𝐔𝐈𝐓𝐒 𝐓𝐞𝐚𝐦 “𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐱 𝟐.𝟎” 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐁𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐥𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐡 𝐀𝐝𝐯𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐏𝐋𝐄𝐀𝐒𝐄 𝐇𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐆𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐒𝐫𝐢 𝐋𝐚𝐧𝐤𝐚

The PLEASE Hack is a youth-driven hackathon organized under the Plastic Free Rivers and Seas for South Asia (PLEASE) Project. It aims to inspire young individuals aged 18 to 30 from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka to develop innovative solutions addressing plastic pollution in rivers and seas. The hackathon is structured as a virtual, two-week collaborative platform where participants work on projects in three main categories (i) Household or Community-Level Solutions (ii) Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) Solutions (iii) Knowledge-Sharing Systems. The virtual hackathon was conducted from March 3 to March 14, 2025. Finalists have been selected and will compete in the grand finale scheduled for April 6, 2025, in Sri Lanka. Winning teams will receive cash prizes: $20,000 for the winner, $10,000 for the first runner-up, and $5,000 for the second runner-up. The Plastic Free Rivers and Seas for South Asia (PLEASE) Project is implemented by the South Asia Co-operative Environment Programme, funded by the World Bank, with implementing support from UNOPS.

We are delighted to announce that Team “Plastix 2.0,” comprising members from the University of Information Technology and Sciences (UITS) and the Islamic University of Technology (IUT), has been selected as a finalist in the PLEASE Hack. They will represent Bangladesh alongside teams from Afghanistan, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka at the grand finale on April 6, 2025, in Sri Lanka.
Congratulations to all the teams! 🎉 A massive 𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐆𝐑𝐀𝐓𝐔𝐋𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐒 to the brilliant minds who made it to the 𝐆𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐒𝐫𝐢 𝐋𝐚𝐧𝐤𝐚! Your passion, creativity, and dedication to a plastic-free South Asia have brought you this far, and we couldn’t be prouder! 🌏💡♻️

The winning teams will receive cash prizes: $20,000 for the winner, $10,000 for the first runner-up, and $5,000 for the second runner-up at 𝐏𝐋𝐄𝐀𝐒𝐄 𝐇𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐆𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐞, one of South Asia’s biggest innovation showdowns happening in Colombo, Sri Lanka!