The Hult Prize is a global social enterprise competition for university students.
It is focused on helping the brightest future leaders put their energy into solving the biggest issues facing the planet, in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs). The Founders team is here to help you tackle any idea you have for a social enterprise, as long as it is world-changing and aligned with at least one UN SDG.
Hear from the 2024 UNSW Hult Prize finalists Jacinta May Co-Founder of Pikkl and Matt Gordon Co-Founder of Innersteps.
Benefits:
You’ll gain new skills, knowledge, ways of thinking and friends. Plus:
The opportunity to pitch for a share in an AUD prize pool at the National finals.
Access to industry coaches with extensive ‘been there-done that’ experience.
Educational hands on workshops.
Access to a world-class Makerspace and startup community.
The opportunity to represent UNSW in the National finals in May 2026.
Participants retain the copyright and any other intellectual property rights in their idea and startup. Except in some cases for research-related ideas in accordance with the UNSW IP Policy.
Elegibility:
Teams must comprise of at least 2 and no more than 4 members.
All team members must be current university students, and at least one must be a UNSW student.
Teams with a mix of non-UNSW students also have the option to apply directly to Hult Prize open applications.
All members of the team must be at least 18 years of age by 28th February 2025 to compete.
Your idea must create a measurable positive impact on people and the planet and support at least one UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDGs) by 2030.
Frequently Asked Questions:
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Thank you for your interest in becoming a competitor! Registration is now closed for the 2024-2025 cycle.
Registration for the 2025-2026 cycle will open on September 5th, 2025. -
For further information about the Hult Prize at UNSW, get in touch with mariana.luiscastillo@unsw.edu.au
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UNSW teams wanting to take their social entrepreneurship idea to the world stage will begin on campus at UNSW Kensington.
See the ‘How It Works’ page on the Hult Prize website for full details about the exciting 5-stage process, culminating in the global finals in September 2026.
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Visit the Hult Prize 2025 Competitor toolkit page, which includes the selection framework & criteria, Digital Learning hub, How to get started and much more.
There is a world of information to polish your idea and give it the best chance to progress through the competition!
It is advised that teams complete modules 1-8 on the Hult Prize Digital Learning Hub.
Each module contains 15 – 60 minutes of recorded content, split across several shorter videos. Each video has additional resources.
Modules:
1. Human-Centered Design & Social Entrepreneurship
2. Building effective teams
3. SDGs & Impact Measurement
4. The art of pitching
5. Project management
6. Business fundamentals
7. Marketing & go-to-market strategy
8. Scaling your business
