COMET'26 by IIT Roorkee CDC: Advertised Prize Money, Delayed Results, and Winners Denied Rewards

I am posting this to highlight what I believe is a highly deceptive and unacceptable experience with a national-level case competition conducted under COMET'26 by IIT Roorkee CDC.

Participants were promised that presentations would be judged by industry professionals. However, during the finals, MBA-level marketing and consulting presentations were judged by undergraduate engineering students. There was no prior communication regarding this change.

We were told results would be declared on the day of the competition. Then it became 15 days. The results were eventually declared after more than a month, with almost no communication from the organizers. The SPOC stopped responding to calls and messages, and repeated follow-ups were required just to get updates.

I ultimately secured 1st place in the competition. However, after announcing the winners, IIT Roorkee CDC informed us that the advertised prize money listed on Unstop (up to ₹25,000) would not be awarded due to "unforeseen circumstances."

This is where the situation becomes unacceptable. If prize money is advertised to attract participants and winners are declared, how can organizers simply refuse to honor their commitment afterward? Participants invested time, effort, and money based on the terms promoted by the organizers.

At best, this reflects shocking incompetence and mismanagement. At worst, it raises serious questions about whether participants were misled through promises that the organizers were ultimately unwilling or unable to fulfill.

From the judging controversy, to delayed results, to non-responsive organizers, and finally denying advertised prizes after declaring winners, this entire episode reflects extremely poorly on IIT Roorkee CDC and COMET'26.

Institutions that cannot honor advertised commitments should not be conducting national-level competitions until they can guarantee basic standards of transparency, accountability, and professionalism.

Has anyone else experienced similar issues with COMET'26 or competitions conducted by IIT Roorkee?