Students Ranked 5th Among Palestinian Hult Prize Competitors

Students from the Public Administration Department took fifth place in the largest student competition and crowdsourcing platform for social good, the Hult Prize, after competing with 16 Palestinian universities.

Teams of university students from all over Palestine had the opportunity to compete for the Hult Prize for the first time. Competitors had to propose an innovative and sustainable solution to global problems that prevent prosperity and opportunity from thriving worldwide.

The three winners from Birzeit University - Islam Shuaibi, Ramisa Howari and Zaina Shaheen - presented a project entitled “Go Green” that aims at solving critical world issues with a growing world population such as shrinking space for growing crops and decreasing supplies of food. Students proposed a model for building green houses in urban centers using a vertical farming pattern that will likely be the solution for swelling human population and food security.

Each year, the Hult Prize challenges millennials around the world to develop innovative social enterprises that aim to tackle grave social issues faced by billions of people. Winners receive USD1 million in seed capital, as well as mentorship and advice from the international business community to launch their new company.