Sri Eshwar, New Horizon & PES University Emerge Victorious in Great Learning AI Challenge

Student teams from Sri Eshwar College of Engineering (Coimbatore), New Horizon College of Engineering, and PES University emerged as winners of ‘The Great Learning AI Challenge’, showcasing outstanding innovation and problem-solving in artificial intelligence.

To accelerate Generative AI literacy among India’s youth, Great Learning concluded the inaugural edition of The Great Learning AI Challenge on World Youth Skills Day. The initiative saw nationwide participation, with over 16,000 learners enrolling in 45+ free GenAI courses, collectively worth INR 40,000 offered via Great Learning Academy between July 13 and 15. The three-day upskilling sprint drew an enthusiastic response from more than 12,000 college students across 200+ institutions and 4,000 early-career professionals. Significantly, 60% of student participants hailed from Tier 2 cities, underscoring the growing demand for Generative AI skills beyond metropolitan centers.
Following competitive tracking through a leaderboard, the winning institutions were crowned in two categories. In both the GenAI Super Squad (highest number of unique participants) and GenAI Masterminds (most course completions) categories, Sri Eshwar College of Engineering, Coimbatore, New Horizon College of Engineering, and PES University, Bangalore secured the top three positions.
Commenting on the challenge, Aparna Mahesh, Chief Marketing Officer, Great Learning, said, “What we witnessed with The Great Learning AI Challenge was truly heartening. Gen Z is not just adapting to the AI revolution; they are leading it with passion and purpose. What began as a learning initiative quickly turned into a national movement and reminded us why we do what we do. At Great Learning, we are committed to keeping this momentum alive by empowering youth with meaningful opportunities to build successful, future-ready careers in an AI-driven world.”
Enrollment trends revealed a strong focus on core GenAI concepts, with Prompt Engineering for ChatGPT, Generative AI for Beginners, and ChatGPT for Beginners being the most popular courses during the challenge, followed by ChatGPT for Marketing, ChatGPT for Excel, and Build a Website using ChatGPT. Some of the other courses that were of interest to students were Data Analytics Using ChatGPT with Excel and Python, ChatGPT for Business Communication, and Interview Preparation Using Gemini.
Harshit Gajendran from New Horizon College of Engineering distinguished himself as the top performer of The Great Learning AI Challenge by completing 45 GenAI courses within just three days, a truly exceptional accomplishment that demonstrated both determination and a deep commitment to upskilling. The initiative, anchored by the campaign tagline ‘Gen Z Goes GenAI — Because careers don’t start with jobs, they start with skills’, underscored the growing urgency for young professionals to build expertise in emerging technologies. Designed to accelerate GenAI adoption across India, the challenge served as an accessible and inclusive platform for learners to gain in-demand skills, earn recognised credentials, and engage with AI meaningfully.

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