Policy Sprint

Details:

• Organised by: Kautilya School of Public Policy
• Format: Hybrid
• Registration Window: 24 July – 15 August 2025
• Round 1 Submission Deadline: 25 August 2025
• Finale Date: 13 September 2025
• Total Prize Money: ₹25,000+

Event Overview:

The Kautilya School of Public Policy invites students and young professionals to participate in a hybrid policy sprint aimed at developing resilient public policy ideas for a VUCA (Volatile, Uncertain, Complex, and Ambiguous) world. The event focuses on generating adaptive, evidence-based, and scalable policy recommendations to address evolving challenges linked to climate change, urbanisation, and governance.

Theme:

Adaptive Governance for Climate Risks

Objective:

The policy sprint is designed to cultivate forward-looking public policy approaches that promote climate resilience and sustainable urban development. Participants are encouraged to explore how adaptive governance models can withstand and respond to disruptions such as pandemics, conflicts, or economic crises.

Competition Structure and Rounds:

• Round 1: Policy Memo Submission
  • Submission Deadline: 25 August 2025
  • Teams must submit a one-page policy memo explaining the core idea.
  • The memo should include the rationale behind the proposal and is relevant to the problem statement 
• Round 2: Crisis Simulation
  • (Finale Day)
  • Date: 13 September 2025
  • On the day of the finale, teams will be presented with a surprise crisis scenario (e.g., extreme weather event, policy gridlock, or mass migration).
  • They will have approximately 60–90 minutes to revise their original proposal to demonstrate how it can remain effective under disruptive conditions.
• Round 3: Policy Pitch
  • (Finale Day)
  • Teams will make a 15-minute presentation covering both their original policy memo and the crisis-adapted version.
  • A 5-minute Q&A session with the jury will follow.
  • Presentations will be assessed on clarity, adaptability, and real-world feasibility.

Judging Criteria:

• Practicality and scalability of the policy solution
• Creativity and innovation in approach
• Inclusivity and impact on diverse stakeholders
• Thematic alignment with adaptive climate governance

Prizes:

• First Prize: ₹25,000
• Second Prize: ₹20,000

Eligibility and Participation Guidelines:

• Open to students and young professionals from all academic and professional backgrounds (e.g., public policy, engineering, environmental sciences, economics, architecture, law, etc.)
• Interdisciplinary teams are encouraged
• Team size: Minimum 1 and maximum 3 members

Registration fees:

• 500/- for solo
• 750 /- for a team of 2
• 1000/- for a team of 3
• (Lunch is on us )

The event will be conducted in a hybrid mode:

• Round 1 will be online
• The Finale (Rounds 2 and 3) will be conducted offline at the Kautilya campus.

Registration Process

• Interested participants can register through the official link given above from 24 July to 15 August 2025
• For incurring the registration fees we will contact you upon selection
• Round 1 policy memos must be uploaded  by 25 August 2025 in PDF format