The Idea Challenge was designed as a yearly flagship event for the Social Enterprise Cell with the following objectives:

• To provide students from all parts of the country an opportunity to explore social entrepreneurship and share their innovative ideas in a rigorous and competitive manner.
• To provide a platform for students to shape their ideas through mentorship support and networking with other budding entrepreneurs in the social entrepreneurial circuit.

Each year, we receive about 100 entries  (around 200 entries in the last 3 years) for the Idea Challenge. The entries are first shortlisted to 10 – 15 by the Social Enterprise Cell by a panel of University members.

The shortlisted teams are then invited to the final event in Bangalore. They present to a three-member jury comprising one internal and two external panellists who select the final winners: three winners and sometimes a special category or mention.

Most of the winners from the past nine years have gone on to pursue their ideas further. The ones who do pursue the idea benefit from the media coverage and the award resulting from the competition, and most have gone on to receive additional financial or mentoring support from incubators and other organisations such as  IIT Kanpur, IIM Ahmedabad, IIM Bangalore, Social Alpha, and YCombinator.
 

Guidelines

• Registered teams will receive the Idea Challenge application form, which is to be duly filled out with all details by applicants and emailed to socialenterprisecell@​apu.​edu.​in.
• The Idea form will ask for details about the social problem the team is trying to solve, their proposed solution, the type of social enterprise the team wants to build and the revenue model, etc.
• Student teams must submit their original ideas/​enterprise models for consideration. Any venture already initiated by their institutions or by any other group (where students may be team members or volunteers) will NOT be accepted.
• 10 teams will be shortlisted based on the submissions and will be invited to our Bengaluru campus to pitch in front of the jury panel.
• The 3 top teams will win prize money worth INR 2 lakhs as well as valuable mentorship and networks to take forward their world-changing ideas into social impact organisations.

Please note:

• Students who are graduating in the current year are also eligible to apply.

• Forms will be evaluated based on the proposed model, the feasibility of the idea, the seriousness of the team to take the idea forward, any pilot intervention done, and team strength in terms of their capabilities.

  
  For more details on the last 9 years of the Idea challenge, please read this report and check this page.