AUB Rally Paper is back – and this year, it was wilder, louder, and more creative than ever.
Held over the weekend of April 5 and 6, the iconic event brought together students and a whole lot of energy across 2 intense days of nonstop challenges.
For those unfamiliar, the Rally Paper is one of the American University of Beirut’s (AUB) largest student-led events, blending teamwork, creativity, and a little bit of chaos – all for a good cause.
Each team partners with an NGO of their choice and competes in a massive list of challenges, quests, and puzzles. First place? $10,000 donated to their NGO. Second and third win $5,000 and $3,000 respectively.
For the first time ever, AUB Rally Paper teams were hosted outside AUB’s campus – at the soon-to-open Whish Campus in Spears, Beirut. Whish wasn’t only the main sponsor but also the lead supporter behind the scenes.
As an AUB alumnus and CEO of Whish, Toufic Koussa takes great pride in being part of the AUB community. He opened up the Whish Campus to the teams, giving them a whole new playground for their chaos. It became the central base for organizing the entire event.
And yes, a few teams even got creative with the Whish Visa Card, promoting and using it in challenges that ranged from hilarious to downright impressive.
This year’s teams?
- La Ekher Nafas (FAS Faculty)
- Mission 204 (OSB & E4 Faculty)
- Telte Sebte (E3 Faculty)
- Jenno Maana (E2 Faculty)
- Sophomax (E1 Faculty)
Each had their own base. Some were complete chaos (in the best way). Cows, Tesla Cybertrucks, pink golf carts, and even corn stands showed up at some bases. Yes… real cows.
And the challenges? A mix of hilarious, heartwarming, and absolutely insane.
- Teams recreated iconic movie scenes like Mean Girls or went full Adam Sandler.
- Someone got a tattoo of their team’s logo. Real commitment.
- Public dares included hugging strangers, protesting absurd causes, and holding signs that made people stop and stare.
- One team flew to Paphos, Cyprus for a treasure hunt, vlogged the whole trip, and still made it back in time. They flew with no cash, just their Whish wallet. They bought tickets with Whish Visa, e-sim on Whish app, and used Whish Visa card there for their day expenses
- Someone managed to get Krispy Kreme from Dubai… and original Dubai chocolate too.
- Teams found Lebanese people with Guinness World Records and tracked down people standing in front of some of the Seven Wonders of the World.
- Teams had to find an astronaut in Gemmayze holding a booklet with hidden coordinates – which led to a Ria location in London. They then had to get someone in London to go to that exact branch and top up their Whish account.
But Rally Paper isn’t just for those hanging around the base.
There’s a special group in each team called “Challengers” – and they’re the real daredevils. They take on extreme survival and obstacle course challenges.
This year?
- They did a challenge at an army base obstacle course.
- They dragged each other on their stomachs across a beach to the sea.
- They powered through overnight challenges, including a massive murder mystery that had every team hooked until the end.
After everything, the winners were crowned on Sunday night – but in a way, everyone walked away with a story. Whether it was filming skits, pulling off hair donations, or rallying guests for the party, each team pushed creativity and energy to the max.
Telte Sebte won, giving their prize of $10,000 to the Lebanese Red Cross of Gemmayze.
This year’s Rally Paper wasn’t just another student event. It took over the whole campus, brought real impact, and came with a ton of unexpected moments. And backing all the madness? Whish – a brand that believed in the fun and the cause behind it.
