PHEC Announces Rs 7.195 Million in Prizes for 49 PINTECH Expo 2026 Projects

What Happened

The Punjab Higher Education Commission (PHEC) has announced cash prizes worth Rs 7.195 million, which is Rs 71.95 lakh, for 49 winning projects at the Honhaar Punjab Innovation and Technology (PINTECH) Expo 2026 [1][2]. According to Punjab Education Minister Rana Sikandar Hayat, the commission will distribute the prizes across nine categories [1][2]. The awards are intended to recognize students who show innovation, creativity and entrepreneurial skills [1][2].

The prize money ranges from Rs 30,000 to Rs 5 lakh (Rs 500,000) per winning project [1][2]. One headline in eduvision.edu.pk describes the total as “7 Million”, but the article text gives the figure as Rs 71.95 lakh [2].

The commission has set out five prize tiers for the nine categories [1][2]:

• First prize: Rs 5 lakh each for nine projects, one from each category, totalling Rs 45 lakh (Rs 4.5 million) [1][2].
• First runner-up: Rs 1 lakh each for 13 projects, totalling Rs 13 lakh (Rs 1.3 million). Seven categories will have one first runner-up each, and two categories will have three each [1][2].
• Second runner-up: Rs 75,000 each for nine projects, totalling Rs 6.75 lakh (Rs 675,000) [1][2].
• Third runner-up: Rs 50,000 each for nine projects, totalling Rs 4.5 lakh [1][2].
• Fourth runner-up: Rs 30,000 each for nine projects, totalling Rs 2.7 lakh [1][2].

The first-prize awards account for Rs 45 lakh of the total. According to eduvision.edu.pk, the remaining Rs 26.95 lakh will be shared among 40 runner-up projects [2]. The 40 runner-up projects come from four runner-up categories [1][2].

PHEC is organizing PINTECH Expo 2026 to give students a chance to present their projects and show their ability to develop practical solutions through technology [1][2]. The expo aims to recognize young talent and promote research, creativity, innovation and entrepreneurship within Punjab’s higher education sector [1][2].

Who Is Affected

Students in Punjab’s higher education sector who present projects at PINTECH Expo 2026 are the people directly affected. The 49 winning projects will receive the prize money, with the highest awards going to nine projects, one in each of the nine categories [1][2].