Real problems. Real solutions. Real adoption.
Build something Cebu actually needs — and pitch it to the people who can deploy it.
Cebu has the talent, the problems, and the resources. Solutionsfest is the mechanism that brings all three into the same room.
Cebu's universities, colleges, and TVET institutions produce the builders. Solutionsfest gives that talent a real problem to solve and a real decision-maker to solve it for.
Cebu government units help shape the most pressing problems in Cebu — not just operational challenges, but any problem worth solving.
Cebu Businesses and Organizations stand ready to adopt, invest in, or pilot the strongest solutions. Winners don't just get prizes — they get handoffs.
Nine structured steps — not a hackathon, but a deployment pipeline.
Real problems are surfaced from government, industry, and the academic community across Cebu.
Outputs converted into structured, plain-language Problem Briefs — each one ready to build for.
Problem Briefs go live. Teams and individuals select their Brief and start building.
After you submit your draft, we match you with a coach from our network — government practitioners, CCCI member companies, DTI, and DOST — based on your brief and what you’re building.
Expect your match within 3 business days of submitting your draft. Your coach will reach out directly to schedule your first session.
You get two structured sessions: one early in the window to sharpen your approach, one closer to the deadline to pressure-test your submission. Sessions are one hour each, held via Zoom or in person at Sandbox.
You can also surface a wishlist of coaches you’d want — names, institutions, domains — in your draft submission. We honor those requests where we can.
Both tracks close simultaneously. No extensions.
5 per track notified. Finalists proceed to Pitching Mentorship Week with domain-matched industry coaches.
The Solutionsfest team identifies the right mentors for each finalist’s solution, writes the formal invitations, and bridges mentor and team via email to coordinate the session. Participants are encouraged to do their own research into who they’d want — a “wishlist” of mentors — and surface those names to us. We work both directions: matching by domain and honoring participant preferences where possible.
All 10 finalists pitch before a panel of judges (from government and industry). Each team gets a 5-minute pitch followed by a 5-minute Q&A. Top 3 per track are selected — these become the 6 Champions who advance to Demo Day. Champions are determined at Finals, and awarded the following day at Cebu Business Month (CBM).
All 10 finalists are recognized at Finals Day. The top 3 per track advance to Demo Day as Champions.
Demo Day is a re-run of the Finals — the same 6 Champions deliver the same pitches, but this time to a wider room: industry leaders, LGU decision-makers from across the province, CCCI member companies, and media. The goal is exposure to the people who can adopt, invest in, or pilot the solution. Adoption commitments can be signed on stage.
The two tracks are identical in rules and prizes. The only difference is how you register.
FAQ →Open to any currently enrolled student — high school through graduate, TVET, or continuing education. Entry must be submitted through and formally endorsed by your school or institution. No limit on team size.
Approach your department head, research office, or student affairs office and ask them to formally endorse your entry. They’ll need to sign the endorsement section of your registration form — no separate paperwork required. If your school needs an official request letter, email us and we’ll send one within 24 hours.
Open to startups, MSMEs, freelancers, employed innovators, out-of-school youth, and independent creators — anyone registering without a school endorsement. A pitch presentation is required to qualify for Finals. An MVP or working prototype strengthens an entry but isn’t required.
🏆 The ₱200,000 prize pool is sponsored by Cebu City Government. Prize disbursement details →
Everything you need to know before you register.
FAQ →A participant is any registered Team or Individual. You can solo it if you believe you have what it takes. There is no maximum team size. Prizes are awarded per participating unit — not per member — regardless of how many people are on it.
The tracks are identical in structure and prize pool. The difference is your submission path. Student Track entries must be submitted through and formally endorsed by a school or institution. Open Track entries are submitted independently — no endorsement needed. A pitch presentation is required to qualify for Finals; an MVP or working prototype strengthens an entry but isn’t required.
Pick exactly one Problem Brief from the published list — entries that do not clearly address their selected brief will be disqualified. Submit before May 31. Full requirements — solution brief template, demo format, and pitch video guidelines — publish with the briefs on May 1.
Download submission specs →Every participating unit must designate one point person — the primary contact for all official communications. The presenter at Finals doesn't have to be the point person; anyone on the team can take the stage. A point person may only represent one participating unit.
