The Ministry of Information & Broadcasting has launched the pilot phase of the 'Gems of India' Challenge, a structured national initiative to identify, nurture, and promote grassroots digital creators from across India as part of efforts to strengthen the country's creative sector and promote the emerging Orange Economy. The initiative builds upon the MyWAVES citizen creator platform under WAVES OTT, which was previously launched to enable citizens to create, upload, and share original content.
The challenge invites creators to tell unique stories of their districts through authentic digital storytelling, showcasing culture, heritage, tourism, traditions, history, and distinctive achievements while celebrating the unique identity of every district in India. Creators can submit videos of 1 to 3 minutes duration via the MyWAVES section on the WAVES OTT platform, with the submission window opening on August 1, 2026, and remaining open until August 31, 2026.
The pilot phase is being launched across six states and union territories: Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Arunachal Pradesh, Chandigarh, Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu, Goa, and Ladakh. This phase represents a collaborative effort involving Prasar Bharati, My Bharat, and respective State and District Administrations, with local cultural and educational institutions also actively involved in facilitating creator mobilization and content development.
The Ministry has secured partnerships with YouTube and Meta, both of which will help mobilize their creator communities and extend the challenge's outreach across their networks. The program features a multi-tier awards structure with District Level awards of ₹50,000 each (up to 20 awards per district), State Level awards of ₹2 lakh for one exceptional creator from each district, and future National Level awards of ₹5 lakh each during the subsequent national rollout. District and State Jury Committees will be constituted by respective administrations comprising eminent personalities from culture, heritage, tourism, media, and academia to ensure fair evaluation. Based on insights from the pilot phase, the Gems of India Challenge will eventually expand to cover all States and Union Territories with the goal of establishing a vibrant, nationwide ecosystem of digital creators.