Sri Vijaya Puram, August 12: The Andaman and Nicobar Administration has launched a series of Awareness-cum-Orientation Workshops across the Islands to encourage students, youth and emerging digital creators to participate in the national-level ‘Gems of India Challenge 2026’. The initiative seeks to help participants showcase the Islands’ culture, heritage, tourism, history and local stories through original digital content while equipping them with the guidance required for registration and content submission.
The ‘Gems of India Challenge’, introduced by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India, is a nationwide initiative aimed at identifying, nurturing and promoting grassroots digital creators. The programme encourages participants to present the distinctive identity, traditions, tourism, heritage and achievements of their respective districts through authentic digital storytelling. The Andaman and Nicobar Islands has been selected as one of six States and Union Territories for the pilot phase of the initiative.
Participants are required to create and submit original digital content of one to three minutes through the MyWAVES section of the WAVES OTT platform. The submission window for the pilot phase opened on August 1 and will remain open until August 31, 2026.
The challenge includes a multi-tier award structure. At the district level, up to 20 awards of Rs. 50,000 each will be presented in every district. At the State/UT level, one outstanding creator from each district will receive an award of Rs. 2 lakh. Selected entries will also compete for national awards carrying prize money of Rs. 5 lakh each.
To facilitate participation, the Administration is organising one-hour awareness and orientation sessions in collaboration with the Department of Education, Information Technology Department, Prasar Bharati, My Bharat and the District Administrations. The workshops will introduce participants to the Challenge, explain the registration process through MyWAVES, provide demonstrations on online registration and content submission, and include interactive sessions with students.
The workshops will be conducted at JNRM, ANCOL and Andaman Law College on August 12; ANIIMS and TGCE on August 13; Teachers’ Training Institute, DBRAIT and ITI on August 14; Panchayat Hall, Rangat on August 17; Mayabunder College on August 18; and Multipurpose Hall, Mayabunder on August 19.
The Directorate of Information, Publicity and Tourism, in coordination with the District Administrations and partner departments, is facilitating awareness activities across the Islands. Students, aspiring filmmakers, vloggers, photographers, storytellers and other creative individuals have been encouraged to attend the orientation sessions, register through the MyWAVES section of the WAVES OTT platform and submit their entries before the August 31 deadline.