Sourced from across Cebu — government, civic, and community. Full briefs publish May 1.
Each brief below is a short version. Full briefs — with author, context, constraints, and what’s already been tried — publish May 1.
Full briefs publish May 1. Each includes: author/source, plain-language problem statement, context, constraints, and what’s already been tried. Pick ONE brief your team can credibly address before May 31. Have a problem to add? Use the Submit a Brief tile in the grid above.
Same rubric for both tracks. The most useful, deployable, well-communicated entry wins.
FAQ →How directly does the solution address the matched Problem Brief? Is the context specific, and is the civic impact concrete and measurable?
Can it be piloted within 6 months? Is the prototype functional? Is the team credibly positioned to deliver beyond the competition?
How clearly does the team communicate the problem, the solution, and why it matters? Is the presentation structured, the demo credible, and the team responsive in Q&A?
How much resonance does the solution generate beyond the judging room? Measured by a combination of (a) audience voting, open June 1–June 15, and (b) social media engagement during the competition window — likes, shares, comments, and reach across the team’s posts on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and TikTok using the official #CebuSolutionsfest2026 hashtag.
Social media tracking runs May 1 (when briefs publish) through June 15. Audience voting opens June 1 and closes June 15. Teams are encouraged to build a public following around their solution during the competition — the audience vote is a real signal of public interest, not a popularity contest.
After Demo Day, the Solutionsfest team actively manages a 90-day referral pipeline for all 6 Champions. In practice, this means: facilitated introductions to the government unit or agency that sourced your brief, follow-up meeting support, help drafting pilot agreements or Letters of Intent, and warm referrals to DTI, DOST, and DICT grant programs. We don’t hand you a certificate and step back — we stay in the room with you for three months.
Adoption commitments are formal expressions of intent — captured as signed Letters of Intent on Demo Day — from government units, LGUs, or CCCI member companies to pilot, co-develop, or procure a winning solution. They are not procurement contracts, but they are on-record commitments from decision-makers, and the kind that open doors to DOST, DTI, and DICT grant programs.
Each city department with a matched problem brief assigns a focal person to engage winning teams. 90-day pilot negotiation window. Possibility of a formal MOU for pilot deployment, plus access to City technical working groups.
Provincial focal persons engage winning teams whose solutions address provincial briefs. Governor’s endorsement letter facilitates inter-LGU adoption across the province.
Open Track winners are referred to SETUP, SBGFC, or the Innovation Fund. DTI also connects winning teams with accredited MSMEs as potential commercial clients.
Qualifying solutions are referred to DOST SETUP or Balik Scientist programs. DOST also provides technical research validation for teams seeking further development funding.
ICT-forward solutions are referred to IIDB grants and tech commercialization programs. DICT co-authors the post-event report to OUIID.
Connects solutions with regional development frameworks and facilitates alignment with NEDA and provincial investment boards.
CCCI corporate members formalize adoption commitments, co-funding letters, and incubation referrals. Industry interest signaled during the program converts into official agreements.
Winners don’t just walk away with cash. They walk into a referral pipeline that the Solutionsfest team actively manages for 90 days post-Demo Day.
Join the participant Messenger group →
Ask questions, meet other teams, and get updates through May 31.
Registering locks in your track (Student or Open) and the one Problem Brief your team is building for. It also opens your submission portal and starts the coach-matching process.
After registering, you’ll be asked to submit a draft solution — a lightweight early version of your idea — so we can pair you with the right mentor before the build window closes. Your draft doesn’t need to be polished. It just needs to show your direction.
Your final submission is due May 31. That’s what gets judged.
Registration is free. By registering you agree to the Terms of Participation, Code of Conduct, and Data Privacy Notice. You can update your draft anytime before May 31 — but your track and brief selection are locked on registration.
Form not loading? Message us on Messenger or email solutionfest@sandbox.org.ph.
Cebu's leading institutions, agencies, and companies — aligned around getting the best solutions into the hands of the people who can deploy them.
Are you a school, government unit, or company? Solutionsfest needs institutional partners to source problems, provide coaches, and commit to adopting the strongest solutions. If that’s you, this section is for you.