PUP STEM students lone Ph team to win at 2021 Shell Eco Marathon Virtual Off-Track Awards

The PUP Hygears, composed of students from the Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP), won runner-up honors in the Communications Award category of the Shell Eco-marathon (SEM) Off-track Awards for the Asia Pacific and the Middle East. PUP Hygears earned the second title next to the DTU Supermileage of Delhi Technological University from India, moving them up to the 7th spot in the SEM APAC & Middle East Virtual League Table.

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The 2021 SEM Virtual Off-Track Awards was conducted virtually via Youtube last April 16. 

Communications Category Lead Judge and General Manager for External Relations- APAC Xiaowei Liu said, “Team PUP Hygears had a very clear communications objectives and target audiences. The Team journey blog was particularly interesting, as it involved the whole team in sharing personal stories with a strong focus on the ‘human’ element with their ‘personal’ trademark.”

Liu also applauded the team’s “great creativity in ideation, execution, communications platform choice and in the case study presentation. They also went beyond Shell Eco-marathon to help fellow students and communities impacted by COVID-19 and a typhoon. Great initiatives with positive impact!”

The global Virtual League is the latest feature of the Shell Eco-marathon Virtual Programme wherein teams will accrue points across a range of different challenges, from the Off-Track Awards to a brand-new Autonomous Programming Competition which all feed into an ongoing league table. With their win, PUP Hygears moved up to the 7th spot in the SEM APAC & Middle East Virtual League Table, while Alamat UP from the University of the Philippines – Diliman is currently on the 8th spot.

Over the years, the Shell Eco-marathon has witnessed thousands of high school and university students from across the world build ultra-energy-efficient vehicles, in a variety of designs, using a spectrum of energy types. The challenges of the global pandemic did not stop Shell Eco-marathon in finding ways to keep the spirit of innovation alive among its student participants.

This year’s competition received a record number of submissions at 198 entries from 64 teams in eleven countries, which is nearly twice the number as in the previous year. Winners and runners up receive $1,500 and $750 in prize money respectively, plus Virtual League points.

“The 2021 virtual programme is designed to recognize and reward the students’ achievements throughout the year. From virtual technical inspection to Off-Track Awards and global energy challenges like Pitch the Future, it aims to stretch and strengthen their STEM skills from start to finish,” said Norman Koch, Global General Manager of the Shell Eco-marathon. “While nothing can replace the excitement of the track, we hope that these virtual components will continue to provide opportunities to Shell Eco-marathon teams throughout this season as we navigate these difficult times.”