Bowater Business Challenge
The Deakin Bowater Business Challenge (DBBC) is a fun and exciting competition open to all Deakin business and law students. A postgraduate challenge is held in Trimester 1 and an undergraduate challenge in Trimester 2.
How it works
As the competition is open to all undergraduate business and law students, we encourage you to have a diverse team made up of different courses, majors and backgrounds. You can also apply individually and be placed into a team by the organisers.
Registered teams attend a briefing session to understand the challenge and then compete in a preliminary round to demonstrate their innovation and problem-solving skills. Each team will give a 10-minute oral presentation to a judging panel via Zoom. Four teams are then chosen from the preliminary round to participate in the ultimate final. The four finalist teams will be assigned an academic mentor to support them in the lead up to the final submission.
2025 events
Postgraduate Business Challenge – Trimester 1, 2025
Challenge: Optimise Real Estate Efficiency: Create a Strategic Pitch for IBM’s B2B client
Prize pool
Bowater Trust have sponsored a prize pool of $7,500
- 1st Prize $3,000
- 2nd Prize $2,000
- 3rd Prize $1,500
- 4th Prize $1,000
Conditions of entry
- Entrants must be current Deakin Business and Law Postgraduate students.
- Each team comprises up to four members. You have the option to enter as a team or as an individual. If your team does not comprise 4 students, individual applications to be assigned into your team to make up a team of 4
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| Thursday 3 April, 2-4pm |
Briefing session online via Zoom IBM representatives and Deakin academics will present and be available to answer questions. |
| Friday 4 April | Briefing session recording will be made available to students who register for challenge up until 14 April. |
| Monday 14 April, 5pm | Entries close for individual and team entries. |
| Wednesday 16 April | Teams announced on rolling basis where possible and all teams confirmed by 16 April. |
| Mon 28 or Tues 29 April, 1-4pm | Preliminary Round via Zoom. Teams to deliver 10 minute presentation with 5 min Q&A to judging panel comprising of Deakin academic staff. 15 minute time slot to be confirmed. Teams are not permitted to hear presentations from competing teams. Times outside of scheduled preliminary round may be considered if judging panel able to accommodate but finalist teams must be confirmed by Wed 15 May. |
| Wednesday 30 April | Announcement of four finalist teams. Four finalist teams will be assigned Academic Mentor. |
| Tuesday 13 May, 4:45pm for 5pm start -8pm. | Challenge Final – In Person – Deakin Burwood |
Undergraduate Business Challenge – Trimester 2, 2025
Applications will open in July 2025
| Task | Undergraduate (Bachelors) |
|---|---|
| Apply Enter as a team of up to 4 OR as an individual. Organisers will try and add individuals to form a team of 4. We encourage teams to be diverse with a mix of courses, majors and expertise. | July |
| Teams of 4 confirmed. Maximum 15 teams. | July |
| Briefing session online Two hour session involving industry partner and academics who outline challenge in more detail. | August |
| Prelim Round - Online Each team has 10 minutes to present solution to a panel of judges. | August/September |
| Four finalist teams assigned academic mentor. | August/September |
| Four finalist teams attend site visit subject to challenge needs. | September |
| Final Finalist teams present solution to panel of judges and audience in person at a Deakin Corporate Centre. | September |
