VLB Janakiammal College of Arts and Science recently hosted its flagship annual state-level inter-collegiate conclave, VIBRA ’26, bringing together ambitious students, innovators and aspiring entrepreneurs from across Tamil Nadu and Kerala.
The event witnessed an enthusiastic response from across the region, attracting 356 participants representing 43 higher education institutions from Coimbatore, Salem, Madurai, Dindigul, Tiruchirappalli and Palakkad.
Rooted in experiential learning, VIBRA ’26 served as a dynamic platform for students to demonstrate their analytical acumen, technical skills, business strategies and creative problem-solving abilities across 11 flagship competitions.
Under Next-Gen Technologies, four competitions were conducted: Novathon, featuring AI/ML computational challenges; Code Rush, focused on algorithmic programming; Mission Connected, centred on IoT prototyping; and Case Closed, which tested participants’ cyber forensics skills.
Under Business & Strategy, three competitions were held: Start Up Vettai, featuring venture pitching; BID-BOSS, based on corporate bidding; and Bulls & Bears, which involved market trading simulations.
Under Sustainability & Arts, four competitions were conducted: Rags to Riches, focused on textile upcycling; Millet Mistry, which explored heritage culinary innovation; RE-BRAND, centred on visual advertising; and Literary Escape Room, featuring linguistic puzzles.
Highlighting the vision behind the initiative, Kumar, Principal of the college, emphasised that higher education must extend beyond theoretical instruction in classrooms. He stated that meaningful learning takes place when students apply their analytical skills, creativity and technical capabilities to solve real-world challenges.
The primary objective of VIBRA ’26 was to nurture confident, industry-ready and socially conscious graduates. Hands-on activities such as developing IoT prototypes, presenting startup ideas and debugging under time constraints help students build the adaptability and resilience required in the contemporary job market, making VIBRA ’26 a significant celebration of youth talent and capability.
The state-level meet concluded with a grand valedictory ceremony, during which Kumar presided over the session and distributed prizes to the winners across all 11 events. The awards included merit certificates and cash prizes from a total prize pool of ₹2,00,000, with ₹10,000 awarded for the first prize, ₹5,000 for the second prize and ₹3,000 for the third prize.
In her felicitation address, Jaishree Suryakumar, CEO and Secretary of the college, described VIBRA ’26 as a celebration of youthful creativity, innovation and the confidence to confront real-world challenges.
The fest thus positioned VIBRA ’26 as a dynamic platform where knowledge met ingenuity and ideas were put to the test in real-world contexts.
