Blix-a-thon Edition 4 Finals: Highlights from the Nationals in Goa

The journey from the first regional competition in Mumbai, which started in April, to the national in Goa, which recently concluded, is the one we are always going to remember.

For the last six months, Blix-A-Thon has kept us on our toes. This edition was the first time we collaborated with WSRO to organize a regional robotics competition across 7 different cities in India. Our team travelled from one city to another, setting up arenas, coordinating with participants, and making sure that every match was conducted smoothly and fairly for every participant. There were a lot of challenges along the way, but that did not stop our team from putting together a robotics competition that the participants deserved, and for that we want to thank the entire Blix-a-thon team and everyone who assisted them from the first regional to the nationals.

And for that, we want to take a moment to thank the entire Blix-A-Thon team and everyone who stood alongside them, from the very first regional in Mumbai all the way to the Nationals in Goa.

But before we close the chapter on Blix-A-Thon 2026, let's take a look back at what went down during The Edition 4 GOA Nationals.

From Mumbai to Goa Nationals

By the time we reached Goa, the Blix-A-Thon Nationals felt very different from the regional round we held there on 28th June.

The two-day national robotics competition that was held between 26th and 27th September brought together more than 100 teams and 400 participants. But unlike the regional rounds, none of these were fresh faces; every single one of them had already competed through all the regional rounds in their respective city and emerged as winners. They might have been from Mumbai, Pune, Goa, Ahmedabad, Delhi, Surat, or Bhopal, but that weekend, the only thing on their minds was the Goa Nationals and the trophy.

And we could feel that difference from the moment the competition began.

But the final stage was not just about 2 challenges like the regionals; the Ultimate Maze made its return to the competition, specifically for the national stage. We brought in another twist to the challenges. A different way of evaluation. We brought in 3 external judges to call the final shot:

• Navamsi Enaganti – Param Innovation
• Sitara Srinivasan – Naxxatra Sciences
• Abbas Gabbajiwala – Blix

But the competition wasn't only about what happened on the arena floor.

One moment that stood out to us was witnessing the participation of children with visual impairments. Watching them compete with the same energy and enthusiasm as everyone else was a reminder to everyone that opportunities to explore robotics can extend to children with diverse abilities

And then there were the parents.

Most of them had travelled from their cities all the way to Goa to see their children compete and win, waiting for the proud moment to call their kid a champion. They cheered when things went right, encouraged their children when they didn't, and experienced every win and loss almost as intensely as the teams themselves.

The energy across both days was through the roof. The Indoor Pedder Stadium had created its own rhythm. It was a mix of the team preparing, parents cheering, and kids celebrating their wins or throwing tantrums after an intense loss, along with the anticipation and impatience that came before the important rounds. Zee5 captured much of that atmosphere while also supporting the participants with special gifts for the winners and a free one-month subscription for everyone who took part.

But there were two things that became the highlights of the event.

The first was Rashtra TV, featuring our founder, Abbas Gabajiwala, in an interview about Blix-A-Thon.

The second and the best one became a highlight that will be in the book forever. Subhash Shirodkar, the cabinet minister for the Government of Goa, visited the stadium to witness the competition himself.

A robotics competition format, which was our first attempt at taking Blix-A-Thon to multiple cities, having the Sports Minister visit the final stage was something we simply hadn't expected.

The Winners of the Three Challenges

Gear Gurus - Sanjivani Academy, Kopargaon

Team Siddharth - Siddharth Vahadane, Sanjivani Academy, Kopargaon

Maze Matrix - Omkar Cambridge International School, Dombivli

The Nationals featured prizes worth more than ₹69 thousand, along with trophies and certificates for winners and qualifiers.

The Road to Blix-A-Thon Edition 5

Looking back, Blix-A-Thon has become much more than the competition we initially set out to create. What started as a simple online robot-building competition turned into a national-level robotics competition stage for kids all over India, where more than 1,500 students competed in the regionals before advancing in the national championship.

As the 2026 Blix-A-Thon has concluded, the next edition is set to expand further, with an aim to take the competition to more cities and introduce new challenges for young robotics enthusiasts.