The on-campus round of Hult Prize-- the world's largest students’ social entrepreneurship case competition with participants from more than 2,000 universities across 121 countries around the globe-- ended on December 11. This competition runs in partnership with the United Nations. It is an event that associates startups to actively implement United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs). This prestigious competition marked the beginning at Chittagong University (CU) in 2018. Hult Prize at CU 2020-2021 is the third edition.
The event began on June 13, initially with two contests- 'Pitch Friday' and 'Food Pact Photography Contest.' Then began the on-campus round consisting of three rounds- elevator pitch round, semi-final round and the final round. 321 teams presented their ideas in the elevator pitch round; only 24 teams got selected for the semi-final, among whom, only six teams moved to the final. The Dynamites became the champion of the on-campus round while Optimum and Winterfel secured first and second runner-up positions respectively. Winners will join the regional event.
The Vice-chancellor of CU Professor Shireen Akhter was present at the prize giving ceremony as the chief guest. She mentioned how good a role this event can play in solving problems while pushing the students to generate ideas. "When winners will go to work at the United Nations (UN), it'll be a matter of pride for us."
Towfiq Ahmad Uccsash, campus director of the Hult Prize at CU expressed his gratitude to all whose support led the event's successful completion and to the 1,100 participants. "Our target was to deliver the best training, mentorship, grooming sessions and all other support to the students. We are also ready to support our winning teams for the regional summit as well."
On the other hand, the head of branding and promotion for the event Ms Athkia Subat mentioned her satisfaction for the success of CU at this event and hopes for more engagement for better outcome. "I believe, continuous success is not possible without the proactive participation of all the organising members," she added.
The writer is a third-year student of CU Banking and Insurance. He can be reached at
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