IIIT Delhi's Vijval Ekbote Tops National Inter-College Crossword Expedition 2025 Round I

The National Inter-College Crossword Expedition (NICE) 2025 continues to inspire and challenge India’s brightest college minds, with the results of the highly anticipated NICE Round 'I' now officially declared.
After an intense battle of wit, logic, and language, Vijval Ekbote of Indraprastha Institute of Information Technology Delhi clinched the top position nationally, demonstrating exceptional cryptic crossword-solving prowess. Following closely were Adya Singh from 'Awaiting College Admission' category and Harsh Raj of IIT Kharagpur, who secured the second and third places, respectively, showcasing commendable skill and determination in the nationwide contest.
Zonal Winners of NICE 2025 Online Round 'I'
The competition, which spanned multiple zones, also saw impressive performances from regional champions:
East Zone Winner: Ayush Warsh, GEC Vaishali
West Zone Winner: Manju Sengar, Government College, Morena
North Zone Winner: Bhargav Vinayak, ACA
South Zone Winner: Hersh Aditya Samdanut, IIT Madras
North-East Zone Winner: Tanmoy Debnath, Maharaja Bir Bikram College, Tripura
State Level Winners of NICE 2025 Online Round 'I'
Bihar: Musarrat Parveen (GEC,Vaishali)
Haryana: Aditya Sharma (ACA)
Goa: Samruddhi Salgaonkar (Goa Dental College)
Tamil Nadu: Ashish CT (II,T Madras)
Uttarakhand: Shashank Nautiyal (Govt. Polytechnic, Uttarkashi)
Madhya Pradesh: Tarun Shamra (Swami Vivekanand Govt. Commerce College)
Assam: Shrawon Day (IIT Guwahati)
Gujarat: Maitri Vijaybhai Thummar, Dr. S&SS Ghandhy Engineering College, Surat)
Uttar Pradesh: Shikhar Gupta (IIT Kanpur)
Jammu & Kashmir: Sudeep Saurav (IIM, Jammu)
Telangana: VKS Gayatri (BITS Pilani, Hyderabad)
Delhi: Seerat Kaur (IIT Delhi)
Karnataka: PMV Reddy (Christ University, Bangalore)
Chhattisgarh: Sushil Ekka (Swa.Pyarelal Kanwar Govt. College)
Odisha: Swetapadma Tripathy (Rajdhani College, Khurda)
Punjab: Aanya (Punjab College of Technical Education, Baddowal)
Tripura: Ananya Kar (Ramthakur College, Tripura)
Maharashtra: Swarada Narote (AISSMSIIT, Pune)
Andhra Pradesh: Shaik Mohammed Hussain (Santhiram Engineering College, Nandyal)
Manipur: Om Kumar Jha (NIT Manipur)
Meghalaya: Amit Kumar Jha (North Eastern Institute of Ayurveda and Homeopathy
These zonal and state-level winners have emerged as regional torchbearers, reflecting the growing popularity and competitive spirit around cryptic crosswords among India’s youth.
The NICE platform continues to provide a dynamic intellectual arena that not only promotes language-based problem-solving but also fosters strategic thinking and perseverance. Participants from hundreds of colleges across the country registered for Round I, vying for a spot in the next level of the contest.
The excitement now builds up for the next online round, Round C, which is scheduled to be held on June 1, 2025. This round will further narrow the field as the top minds move closer to the coveted title of NICE 2025 Champion.
NICE is India’s premier inter-college cryptic crossword championship, uniting sharp minds from campuses nationwide. It celebrates wit, wordplay, and the spirit of intellectual competition among the nation’s brightest youth.