📌About the Event

Inkling 2026 is a national-level case competition organised by Dot – News, made new in collaboration with the Indian Institute of Management Ranchi. The competition invites students to solve a real business challenge involving product, marketing, and business strategy. Instead of relying only on standard business frameworks, participants are expected to question assumptions, make practical trade-offs, and defend their recommendations with a founder-like mindset.

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ℹ️ Event Details

• Mode of conduct: Online
• Competition format: Team-based national case competition
• Team size: Exactly three members
• Key domains: Product, marketing, business strategy, innovation, and problem-solving
• Business context: Participants will work on challenges associated with Dot, a youth-focused news startup.
• Number of rounds: Three

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📅 Important Dates

• Official launch of Inkling 2026: July 1, 2026
• Registration deadline: July 17, 2026, at 11:59 PM IST
• Round 1 online quiz: July 18, 2026, at 9:00 PM IST
• Round 2 case submission: Seven-day submission period for the top 100 teams
• Grand finale: August 9, 2026

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🎯 Eligibility & Rules

• Who can participate:
  • The competition is open to students from colleges and educational institutions across India.
  • Students from all courses, programmes, and academic disciplines can participate.
  • Incoming students are also eligible.
  • Executive education and distance-learning students are permitted to participate.
  • Each team must have exactly three members.
  • All three team members must belong to the same college or institution.
  • Cross-year teams are allowed.
  • Cross-specialisation teams are allowed.
  • Teams consisting of members from different colleges are not permitted.

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🏆 Benefits for the Participants

• Total cash prize pool: ₹50,000
• Additional goodies: Worth more than ₹30,000
• Total rewards: Worth approximately ₹80,000
• First prize:
  • ₹25,000 cash prize
  • Exclusive goodies
  • Live project opportunity with Dot
• Second prize:
  • ₹15,000 cash prize
  • Exclusive goodies
  • Live project opportunity with Dot
• Third prize:
  • ₹10,000 cash prize
  • Exclusive goodies
  • Live project opportunity with Dot