PHUBC's Flagship Event: Impact Sprint
After five years of working in the Downtown Eastside, Project Hastings has developed a deep understanding of the needs facing marginalized and unhoused communities. This experience has shaped our Vancouver community events, led by both high school and UBC teams, which focus on distributing meals, necessities, and seasonal items to help address food insecurity and poverty in the area.
Through this work, we also noticed that many students across Metro Vancouver have limited knowledge about the Downtown Eastside, the challenges its residents face, and the policy issues that surround it.
The Impact Sprint was created to address this gap. As UBC's first policy case competition, it brings students together in teams of five to tackle a real-world policy challenge that will be given in the form of a case. Our case is co-created with community members to ensure the issues are represented authentically and respectfully.
Through guidance by local experts, community voices, and academics, the competition encourages meaningful civic engagement while helping students develop a deeper understanding of the policy landscape. Teams will present their solutions to a panel of judges drawn from diverse perspectives, including the corporate sector, government, and the community itself.
Who Can Participate?
The competition uses a dual stream format, enabling both UBC students and secondary school students to compete. Participants may register with a pre-formed team of four or sign up individually to be matched with others.
The registration fee of $10 will be collected upon acceptance, this fee goes back to our initiatives in the Downtown Eastside.
Use the form below to apply before the deadline on: Sunday, January 4th at 11:59 PM.
All invitations will be sent on a rolling basis.
Competition Structure and Prizes
The case will be released on the day of the event through a staggered release format. Teams will develop and present their policy solutions to the judging panel, who will evaluate submissions based on a provided rubric.
Competitors compete within streams, meaning that high school teams will be judged against other high school teams, and university teams will be judged against other university teams. Each stream will have its own set of prizes awarded to the top teams.
All top three teams will receive certificates of recognition, in addition to the below prizes for first and second place.
First Place: $300 for the team, goodies, and a private mentorship session
Second Place: $200 for the team and goodies
Event Details
Join us in person at the UBC Sauder School of Business on January 17, 2026, from 9am to 6pm. The exact event schedule will be released shortly.
Sponsors
The Impact Sprint is excited and honoured to be sponsored by the following organizations.
Contact Us
If you have any questions about Impact Sprint or would like to sponsor this initiative, please email phubc.impactsprint@projecthastings.org or DM us on Instagram.