By K.M. Kaisarul Islam
On August 13–14, 2026, the Department of English and Humanities (DEH) at the University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh successfully hosted the 12th DEH Inter-University Student Conference and Cultural Competition, bringing together students, scholars, and performers from universities all across Bangladesh. The two-day event revolved around the theme of “Money Talks: Consumerism and Capitalism in Literature and Language,” encouraging participants to critically analyze the dominance of capitalism through an academic and creative lens.
27 public and private universities participated in creating a vibrant platform for both scholarly exchange and creative expression. The two-day event included competitions on paper presentations, extempore speeches, creative art, cosplay, and theatre all centered around the theme of consumerism and capitalism.
Day 1 of the event started with the inauguration by the Chief Guest, Honorable Vice Chancellor of ULAB, Professor Shamsad Mortuza. Students from 27 universities competed in the Academic Presentation Competition and 14 university students competed in the Extempore Speech Competition. In addition to the academic sessions, day 2 brought out the cultural and artistic side of the students with the Creative Art Competition, Cosplay Competition, and the event highlight, the Cultural Competition.
The Academic Presentation Competition featured judges Prof. Bokhtiar Ahmed, Dean of the School of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences at Independent University, Bangladesh, and Ms. Tina Nandi, researcher, writer, and translator. As for the Extempore Speech Competition, the judges were, Dr. Mahruba Mowtushi, Associate Professor, Department of English and Humanities, BRACU, and Ms. Shehreen Ataur Khan, Associate Professor, Department of English, Jagannath University.
The students tapped into their scholarly sides, presenting original research and extempore speeches centered around the conference’s theme. The academic presentation category saw Tasnim Tamanna of East West University securing the first place with Raisa Anan of ULAB earning the runner-up award.
Siyam Ahmed of University of Dhaka came first for the Extempore Speech competition with Kasfiya Ahsan of United International University coming second. Another new addition to the student conference, the cosplay competition saw Tahsin Zaman Faiza of ULAB bringing home first place. Mahinoor Akter Maisha of Presidency University earned second place.
In the highlight of the Student Conference, the Cultural Competition, all competing teams displayed incredible creativity through their plays. International Standard University won the competition with their play “Waiting for Trial”. United International University took home second place with their play “The ROI of Death”. Winners of all competitions received a winning crest, certificate of recognition, and prize money as acknowledgement for their academic and creative excellence.
This year, the host team of ULAB did not participate in the competition. However, a special play was produced by a completely student-led team of the department of English and Humanities titled, “The City That Ate its Tongue”. The performance displayed the creative capability of ULAB’s students, bringing back memories of the team’s past success as champions.
The 12th edition of the Student Conference brought together some of the most talented students across the country, encouraging inter-university collaboration through not only academic but also artistic engagement. The conference created several opportunities through its activities to highlight the impact of capitalism in the current world. Once again, showing how young minds can shape a better future not only through academic excellence, but also art and creativity.
