Idea Students Awards 2013 Announcement

Idea to promote young talent in Andhra, with the first-ever Idea Students Awards 2013

Idea to scout for talent across six different categories - Performing Arts, Social Service, Innovation, Entrepreneurship, Sports and Adventure —from Colleges across Hyderabad, Vishakhapatnam, and Vijayawada

Hyderabad, 20th November 2013: In a bid to promote young talent in the state, India's 3rd largest mobile operator, Idea Cellular, today announced the first ever Idea Student Awards 2013 in Andhra Pradesh. Through Idea Student Awards, Idea will reach out to students from Colleges across Hyderabad, Vishakhapatnam and Vijayawada and encourage them to showcase their talent across six categories - Performing Arts, Social Service, Innovation, Entrepreneurship, Sports and Adventure.

The campaign was kicked-off at an event in the city in the presence of eminent personalities and Jury members - Jwala Gutta, India's Star Badminton player; Mohammed Ali Beig, renowned Theatre personality; Kiran Pedada from Centre for Teaching, Learning, and Case Development, ISB Hyderabad; Dr. Karunakar B., Director, Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies, Hyderabad; Vijay Kumar from Andhra Bank; and Sabina Zabier from NGO 'Heal-a-Child Foundation'.

Launching the campaign, Mr. Ramakrishna B, Chief Operating Officer - Andhra Pradesh, IDEA Cellular said, "Idea has always believed in the youth's power to change lives. The Idea Students Awards is our way of recognising the talent among the youth of the state and rewarding them for their performance across six different categories. Through this initiative, we aim to inspire college students across the state to pursue their passion and transform lives. We are hopeful that students across colleges will participate enthusiastically in showcasing their diverse talents."

The core belief behind the Idea Student Awards is to bring out the finest qualities of students by addressing different aspects of their personality beyond academics. The nomination process has begun, and interested candidates can apply directly or via recommendation either through their colleges or online at http://bitly/IdeaStudentAwards. A jury comprising of dignitaries from different walks of life will evaluate the entries and shortlisted candidates. Finally, the shortlisted candidates will be selected on the basis of online voting and be awarded the 'Idea Students Awards'. Idea will also give away an award to the College from where the maximum number of awards and/or nominations come from.

The results will be announced at an Award Ceremony conducted later in the year in Hyderabad. The highlight of the event would be Idea Brand Ambassador Mahesh Baby giving away the awards to the winners. To know more about the Idea Students Awards 2013, log on to

About IDEA Cellular
IDEA Cellular is India's 3rd largest national mobile operator, with more than 128 million subscribers. With traffic in excess of 1.5 billion minutes a day, Idea ranks among the Top 10 country operators in the world. Using the latest in technology, Idea provides world-class service delivery through the most extensive network of customer touch points. Idea is listed on the National Stock Exchange (NSE) and the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) in India.

IDEA Cellular is an Aditya Birla Group Company, India's first truly multinational corporation. The Group ranks Number 4 globally and Number 1 in the Asia Pacific in the 2011 Top Companies for Leaders (TCFL) study conducted by Aon Hewitt, Fortune (the Global Business Magazine) and the RBL Group. It operates in 36 countries, and is anchored by more than 136,000 employees belonging to 42 nationalities. More information on Idea Cellular is available at www.ideacellular.com and on the Aditya Birla Group at www.adityabirla.com