The first "Hult Prize On Campus Local Competition" was held on January 24th at Hanyang University Seoul Campus. The Hult Prize is an international competition that identifies and supports university students who aspire to solve social issues through social entrepreneurship and business solutions. Each year, more than 2,000 university students from over 120 countries enter the competition.

The Hult Prize events were conducted in the order of the On Campus program, the international competition, the digital incubator, the global accelerator, and the global finals. In the first stage, the On Campus program, which is led by the campus director and organizers from each university, competing teams present their business ideas, with the winning team earning the opportunity to advance to the international competition. The final winner of the Hult Prize receives a seed fund of KRW 1.3 billion for implementing their business and continuing their journey toward solving social issues.

A total of 14 universities are participating in the Hult Prize 2024–2025, and Hanyang University Seoul Campus also marked the beginning of this competition. The panel of judges for the competition included Professor Shin Hyun-sang of the School of Business Administration, Adjunct Professor Lee Ho-young of the Global Entrepreneur Center, Adjunct Professor Seo Hyun-sun of the Major in Social Innovation, COO Kim Sang-woo of Root Impact, and Lee Chung-han, Planning Director at Haja Center. Each judge evaluated the teams based on the innovativeness and feasibility of the proposed ideas.

A total of five teams participated in Hanyang University On Campus Local Competition. Lion-Hult proposed the "Prussian Blue Purification System" to reduce water pollutants. Leon introduced "New Life, a recruitment platform for ex-convicts" to prevent recidivism of ex-convicts. Lower presented "Zeom Zeom, a comprehensive family communication platform" for enhancing emotional bonds among family members. Luminae proposed an "eco-friendly construction materials made from agricultural waste, DIY kit" for creating safer housing environments in vulnerability areas. Jacheongbi introduced a "vaginal pH levels stabilizing female condom" for preventing gynecological diseases. Each team demonstrated potential solutions to social issues with innovative and practical ideas.

The honor of the final prize went to the Jacheongbi. Jacheongbi focused on the protection of women's rights by introducing a female condom that prevents gynecological diseases. In particular, to maximize the customer experience of the user, they designed the product, including its performance and wearability, with the convenience of female users in mind.

Seo Joo-won (School of Business Administration, Senior) of Jacheongbi shared her feelings: "Thanks to great programs such as the mid-term report session and networking opportunities, we were able to receive diverse feedback and refine our business model." She continued, "I am grateful to the director and organizers for providing us the opportunity to meet with the judges through the Hult Prize," adding, "I hope many more people will participate in the competition in the future, making it a long-standing tradition at Hanyang University."

"We were a bit frustrated at first because there were many resources available regarding female condoms, but through surveys, we found that there were positive perceptions toward the product," said Kim Seo-young (Department of Theater and Film, Senior). "With the desire to help those in need, we further developed our idea."

Regarding the team's plans, Seo explained, "To address feedback that the product's mechanism is difficult to understand intuitively, we will create prototypes and visual materials, such as detailed videos on product mechanism." Kim continued, "From the user's perspective, stability and comfort are the most important aspects," adding, "We plan to focus on resolving these two issues from a technical standpoint while developing the product."

Kim concluded, "The lack of male contraceptive pills and female condoms is a remnant of a patriarchal era, and as times have changed, I hope more people will recognize this and take an interest in female condoms."

Lower, which won second place, presented a communication platform where parents and children can learn more about each other by answering questions. "We wanted to create a device where parents and children can move forward without forgetting how precious their relationship is," said Yeo Soo-min (Department of Chinese Language & Literature, Senior) of Lower. "We felt really proud when we saw a review from the platform's users, saying how they were able to learn more about each other by having some deep conversation."

Lastly, Yeo shared her team's plan: "We will elaborate more on the problem recognition part so that our project is more easily received, and we will prepare for the government support projects and collaborations with B2C (Business to Consumer) organizations."

The winner Jacheongbi will enter the upcoming international Hult Prize competition. Other teams can also enter the international competition upon review by the Hult Prize, once they make submissions after the end of the event. We look forward to the journeys that lie ahead for these teams.