How to Apply for Fund My Crazy 2026 by Google Gemini — ₹1 Crore Prize for Indian Students

Judging happens across two back-to-back stages on 16–17 September 2026, after submissions close.

Stage 1 — compliance screen. Every entry is measured against Google's content rules first. Anything political, religious, unlawful, hateful, discriminatory or plagiarised is removed before any judge reads the idea. This check is pass/fail, carries no appeal, and happens ahead of scoring.

Stage 2 — panel scoring. Surviving entries are marked out of 100 against five criteria:

• Vision — 30%. A real conceptual leap that reframes how the problem is seen.
• Real-life relevance — 20%. Aimed at an actual community need rather than a hypothetical one.
• Built with Gemini — 20%. Gemini used to brainstorm, design and visualise the idea.
• Future focused — 15%. Anticipating the challenge the city will face next.
• Execution — 15%. A plan someone could realistically fund and build.

The ten highest scorers become finalists and are invited to the finale, where they attend mentorship sessions and may be asked to pitch in person. All ten are paid. Judges recuse themselves from entries originating at their own institutions, scores are never shared, and decisions are final — Google is not obliged to give feedback to entries that miss out.

Finalists learn the outcome by email and have only 24 hours to confirm, so check your inbox and spam folder. The finale's city, date and judging panel are yet to be announced.