What to Expect at Odisha's Thrilling Mettle Meet 2025 Quiz Competition

Excitement Builds for Mettle Meet 2025

The seventh edition of Odisha's flagship quizzing event, Mettle Meet 2025, kicked off with great enthusiasm on Saturday at Hotel Swosti Premium. This year, over 80 prestigious educational institutions from Odisha and neighboring states participated. After a rigorous preliminary round, 16 teams—split evenly between junior and senior categories—earned their places in the Grand Finale set for Sunday. Notably, teams from West Bengal, Jharkhand, and Chhattisgarh have joined, elevating Mettle Meet to a national competition.

Adyasha Satpathy, Chief Executive of the organizing body, expressed excitement about the growing interest in the event, stating, "We initiated Mettle Meet to provide a platform for exceptional talent. I wish all participants success and look forward to seeing them in 2026." Tathagata Satpathy, the Editor, encouraged the young quizzers, emphasizing that they are all winners and that this experience will benefit them beyond academics.

The atmosphere was electric from the early hours as participants traveled from various regions, some enduring long journeys overnight. In the junior category, finalists include SAI International School, KIIT International School, ST Paul’s School from Rourkela, Loyola School in Bhubaneswar, Model Public School, and several DAV institutions, including the defending champions, DAV Unit VIII. The senior category features IIM Calcutta, AIIMS Bhubaneswar (the reigning champions), KIIT University, NISER, IIT Kharagpur, XLRI Jamshedpur, National Law University, and VIMSAR from Burla. The event is hosted by renowned quizmaster Ajay Poonia, who noted the impressive preparation of the students.

The preliminary rounds consisted of 35 questions per category, covering diverse topics such as politics, sports, history, global issues, health, and culture, enhanced by audio-visual segments. A new wager point system was introduced for juniors, allowing them to bet 1, 2, or 4 points per answer, with penalties for incorrect responses. Similarly, seniors could earn bonus points through a streak-based system for consecutive correct answers.

As the Grand Finale approaches, all eyes are on AIIMS Bhubaneswar and DAV Unit VIII, who aim to defend their titles, while newcomers IIT Kharagpur, IIM Calcutta, and XLRI Jamshedpur seek to claim victory.