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From Idea To Impact:

The Hult Prize Challenge

Purpose Defined

Each year, the Hult Prize challenges student teams to solve a specific social problem defined by an annual theme, directly aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Who can participate?

The Hult Prize journey begins right on your campus. Hult Prize is open to:

  • Undergraduate and postgraduate students enrolled in Nigerian universities

  • Students from public and private institutions

  • Innovators passionate about solving social issues through business

  • Team Players (2 -4 per team) or individuals willing to form teams during the program

  • Students from any discipline (not just business or tech)

    • You do not need to have:

  • A saved business

  • Prior startup experience

  • Funding to begin

    • A surreal pathway walk

    The Journey Timeline

    Register

    Register Your Team or Idea

    Your journey begins with registration

    Students will have to

  • Create an account on the platform

  • Register individually or as a team

  • Select or submit a social problem they want to solve

  • Join a verified campus chapter (if available)

  • Get matched with a Chapter President if they don't have a local chapter

    • Once registration is complete students will get access to

  • Competition updates

  • Training resources

  • Networking opportunities

  • Event invitations

  • Announcements and submission deadlines

    • Build Team

    Team Formation & Problem Selection

    After registration, the goal is to build a team and choose a problem worth solving.

    Teams typically consist of

  • A builder (tech or product)

  • A marketer or storyteller

  • A problem solver or strategist

  • A finance or operations lead

    • Students can then selet a challenge area, such as:

  • Food security

  • Education

  • Climate action

  • Employment

  • Financial inclusion

  • Healthcare

  • Clean energy

  • Poverty reduction

    • At this point, focus is one question: What real problem exists around me that I can solve sustainably?

    Training and prep

    Training, mentorship & development

    Participants go through guided development programs both online and offline.

    Participants will recieve

  • Business model training

  • Pitching workshops

  • Design thinking sessions

  • Customer discovery guidance

  • Market validation frameworks

  • Startup legal basics

  • Financial modeling support

    • Additionally, teams get

  • Mentorship from entrepreneurs, professionals and industry leaders

  • Feedback sessions to refine ideas

  • Access to training materials and templates

  • Startup checklists and structure milestones

    • The aim is to tranform raw ideas into viable startups

    Campus Pitch

    On-Campus Qualifiers

    Campus chapters organize local competitions at universities

    At this stage, teams pitch to a panel of judges and are evaluated based on the following

  • Problem Clarity

  • Innovation

  • Feasibility

  • Business model strength

  • Social Impact

  • Team capacity

    • Winners from each campus move forward into the national phase. This stage filters ideas and prepares teams for serious startup building.

    National Finals

    National Competiton (Hult Prize Nigeria)

    Qualified teams advance to the national competition

    Here, teams:

  • Compete with the best teams in Nigeria

  • Pitch before senior investors and excutives

  • Receive deepere mentorship

  • Improve prototypes

  • Strengthen market strategy

    • At this stage

  • Teams refine traction

  • Build MVPs

  • Test assumptions

  • Improve revenue models

    • Only a few teams qualify for the regional/global stage

    Global Stage

    Regional and global finals

    Winning teams represent Nigeria at the international level

    This includes

  • Regional summits or accelerators

  • Global pitching events

  • Startup bootcamps

  • Venture-building support

    • At the global finals

  • Finalists pitch against teams fromover 120 countries

  • One winning team receives $1 million USD in startup funding

  • All finalists receive global exposure and investor connections

    • what you gain

    Benefits of Joining Nigeria’s Largest Student Startup Competition

    experience

    Practical startup experience in Nigeria

    Build a real startup, not just academic projects

    Hult Prize Nigeria equips Nigerian students with hands-on business experience by turning ideas into real startups that solve Nigeria’s biggest challenges. From developing business models to testing products in local communities, you gain practical exposure to building solutions that work within the Nigerian economy.

    network

    powerful network across Nigeria & beyond

    Connect with Nigerians building the future and the world watching them

    As a Hult Prize Nigeria participant, you become part of a nationwide and international network of innovators, founders, investors, mentors, and change-makers. From Lagos to Abuja, Enugu to Ibadan, you’ll build lasting relationships with people who share your vision. Beyond Nigeria, you join a global community in over 120 countries — opening doors to international partnerships, scholarships, internships and collaboration opportunities.

    funding

    Access to funding & investors for nigerian startups

    Funding is no longer a barrier. It's a target

    Hult Prize Nigeria gives Nigerian students access to startup funding opportunities, local investor networks, global venture capital exposure, and the chance to win up to $1 million in seed funding at global finals. Even teams that don’t win the final prize gain visibility and often attract support from accelerators, NGOs, angel investors, and startup support organizations operating across Africa and beyond.

    growth

    Leadership, confidence & professional skills

    Level up personally - not just professionally

    Hult Prize Nigeria challenges you to grow into a confident leader, a persuasive communicator, and a problem solver with real-world impact skills. You’ll learn how to pitch, negotiate, present, lead teams, and think like an entrepreneur. Whether you want a job, a business, or a career abroad — you’ll walk away stronger, sharper, and more confident.

    impact

    Agent of social change in Nigeria

    Solve Nigeria's probelms while building wealth

    Hult Prize Nigeria empowers Nigerian youth to build businesses that address critical issues like unemployment, food insecurity, education gaps, poverty, clean energy, and healthcare. You don’t just watch the news — you build solutions. You don’t wait for change — you lead it.

    career

    Career boost and industry recognition

    stand out among Nigerian graduates and job seekers

    Hult Prize alumni are recognized nationally and internationally for leadership, innovation and creativity. Being part of Hult Prize Nigeria strengthens your CV, boosts your LinkedIn profile, and proves that you can execute ideas — not just talk.You don’t just graduate. You graduate with experience.

    How winners are selected

    Judges look for teams with:

    • Clear Problem and solution

    • large and urgent market

    • sustainable business model

    • unique innovation

    • real impact potential

    • strong team chemistry

    • scalability

    • ethical operations

    • feasible execution

    How to prepare for success

    If you want to win:

    • reasearch your problem deeply

    • talk to real users

    • validate your assumptions

    • build simple prototypes early

    • train your pitching skills

    • learn from feedback

    • focus on impact and sustainability

    • work consistently as a team

    • tell a compelling story

    Ready to start?

    Your startup journey begins here

  • Register Your Team

  • Build Your Idea

  • Pitch Your Vision

  • Compete Nationally

  • Represent Nigeria

  • Change The World