The first-ever shark tank of wellness Student Competition took place at last week’s Global Wellness Summit in Kitzbuhel, Austria, awarding a top prize of US$5,000 to Shahrin Ali Raivi from North South University in Bangladesh.

Ali Raivi won for her concept to make sustainable sanitary napkins accessible to the 80 per cent of women throughout Bangladesh who currently rely on unsanitary and ineffective options like sand, leaves, mud and unsterilised rags.

Her Mukto Sanitary Napkin concept makes use of materials left over from the country’s cotton industry, and promises to reduce the health and social problems associated with this issue. Ali Raivi accepted the award via Skype from Bangladesh.

A panel that included judges from across the wellness industry interrogated three student finalists live on stage before deciding on the winner.

The two runner-ups received US$2,500 each and were Regina Tarany with “TreatAdvisor” and Svejetlana Radakovic’s “Spa Watch,” both from the IMC University of Applied Sciences Krems in Austria.

Judges for the inaugural competition included Simon Casson, president, Hotel Operations, Europe, Middle East and Africa, Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts; Tracey Chappell, senior vice president, global spa solutions, ESPA International; Jane Iredale, president & CEO, Iredale Mineral Cosmetics; Sheila McCann, general manager, Chiva-Som International Health Resort, Thailand; Frank Pitsikalis, founder & CEO, ResortSuite; and Frank Strobel, director of international sales, Klafs GmbH & Co.

The competition attracted more than 70 entries from 17 countries.