High school students from across the UAE have demonstrated outstanding entrepreneurial talent in The Next Big Thing, a business competition hosted by Lancaster University Leipzig.
The competition invited students to identify a real-world problem, conduct thorough research, and develop an innovative business solution. As part of the application process, teams submitted a research-based poster outlining their concept, alongside a video pitch presenting their idea and its potential impact.
Entries were evaluated at multiple stages, with teams collecting points for the quality of their research, the feasibility and originality of their solution, and the professionalism of their presentation.
Following an initial review, the 13 highest-scoring teams were invited to present their projects live to an academic judging panel consisting of Colin Kay, Programme Lead Business, Foundation and Pre-Master’s, and Dr Melissa Bejjani-Cazaré, Assistant Professor (Teaching Fellow) in Business Management. During the final round, students showcased their posters in person and responded to in-depth questions from the judges, further adding to their overall score.
The competition concluded this week with a live Award Ceremony, celebrating the remarkable achievements of all finalists. The top three teams were:
The winning team has been awarded a trip to Leipzig, Germany, including a visit to the University’s campus.
All participating students impressed the judging panel with their analytical thinking, creativity and professionalism. The competition once again highlighted the strong entrepreneurial mindset of the next generation of business leaders.
An extract of the winning team’s poster
I can tell you: Melissa and Colin had a tough time determining who the winner is, because all of the presentations were excellent. And no matter who won, I can say, that we would be very happy to welcome all of the participants here at Lancaster University Leipzig. With their dedication, their mindset, and their commitment that they showed, each one of them would be the perfect student for us!
