‘Newspaper of the Future’ challenge held at IIT Saarang 2026

Hindu The group hosted ‘Newspaper of the Future’, a student competition at IIT Saarang 2026, challenging participants to re-imagine how newspapers can attract young readers into the rapidly evolving media landscape.

The competition focused on designing a future-proof newspaper experience for 18-24 year olds, while maintaining the core principles of journalism such as credibility, public interest and responsible reporting.

Students were encouraged to propose print, digital, or hybrid concepts that meaningfully use technology to enhance storytelling and reader engagement.

A total of 100 students from 30 teams participated in the preliminary round. Based on idea submissions and visual mock-ups, 10 teams were shortlisted for the final round.

The teams presented their concepts live at IIT Saarang 2026 in front of a jury comprising Sridhar Arnala, Director, Sales and Distribution, Hindu Group and Nagaraj N., Vice President, Data & Analytics and Designated Artificial Intelligence Officer, Hindu Group.

“We have designed a Gen Z-focused newspaper that prioritizes visual storytelling over long-form reading,” said Vir Jain of the winner Team Reporters, along with Shambhuraj Salunkhe and Rajvardhan Waghmare. “Our concept includes comic book-style visual narratives to explain the news flow, a ‘case tracking’ format for in-depth story tracking, and an AI reporter who reads and summarizes the news without compromising journalistic values.”

Hindu It is the media partner of IIT Saarang 2026.