The Analytics for Society Awards is a student-led competition that challenges students to use analytics, optimisation, and data visualisation to address real-world societal challenges.

Participants are encouraged to develop innovative ideas that use data-driven insights to address issues aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The competition aims to demonstrate how analytics can be applied beyond traditional business problems to generate meaningful social impact.

The initiative brings together students, academics, and industry experts to explore how analytical thinking and data can be used to create solutions for the greater good.

The Analytics for Society Awards 2026 is co-hosted by UCL School of Management and the Gandhi Centre for Inclusive Innovation and Department of Analytics and Operations at Imperial Business School, in partnership with the Institute of Analytics (IoA).

Why Participate?

The competition provides students with an opportunity to:

• Apply analytical thinking to real-world societal challenges
• Present innovative ideas to an expert panel of academic and industry judges
• Gain exposure to academics and industry professionals in analytics, data science and related fields
• Collaborate with students from different disciplines
• Strengthen their CV with a high-impact project experience 
• Compete for cash prizes

Finalist teams will also have the opportunity to present their ideas at the Analytics for Society Awards Final Event, followed by a networking session with academics, industry experts and fellow participants.

Competition Format

The competition will take place in two stages: 

Stage 1: Submission 

Participants will compete in teams and submit their ideas in the following format:

Teams of up to four members must submit:

• A five-minute video presentation
• A summary document explaining the idea and its potential societal impact

The submission should demonstrate how analytics, optimisation techniques, or data visualisation tools can be used to:

• Explore issues affecting one or more UN Sustainable Development Goals
• Propose data-driven solutions or explain potential impact
• Communicate insights effectively to a wider audience

Selected teams will be shortlisted as finalists and invited to present their ideas at the final stage of the competition.

Stage 2: Final Presentation

Finalist teams will present their ideas at the Analytics for Society Awards 2026 Final Event (07 May 2026).

The final event provides students with the opportunity to showcase their ideas, engage with experts in analytics and data science, and gain valuable feedback from the judging panel.

Participation Criteria:

• The presentation video is recommended to be over 4 minutes and strictly capped under 5 minutes.  
• Participants are required to upload their video presentation to YouTube and submit the YouTube link as part of their entry. Participants are encouraged to share their videos publicly to help promote their ideas and raise awareness about the competition. You are required to add the video link in email while submitting your proposal.
• The summary should be either in word or pdf format, with a cap of 400 words and should be sent via email to analyticsforsocietyawards@imperial.ac.uk.
• You can participate individually or in a team of up to four.  
• Cross-university teams are allowed.  
• Participants must be currently enrolled as students at a recognized university or college at the time of registration.
   

Judging Criteria

The judging panel will assess submissions based on the following criteria ensuring a comprehensive and fair evaluation of each entry: 

Content (60%)   

• Problem: Identifies the most pressing issues relating to any specific  SDG categories. (30%)   

• Solution: Arrives at a creative solution to address these issues, or explain the impact of these opportunities, in an innovative way using data analytics (30%)   

Delivery (40%)   

• Communicates the findings to a wider audience effectively and creatively. (20%) 

• Leverages  data visualization tools and state-of-the art communication/presentations techniques. (20%)   

If you have any questions regarding the award, forming groups, or submission details please email us.

Sample Projects the teams have formulated in the past include:

2025 Winner: MaternEASE
A data-driven maternal health monitoring system that uses wearable sensors and predictive analytics to detect pregnancy-related risks early and support timely medical intervention. (Team members: Oktaviani Saputri, Rania Azzahra and Hanin Salsabila)

2024 Winner: SkillBridge  
An inventive solution to eradicate extreme poverty by utilizing micro-credentials and Career Map to empower underprivileged young people in securing jobs. (Team members: Ukachi Carol Okere and Jiunn Wen Tan) 

2023 Winner: MicroSentry  
An innovative solution to monitor microplastic contamination in our water bodies. (Team members: Nirmal Thomas, Irene Jia, Grace Duan and Linxi Cao) 

Eligibility

The competition is open to:

• Undergraduate and postgraduate students
• Students from any university and academic discipline

Participants must form teams of up to four members.

Students are encouraged to collaborate across disciplines to bring diverse perspectives and innovative approaches to solving societal challenges.

The deadline for entry submission is midnight, 5th April 2026.

This event is brought to you by...

A group of students from Imperial Business School and UCL School of Management’s MSc Business Analytics 2026 cohort passionate about data analytics and sustainability: 

• Chirayu Garg (President) - MSc Business Analytics, Imperial 
• Yiqi Ni (Treasurer) – MSc Business Analytics, UCL
• Jean-Marc Yao (Sponsorship) - MSc Business Analytics, Imperial 
• Shreya Kalidindi (Marketing) - MSc Business Analytics, UCL 
• Riddhima Tanwar (Program - keynote speaker & judges) - MSc Business Analytics, Imperial 
• Dilara Cigerli (Event) - MSc Business Analytics, UCL 

This event is proudly supported by: 

• Department of Analytics and Operations, Imperial Business School)

• Prof Sankalp Chaturvedi (Associate Dean EDI, Co-Director Gandhi Centre for Inclusive Innovation, Imperial) 

• Dr Esma Koca (Lecturer, BA/BAO/MBA cohort, Imperial) 

• Hannah Heritage (Gandhi Centre Coordinator, Imperial) 

• Stephen Vaz  (Platform Design and Technical Support - Imperial) 

Contact us 

For any questions about the Analytics for Society Awards, please contact:

Email: analyticsforsocietyawards@imperial.ac.uk 

Instagram: @analyticsforsociety