Opportunity brief
Overview
Aethera is a national sustainability case competition organised by the Society of Environmental Science & Engineering (SESE), IIT (ISM) Dhanbad, as part of Concetto '26. Teams from across the country tackle a real, live sustainability challenge drawn from industry, diagnose it, build a costed solution, and defend it before an expert panel.
Eligibility
- Open to all undergraduate and postgraduate students, any discipline, any recognised institute in India.
- Team size: minimum 1, maximum 3 members.
- Inter-college teams are not allowed — all members of a team must be from the same institute.
- Inter-specialization/inter-branch teams within the same institute are allowed.
- Each participant may be part of only one team.
Format
- Round 1 — Online Screening Test (on Unstop): tests foundational and applied knowledge of sustainability and consulting fundamentals. 20 questions 20 minutes
- Round 2 — Case Submission: shortlisted teams receive a live industry case and have to submit a 10-slide response deck. Blind-scored against a published rubric. [Duration: 1 October – 7 October]
- Round 3 — The Boardroom (Finale): top 10 teams pitch live, followed by a sealed "Curveball" round requiring an on-the-spot rework against a new constraint. Held Sunday, 11 October, live-streamed.
Key Dates
- Registrations open: 17 September
- Round 1: 30 September
- Round 2: 1 October – 7 October
- Finale: 11 October
Prizes
Total prize pool: Rs. 60,000
- Winner: Rs. 30,000
- 1st Runner-up: Rs. 18,000
- 2nd Runner-up: Rs. 12,000
Rules
- All submissions must be original work by the registered team. Plagiarism in any round leads to immediate disqualification.
- Teams may not alter their composition once Round 1 registration closes.
- Late submissions will not be evaluated, regardless of reason.
- The panel's decision at every stage is final.
Ready to solve for real impact? Diagnose the problem. Build the solution. Defend it live.
AETHERA 2026
Solve Real. Impact Future.