Aethera 2026 | Sustainability Consulting Challenge

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 2026Solve Real. Impact Future.