FESTIVAL GEGAQ25 CROWNED GRAND WINNER OF HOTLINK UNI LEGENDS CHALLENGE 2025

USM PENANG, 14 August 2025 - The Student Development & Alumni Affairs Division (BHEPA) together with the Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) community extend their heartiest congratulations to Team Gegaqsters from USM Engineering Campus for emerging as the grand winner of the Hotlink Uni Legends Challenge 2025.

With this victory, the team secured a full grant worth RM250,000 to host the upcoming Festival Gegaq25 this December.

The Hotlink Uni Legends Challenge is a national-level initiative that brings together student teams from universities across Malaysia to present creative, inclusive, and high-impact campus event ideas.

Representing USM, the pitching session was led by Shakeer Shaik Abdullah, a third-year student from the School of Mechanical Engineering, alongside Nur Sabrina binti Mohd Sabri, a third-year student from the School of Materials and Mineral Resources Engineering.

Both were part of Team Gegaqsters, guided by advisors from BHEPA Engineering Campus, Mohd Hafiz Ali Mohd Anuar (Head of Unit), Muhammad Anif Mohd Robi (Psychology Officer), and Mohd Nur Badri Mohd Nazli (Cultural Officer).

Festival Gegaq25 is scheduled to take place from 5 to 7 December 2025 at the Engineering Campus in Nibong Tebal, featuring 33 events across multiple segments including music, arts and culture, sports, e-sports, tech workshops, community exhibitions, alumni networking, and social outreach activities.

Targeting 6,000 participants nationwide, it is set to become the largest youth festival ever hosted at a rural university campus in Malaysia.

In line with the HOTLINK framework (Holistic, Oriented, Talent, Leisure, Interactive, Networking, Knowledge), the festival also reflects the H.E.B.A.T. agenda, emphasizing attributes of being Holistic, Entrepreneurial, Balanced, Articulate, and Thinking, while directly contributing to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Key contributions include SDG 4: Quality Education through leadership and collaboration skills development; SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth through talent and soft skills enhancement; SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities through inclusive local community participation; and SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals through strengthened campus-community collaborations.

This achievement once again demonstrates the ability of USM students to combine creativity, strategic planning, and industry-level event management, further strengthening the university’s reputation as a leader in youth leadership development and engagement at the national level.

The evaluation process was conducted through a pitching session before a professional panel of judges comprising Adilla Fitriyah (Partnership Specialist, TGV), Yeoh Sun Loo (Head of Marketing & Growth, Maxis), Fiza Ahkam (Director of Operation, Admin & Finance, Locco) and John Lemon (CEO, The Boom Beverage).

Text and Photos: Mohd Hafiz Ali Mohd Anuar