Letting their hair down: From left, Nicole Zingu, Finny Chauke (L'Oreal SA), Lynda Cooper and Sarah-Jane Joshua celebrate the UCT team's third place at the L'Oréal Brandstorm competition in Paris.

Final-year business-science students Lynda Cooper, Sarah-Jane Joshua and Nicole Zingu have finished third in the international L'Oréal Brandstorm competition. Not bad at all, given that the three, known as Team Sisonke, had to prepare for the finals of the event while in the throes of June exams. Sisonke was the first squad from South Africa - and Africa - to take part in the event, and went up against some 30 other sides in the grand showdown in Paris in June. The competition invites marketing students to think up a new product line for an existing L'Oréal brand. Sisonke's entry was a range of new protective hair-setting lotions that goes by the name of Climatize. "These students are so bright and creative and did a superb job," says Alison Meadows of the School of Management Studies. "What we really like about the whole thing is that we didn't help them at all. They did the whole thing by themselves." Team members weren't too down in the mouth about third spot, either. "Just going to Paris was kind of the biggest reward, and made everything worthwhile," says spree-shopper Zingu. "We strongly encourage other marketing students to enter next year as it was surely a great learning experience," adds Cooper. More travelling is lined up. As per the competition rules, the three have to spend their €2 500 purse, which works out to about R7 000 per person, on a holiday. For now, Mozambique seems to be their most likely destination at the end of the year, says Joshua.