On 10th July 2026, the Young Tinker Foundation (YTF), in partnership with MOURI Tech, successfully organized TinkerFest 2026 at the MOURI Tech Office, Hyderabad. The event brought together 20 students from YTS 1778D – Cheers Foundation, who enthusiastically participated in an exciting Rover Challenge, demonstrating their engineering skills, creativity, teamwork, and problem-solving abilities.As the students arrived at the venue, the MOURI Tech volunteer team warmly welcomed them and presented each participant with a TinkerFest Participation Badge. The badges symbolized their enthusiasm and commitment to innovation, making every student feel like an integral part of the event before the competition officially began.
The welcome address was hosted by Niki Chakrapani, who introduced the vision of Young Tinker Foundation and the purpose of TinkerFest. Students were encouraged to embrace experiential STEM learning, explore new ideas, and develop confidence through practical problem-solving. The session highlighted how hands-on education nurtures creativity, innovation, critical thinking, and teamwork—skills that are essential for future changemakers.
Sharing her thoughts on the event, Jayasmita Patra, Senior Manager, Young Tinker Foundation, said:
“Every prototype told a story—not just of ideas, but of growing confidence. By the end of TinkerFest, our students weren’t waiting for solutions—they had become confident problem-solvers.”
Competition Briefing
Before the Rover Challenge began, Prasanth explained the competition rules, challenge format, and safety guidelines to all participating teams. Rakesh Kumar Kota then briefed the judges on the evaluation criteria and scoring methodology to ensure a transparent and fair judging process.
Each team was given 90 seconds to complete the Rover Challenge by successfully navigating their rover through a series of obstacles while demonstrating precision, control, and teamwork.
Esteemed Judges
The competition was evaluated by an experienced panel from Mouritech:
- Immanuel – Associate Practice Lead, Data Analytics
- Sarthak – Senior Manager
- Naveen Khyatam – Associate Director
- Deepika – HR Manager
Their valuable insights and encouragement motivated every participant to perform their best throughout the competition.
Team Performances
Team TITANS – Rover: NOVA
Team TITANS delivered an outstanding performance by successfully crossing every obstacle with remarkable precision. Completing the challenge in 38.91 seconds, the team secured Second Place, showcasing excellent teamwork and confident rover control.
Team MechX – Rover: ZENITH
After an unsuccessful first attempt, Team MechX displayed resilience and determination by making a strong comeback. During their second attempt, they smoothly crossed every obstacle and completed the challenge in 31 seconds, earning appreciation for their perseverance.
Team Phoenix Crew – Rover: PATHFINDER-X
Phoenix Crew delivered the most impressive performance of the competition. Completing the entire challenge in just 20 seconds, the team demonstrated exceptional control, especially during the challenging 90-degree turns. Their flawless performance received loud applause from the audience and earned them the title of Champion.
Team Vision X – Rover: SCOUT
Despite facing unexpected technical difficulties when their rover’s wheels became loose twice during the race, Team Vision X remained calm and determined. They successfully completed the challenge in 45 seconds, demonstrating resilience, teamwork, and problem-solving under pressure.
Team Apex – Rover: QUANTA
Team Apex successfully navigated all the obstacles on the course, showcasing their engineering efforts and collaborative spirit. Their dedication and teamwork were highly appreciated by both the judges and the audience.
Winners of TinkerFest 2026
After an exciting series of rover races and the completion of all team performances, the judges carefully evaluated each team’s innovation, rover design, technical execution, teamwork, navigation skills, and overall performance. Following a thorough assessment, the winners of TinkerFest 2026 at MOURI Tech were announced. Every participating team displayed exceptional effort and determination, making the competition highly competitive. Congratulations to our winning teams:
First Place – Phoenix Crew
Rover Name: PATHFINDER-X
Team Members:
- Charan, Sakshith, Rishik, Shiva Leela
Second Place – Apex Team
Rover Name: QUANTA
Team Members:
- Bhaskar, Pramod, Mahesh, Niharika
Third Place – MechX
Rover Name: ZENITH
Team Members:
- Ganesh, Varun, Srujan, Sharanya
Team Phoenix Crew
Team Apex
Team MechX
Certificate Distribution
The event concluded with a Certificate distribution ceremony, where every participant was recognized for their dedication, hard work, and innovative spirit. The smiles on the students’ faces reflected the confidence and excitement they had gained through the experience.
Following the thrilling Rover Challenge and the certificate distribution ceremony, the Young Tinker Foundation team presented the YTS Impact Report to the MOURI Tech leadership. The report highlighted the journey, achievements, and impact of the Young Tinker Space (YTS) program, showcasing how the partnership has empowered students with hands-on STEM learning, innovation, and problem-solving skills. The presentation served as a token of appreciation for MOURI Tech’s continued support and commitment to nurturing the next generation of innovators.
The Volunteers Behind the Success
A successful event is always powered by a dedicated team working behind the scenes. The journey of the Mouritech volunteers began with a volunteer orientation conducted on 9 July 2026, where they were introduced to the event objectives, competition format, and their respective responsibilities.
Throughout the event, volunteers played a vital role by:
- Registering students upon arrival.
- Guiding assigned teams throughout the competition.
- Mentoring students during their pitching sessions.
- Assisting teams in troubleshooting rover issues.
- Coordinating the event schedule.
- Supporting the judges during evaluations.
- Ensuring every activity was executed smoothly and efficiently.
Their enthusiasm, ownership, and teamwork created a welcoming environment that allowed students to confidently participate and enjoy every moment of TinkerFest.
A Celebration of Innovation and Learning
TinkerFest is more than a competition—it is a celebration of creativity, curiosity, and hands-on learning. Through challenges like the Rover Race, students experience the complete engineering design process, from ideation and prototyping to testing, iteration, and execution.
The event successfully strengthened students’ confidence, communication skills, collaboration, and technical knowledge while encouraging them to think critically and solve real-world problems.
Young Tinker Foundation extends its heartfelt gratitude to the entire MOURI Tech leadership and volunteer team for their unwavering support in making TinkerFest 2026 a memorable learning experience. Their encouragement and commitment continue to inspire young innovators and strengthen the mission of empowering students through experiential STEM education.
Together, Young Tinker Foundation and MOURI Tech are nurturing the next generation of makers, innovators, engineers, and changemakers—one challenge at a time.
