjali Pathak, Partnerships Lead - Pi Jam Foundation said, "At Pi Jam Foundation, we are grateful and excited to contribute to this initiative, aligned with the Honourable Prime Minister’s LiFE Mission. By combining environmental education with digital innovation, the Eco-Hackathon engages students in gamified, sustainability-focused activities that spark creativity and problem-solving. Powered by our Code Mitra platform and supported by Amazon Future Engineer, we’ve reached over 4 lakh participants and received nearly 2 lakh innovative ideas. We look forward to celebrating these solutions at the showcase and continuing to empower young minds to address India’s environmental challenges through technology." 

Each student can submit only one application, however there is no restriction in the number of applications that can be submitted from a particular school. The students are invited to submit their application under various themes including Save Energy, Say No to single use of plastic, save water, adopt sustainable food system, reduce waste, adopt healthy lifestyle, reduce e-waste. 

Interested applicants can visit https://codemitra.org/eco-life to register and sign up. After signing up, applicants must watch the video prompted on their screens and complete the activities as directed followed by submission of a problem statement under the given themes on environment and its solution. Once the applicant has successfully submitted the idea, a certificate of participation can be downloaded. As part of the hackathon, participants will be provided with video content explaining the life themes and block-based coding projects to help them develop ideas. Initially, the participants will need to submit a detailed idea of the solution, and the prototype development will be required in the later stages for shortlisted finalists. The short-listed finalists will be provided with adequate materials, mentorship and supervision for creating projects showcasing implementation of their ideas. 

At the culmination of the Eco-hackathon, Amazon as part of the Amazon Future Engineer along with its non-profit partner, Pi Jam will award top winners at the national hackathon across three categories (a) Class 6^th to 8^th (b) Class 9^th to 12^th and (c) UG & PG students at an event in Delhi.