Nerve wrecking finale came to a thrilling finish as students were put in real-life business scenarios

Dubai, November 21, 2019:    After three grueling weeks of solving real world cases on Artificial Intelligence, 1200 high school students from across 60 schools in the UAE competed last Saturday for the DEWA Business Cup Challenge 2019 hosted by Curtin University Dubai. The winning team – Carv – comprised of four students from GEMS Wellington International School presented an exceptional solution in the Finals. They were also the recipients of DEWA’s Best Solution Award, given for the best case study on developing a narrow AI solution for DEWA. 

“We at GEMS Wellington International School are extremely proud of Team Carv for winning the first place in the DEWA Business Cup Challenge. The teams dedication from the very first case study, innovative ideas and committed efforts led them to not only win the coveted competition, but also set an example for their peers,” said Ms. Shamaila Shah, the mentoring teacher and Curriculum Leader for Business & Economics at GEMS Wellington International School, Dubai. 

Along with the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority, the competition was also supported by Hunter Foods, Gulf News, BPG Max and Transnational Academic Group.

Team Augustine’s Angels from Sunmarke School, Dubai came in to a close second, winning the first runners-up title. Teams Singularity and Zenith, both from Al Diyafah High School, Dubai tied for the second runners-up position. 

Prizes for the winning teams included trophies, National Bonds, internships with DEWA and Hunter Foods, and scholarships from Curtin University Dubai, as part of their CSR initiative providing a platform for future business leaders.

Additionally, Gulf News also sponsored an award for the Most Creative Team on the Gulf News case study. Mr. Chiranjib Sengupta, Senior Editor at Gulf News presented the award to Team Augustine’s Angels from Sunmarke School, Dubai.

The judging panel for the competition was comprised of Mr. Daniel Adkins, CEO of Curtin University Dubai’s Education Management Services provider, Dr. Khyati Shetty, Head of Curtin University Dubai’s Business and Humanities School, and Mr. Salih Ismail, Program Coordinator and Lecturer for the School of Information Technology at Curtin University Dubai. 

“With every passing year the level of competition keeps increasing and it is exciting watching the talent of the students presenting their case studies and to see the level of research and analysis that they invested. The solutions they provided were well thought through with some superb solutions that could actually be implemented.” said Mr. Daniel Adkins.

The DEWA Business Cup Challenge hosted by Curtin University Dubai is an interschool competition that introduces high school students to the business world at a young age by challenging them to review real-world business cases to come up with innovative solutions.  The competition is held every year and the topic for the Business Cup Challenge 2020 is Big Data and its use in business.