Participation figures recorded during the NIE 2026 Preliminary Round

These figures not only demonstrate the growing appeal of entrepreneurship competitions among high school students but also reflect their proactive engagement with innovation, digital technologies, and the development of solutions to real-world challenges.

Under the theme “Digital Innovation for a Sustainable Future”, the competition provides a platform for transforming initial ideas into promising projects with the potential to create meaningful value for communities.

The NIE 2026 Preliminary Round has drawn students from a wide range of localities. Schools with particularly strong participation include Chu Van An High School (Hung Yen), Vinschool Imperia (Hai Phong), Hung Yen High School for the Gifted, Hanoi–Amsterdam High School for the Gifted, Thuong Tin High School, and Yen Hoa High School.

The enthusiastic response from students and schools indicates that innovation and entrepreneurship are becoming increasingly relevant to secondary education. By developing ideas and proposing practical solutions, students have opportunities to apply classroom knowledge to real-world situations while strengthening their critical thinking, problem-solving, and teamwork skills.

With its theme of “Digital Innovation for a Sustainable Future”, NIE 2026 encourages participants to explore new approaches and harness the potential of digital technologies to address challenges in everyday life. The value of an idea lies not only in its originality but also in its ability to respond to genuine needs, deliver practical benefits, and generate positive, long-term impacts for communities.

Behind the 78 competing teams are creative ideas, dedicated research efforts, and a willingness among students to challenge themselves. The support of teachers and schools also plays an important role in introducing students to entrepreneurial thinking at an early stage, helping them gradually develop the ability to identify problems, design solutions, and turn ideas into reality.

As the Preliminary Round concludes, NIE 2026 will select 30 outstanding teams to advance to the Semifinal Round. This next stage will provide an opportunity for promising projects to be further developed, their proposed solutions refined, and their potential for practical application more thoroughly assessed.

At this stage, teams will need to articulate more clearly the problems their projects aim to address, their intended beneficiaries, the value of their proposed solutions, and their potential for implementation. The project development process will also enable students to test their ideas, incorporate feedback, and improve their presentation, argumentation, and teamwork skills as they work towards shared objectives.

By linking innovation with sustainable development, NIE 2026 seeks to promote ideas that are not only original in their approaches but also meaningful to communities, society, and the environment. In doing so, the competition aims to inspire initiative and creativity, nurture entrepreneurial aspirations, and provide high school students with opportunities to engage with the real-world challenges involved in developing a project.

Although the Preliminary Round has concluded, the NIE 2026 journey continues. The participation of 30 teams in the Semifinal Round will mark the beginning of a new and exciting stage, where ideas will be challenged, refined, and brought closer to real-world implementation.