Solve for Pakistan.
Pick a real Pakistani problem. Build a working device. Compete at NIC Karachi. Four Saturday sessions guide you the building, the hardware, and the hustle are yours.
A national hardware competition where students aged 14–18 pick a real problem in Pakistan and build a working IoT, robotics, automation, or embedded systems solution. Four Saturday sessions provide structure, mentors, and submission feedback. The self learning, the components, and the build effort are entirely yours that is the challenge.
You bring your own hardware that is part of the challenge
Arduino, ESP32, Raspberry Pi, sensors, motors you choose, buy, and build with your own components. A working prototype can cost as little as PKR 3,000. The fee covers sessions, mentor reviews, competition entry, and the NIC finals not parts.
Individual competition one student, one project, one registration. No teams to coordinate.
Allowed technologies: Arduino, ESP32/ESP8266, Raspberry Pi, any sensors & actuators, any programming language. Open source code and AI tools for learning are encouraged the integration and idea must be yours.
Every paying student keeps all four sessions, recordings, community access, and their certificate regardless of how far they advance.
Solve for Pakistan challenge brief. Problem selection, judging criteria, and submission walkthrough.
Idea due Thu 20 Aug
Scoping, hardware planning, system design, and component selection.
Design due Thu 27 Aug
Live troubleshooting, mentor reviews, and technical feedback on your build.
Progress due Thu 03 Sep
Presentation skills, demo recording tips, and what the judges expect.
Final submission Thu 10 Sep
Finalists selected from all Final Submissions and invited to NIC Karachi.
Top 20 to NIC
All Top 20 set up booths. Judges score each project and winners are announced on stage.
Winners announced liveFinal Submission deadline is hard late submissions are not entered into judging. Missing it means you keep all sessions, recordings, and your certificate, but are not eligible for the Top 20.
Top 20
Booth Showcase
All 20 finalists set up booths at NIC Karachi. Judges visit each project, ask questions, and score independently.
Top 20
Winners Announced
Champions and award winners are selected from all 20 finalists and announced on stage at the awards ceremony.
Bring your working prototype, laptop, cables, power adapters, and any backup parts. Have a video backup of your demo in case hardware fails on the day.
Idea, Design, and Progress submissions are scored for feedback and guidance only. The Final Submission and Final Day rounds determine who advances and who wins. Judges reward a working core an ambitious idea that does nothing scores poorly.
Champion
or PKR 200,000 cash + trophy
Runner-Up
Cash + medal
2nd Runner-Up
Cash + medal
Most Impactful
+ Mentorship & incubation
Total indicative prize pool ~PKR 350,000 (cash equivalent). Every finalist also receives a certificate and a featured profile across TechTree channels.
No. You learn as you build, using YouTube, documentation, AI tools, and mentor feedback. The sessions cover how to choose a problem, design, troubleshoot, and present not step by step electronics instruction. If you are willing to self-learn and persist, you are ready.
The fee covers the competition structure, four live sessions, mentor reviews, the NIC Karachi finals, and recognition not parts. Choosing and buying your own components is itself part of building a real solution. A simple prototype can cost as little as PKR 3,000.
Yes, one student, one project, one registration. There are no teams. This keeps things simple and means you own your build entirely.
Registration closes Friday 14 Aug 2026 at 23:59 PKT, or earlier if the 150 place cap is reached. Registration is confirmed once payment is received. The fee is non refundable, but your spot can be transferred to another eligible student before sessions begin.
Submit what works. Judges value a working core over an over-ambitious idea that does nothing. A device that reliably does one thing well beats a complex build that fails on demo. Missing the Final Submission deadline entirely means you are not entered into Top 20 judging.
You still completed a national competition. You keep all four sessions, all recordings, your community access, and your Certificate of Participation. Not making the Top 20 is not a disqualification it is simply not advancing to the NIC finals.
Yes, AI assistants for learning and debugging are allowed and encouraged. Open source libraries and off-the-shelf modules are also fine. The rule: the integration and idea must be yours, and you must be able to explain your build. Submitting a fully pre made commercial product as your own is not allowed.
Only the Top 20 finalists attend NIC Karachi. Finalists are expected to attend in person on Final Day 17 September. If travel is a genuine barrier, contact the organising team in advance to discuss options.
Registration closes 14 August 2026. Only 150 places secure yours today.
Or bundle this with a second Cup and save PKR 5,000.