IIT Kanpur Crowned National Champion at ICONIQ Quizverse Grand Finale in Delhi
The initiative is part of the Shiv Nadar Foundation and was conducted by veteran quizmaster Siddhartha Basu
The Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur (IIT Kanpur) emerged as the national champion at the Grand Finale of the ICONIQ Quizverse Challenge, a pan-India inter-college quiz competition organised by the Shiv Nadar Foundation, held at the Air Force Auditorium, Subroto Park, New Delhi.
Representing IIT Kanpur, Parth Arya Bhat and Waqar Moid, both third-year students from the Department of Biological Sciences and Bioengineering, secured the top honour after a closely contested, high-intensity final that brought together some of the brightest collegiate minds from across the country.
The Grand Finale marked the culmination of a nationwide competition that witnessed participation from 430 colleges spanning 194 cities, underscoring the scale and reach of the knowledge platform conceptualised to revive serious inter-college quizzing in India.
The top four zonal champions — IIT Kanpur (North), NALSAR University of Law, Hyderabad (South), Armed Forces Medical College, Pune (West), and Cotton University, Guwahati (East) — battled it out in a tense and intellectually demanding finale, displaying remarkable depth of knowledge, speed of recall, and composure under pressure.
Launched as a national platform for undergraduate and postgraduate students, ICONIQ Quizverse combines app-based participation with live on-stage competition. The initiative is part of the Shiv Nadar Foundation’s broader effort to strengthen India’s academic ecosystem by creating learning opportunities that extend beyond conventional classroom engagement.
Speaking on the occasion, Sundar Mahalingam, President – Strategy, Shiv Nadar Foundation, said, “At the Shiv Nadar Foundation, we have consistently focused on building strong educational institutions and expanding access to quality learning. At the same time, it is equally important to create platforms that encourage students to think independently, question assumptions, and apply knowledge in dynamic settings.”
Veteran quizmaster Siddhartha Basu, who has been associated with the format development of the competition, said, “Quizzing has always been about curiosity and connecting the dots across the length and breadth of one’s treasure of knowledge. What stood out here was how seriously students approached the competition and how quickly they were able to think on their feet.”
Envisioned as an annual intellectual property, the ICONIQ Quizverse Challenge blends digital accessibility with live competitive intensity and seeks to build one of India’s most vibrant inter-college quiz communities.
