Sri Vijaya Puram, July 29: The Andaman and Nicobar Islands have been selected as one of only six States and Union Territories to participate in the pilot phase of the national “Gems of India” Challenge, an initiative aimed at giving local digital creators a platform to showcase the region’s culture, heritage and tourism through original digital content. The programme, launched by the Andaman and Nicobar Administration, is intended to expand opportunities for young creators while promoting the Islands on a national stage.
The initiative was formally launched by Chief Secretary Chandra Bhushan Kumar during the Senior Officers’ Meeting held at the Secretariat Conference Hall in Sri Vijaya Puram. The Administration said the programme is also expected to strengthen the local “concert economy” by encouraging greater participation in the creative and digital content ecosystem.
The “Gems of India” Challenge is a national initiative led by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting in collaboration with Prasar Bharati. It seeks to identify and encourage emerging digital creators from every district to produce authentic digital stories highlighting India’s cultural diversity, heritage and tourism potential.
Addressing the meeting, the Chief Secretary said the initiative forms part of the broader framework for the second edition of the World Audio Visual and Entertainment Summit (WAVES) 2027, which is scheduled to be held in Mumbai in February 2027. He encouraged young people and digital creators across the Islands to participate by documenting the Union Territory’s distinctive features, including indigenous traditions, rare art forms and eco-tourism destinations.
The challenge is open to citizens, with a particular focus on youth and emerging digital content creators. Participants can submit original short videos, reels and vlogs with a suggested duration of one to three minutes.
Eligible content may cover themes such as culture and heritage, local cuisine, folk traditions, performing arts, nature and eco-tourism, and inspirational local stories.
According to the Administration, the submission window for the pilot phase will remain open from August 1 to August 31, 2026. Participants can register and upload their original content through the MyWAVES section of the WAVES OTT platform or access the challenge through the dedicated online portal.
The challenge also includes a three-tier recognition system. At the district level, up to 20 awards of ₹50,000 each will be presented in every district. The best district entries will qualify for State or Union Territory-level awards of ₹2 lakh, while top national performers will be eligible for awards of up to ₹5 lakh.
To support participation from the Islands, the Administration will coordinate with its nodal technology partner, Vensysco Technologies, to conduct online training and demonstration sessions on registration and content uploading. The Directorate of Information, Publicity and Tourism will work with district administrations and My Bharat volunteers to encourage participation and ensure that creators across the Islands have an opportunity to present their work on a national platform. For further information, interested participants have been advised to visit the official MyWAVES platform or contact the Directorate of Information, Publicity and Tourism.
