Entries are open for the 2025 ULI Hines Student Competition

Entries are open for the 2025 edition of the ULI Hines Student Competition – Europe, organised by the Urban Land Institute and Hines, the global real estate investor, developer and manager. The sixth annual competition calls for teams from European universities and business schools to put their combined skills, real estate knowledge and ingenuity to the test in a challenging exercise in responsible land use. 

Students are invited to form diverse multidisciplinary teams of four, with finalists set to work on a practical development case study before presenting their solutions to a jury of industry leaders. The task will test their understanding of the core elements that impact decisions around responsible land-use and sustainable development, including real estate finance, investment, development, as well as social and environmental issues.

“Once again, we’re calling on tomorrow’s real estate leaders to step into the spotlight and work together in teams to demonstrate their creativity and ingenuity in problem solving,” said Lisette van Doorn, CEO, ULI Europe. “This unique, multi-disciplinary competition for student teams from across Europe requires participants to think creatively and holistically and to collaborate to incorporate all urban development aspects, including the design, development, investment and operational perspectives.”

To enter the initial stage of the ULI Hines Student Competition – Europe, a short application video must be submitted to introduce each team, who then respond to three qualifying questions including a focus on an inspirational building, development, or urban project, an idea for an adaptive reuse project based on an existing building, and innovative ideas to revitalise spaces. Each submission will be reviewed by representatives from the ULI, Hines and other senior industry professionals.

“The competition has grown to provide a truly unique platform for the next generation of real estate leaders to put their skills, creativity and innovative thinking against some of the real estate sector’s biggest challenges,” said Lars Huber, CEO, Hines Europe.

Previous winners have included ESSEC Business School, France, who have won twice, most recently in 2024, as well as the University of Manchester, The London Business School, and Politecnico di Milano in Italy.

Past challenges have tasked the teams with delivering solutions to rebalance the urban mix of a historic district of London’s West End, upgrade and future proof a social housing project in Berlin, redevelopment of a former dairy factory in Madrid, and delivering a vision for the office of the future in Amsterdam. 

The in-person competition final will be held at the Grainhouse in London, Hines’ European headquarters, on 3 to 4 April 2025. 

All finalists will receive support for travel and two nights’ free accommodation to attend the in-person final, practical CV experience through an immersive case study challenge during the competition, networking opportunities with senior industry leaders, expert mentors, and peers from other  universities and a one-year ULI membership. 

The deadline for entries to the competition is 14 February 2025.  Details of how to apply are available at www.europe.uli.org/StudentCompetition