Two students from Andhra Pradesh government schools won big in the School Innovation Marathon (SIM) 2024–25, run by NITI Aayog’s Atal Innovation Mission. They have been invited to the 77th Republic Day celebrations in Delhi as special guests. Ippili Sanjana from Srikakulam district received a personal invite to a tea reception hosted by President Droupadi Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhavan on January 26. Sanjana’s team from Zilla Parishad High School, Ippili, created a dual axis solar tracking system. Their solar panels automatically rotate to catch sunlight better, boosting efficiency. Their idea was among the top 485 out of thousands nationwide. Sanjana said, "I credit my success to my biology teacher Umamaheshwari Suvvari, fellow teachers, and my parents." Similarly, Davu Sneha and Kaki Soumya from SMK Zilla Parishad High School in Movva, Krishna district, made an AI model to detect cancer lumps early. Their socially important project ranked 704th nationally. They thanked their teacher Mohammed Zakir Ahmed for guidance. B. Srinivasa Rao, Samagra Shiksha State Project Director, announced Andhra Pradesh secured second place nationally in the marathon. "61,027 students from 5,443 schools joined, submitting 8,748 ideas. Of the top 1,000 projects nationally, 57 came from Andhra Pradesh," he said. Mr. Rao added that Atal Tinkering Labs (ATLs) play a big role in developing student creativity. UNICEF’s support has helped Andhra Pradesh grow its innovation ecosystem, promising more exciting inventions ahead.