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iStockIndia is no longer just a market where global products are sold. It is increasingly becoming a place where products are designed, engineered, developed and manufactured for India and the world. From technology and automobiles to consumer goods and industrial solutions, the country’s product ecosystem is evolving rapidly, creating products with a distinctly India-led value proposition.
The ET Make in India Product of the Year, a Horizontal Award at the ET Product of the Year Awards 2026, recognises products that reflect this shift. Unlike the core Enterprise and Commercial categories, this award can be entered alongside a product’s main category, giving products across hardware, software, vehicles and consumer goods an opportunity to demonstrate their India-based value addition.
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The focus goes beyond where a product is assembled. What matters is the depth of India’s contribution to the product, whether through design, engineering, product development, technology or manufacturing. The category is therefore aimed at products with a meaningful India-led contribution, rather than those that simply carry out final assembly in the country.
What makes a product eligible?
To qualify, a product must demonstrate India-based design, engineering or manufacturing content and must be live in the market within the applicable eligibility window. The wider ET Product of the Year programme requires eligible products to have been launched or significantly upgraded between January 2025 and September 2026 and to be supported by evidence of adoption, growth, usage or commercial results.
Companies must also be able to substantiate their claims through the evidence submitted with their nomination. This places the emphasis on demonstrable value rather than broad claims around localisation.
What will be evaluated?
The evaluation will look closely at the depth of India value addition and the product’s market results. Products that demonstrate genuine design, engineering or manufacturing capabilities in India will stand apart from those where localisation is limited to assembly.
Market performance is equally important. Adoption, customer impact, growth and commercial outcomes can help demonstrate whether the product has translated its India-based capabilities into meaningful market success.
The category also sits alongside the Sustainable Product of the Year as a Horizontal Award, allowing eligible products to enter these awards in addition to their core category.
For companies building products with India at their core, the ET Make in India Product of the Year offers an opportunity to showcase not just where a product is made, but the design, engineering and innovation capabilities that make its India contribution meaningful.
The ET Make in India Product of the Year, a Horizontal Award at the ET Product of the Year Awards 2026, recognises products that reflect this shift. Unlike the core Enterprise and Commercial categories, this award can be entered alongside a product’s main category, giving products across hardware, software, vehicles and consumer goods an opportunity to demonstrate their India-based value addition.
Also Read More:
The Economic Times Product of the Year Awards 2026: Recognising products that have already made their mark
The Economic Times Product of the Year Awards 2026: Recognising the tools behind better digital products
The focus goes beyond where a product is assembled. What matters is the depth of India’s contribution to the product, whether through design, engineering, product development, technology or manufacturing. The category is therefore aimed at products with a meaningful India-led contribution, rather than those that simply carry out final assembly in the country.
What makes a product eligible?
To qualify, a product must demonstrate India-based design, engineering or manufacturing content and must be live in the market within the applicable eligibility window. The wider ET Product of the Year programme requires eligible products to have been launched or significantly upgraded between January 2025 and September 2026 and to be supported by evidence of adoption, growth, usage or commercial results.
Companies must also be able to substantiate their claims through the evidence submitted with their nomination. This places the emphasis on demonstrable value rather than broad claims around localisation.
What will be evaluated?
The evaluation will look closely at the depth of India value addition and the product’s market results. Products that demonstrate genuine design, engineering or manufacturing capabilities in India will stand apart from those where localisation is limited to assembly.
Market performance is equally important. Adoption, customer impact, growth and commercial outcomes can help demonstrate whether the product has translated its India-based capabilities into meaningful market success.
The category also sits alongside the Sustainable Product of the Year as a Horizontal Award, allowing eligible products to enter these awards in addition to their core category.
For companies building products with India at their core, the ET Make in India Product of the Year offers an opportunity to showcase not just where a product is made, but the design, engineering and innovation capabilities that make its India contribution meaningful.
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