diff --git a/src/main/java/com/appirio/service/challengefeeder/api/DataScienceData.java b/src/main/java/com/appirio/service/challengefeeder/api/DataScienceData.java
index 2e724e5..d6d6b88 100644
--- a/src/main/java/com/appirio/service/challengefeeder/api/DataScienceData.java
+++ b/src/main/java/com/appirio/service/challengefeeder/api/DataScienceData.java
@@ -10,6 +10,8 @@
 import java.util.Date;
 import java.util.List;
 
+import org.apache.commons.lang3.StringUtils;
+
 import lombok.Getter;
 import lombok.Setter;
 
@@ -42,7 +44,6 @@ public abstract class DataScienceData {
      * The status field.
      */
     @Getter
-    @Setter
     private String status;
 
     /**
@@ -158,4 +159,11 @@ public abstract class DataScienceData {
     @Getter
     @Setter
     private Long numberOfRegistrants;
+
+	/**
+	 * @param status the status to set
+	 */
+	public void setStatus(String status) {
+		this.status = StringUtils.trim(status);
+	}
 }
diff --git a/src/main/java/com/appirio/service/challengefeeder/api/PhaseData.java b/src/main/java/com/appirio/service/challengefeeder/api/PhaseData.java
index 54078a4..3e788d1 100644
--- a/src/main/java/com/appirio/service/challengefeeder/api/PhaseData.java
+++ b/src/main/java/com/appirio/service/challengefeeder/api/PhaseData.java
@@ -5,10 +5,13 @@
 
 import java.util.Date;
 
+import org.apache.commons.lang3.StringUtils;
+
 import com.appirio.service.challengefeeder.helper.CustomDateDeserializer;
 import com.fasterxml.jackson.annotation.JsonFormat;
 import com.fasterxml.jackson.annotation.JsonIgnore;
 import com.fasterxml.jackson.databind.annotation.JsonDeserialize;
+
 import lombok.Getter;
 import lombok.Setter;
 
@@ -43,7 +46,6 @@ public class PhaseData {
      * The status field
      */
     @Getter
-    @Setter
     private String status;
 
     /**
@@ -137,4 +139,14 @@ public class PhaseData {
     @Getter
     @Setter
     private String updatedBy;
+
+	/**
+	 * Remove the whitespace from both ends and assign the value
+	 * 
+	 * @param status
+	 *            the status to set
+	 */
+	public void setStatus(String status) {
+		this.status = StringUtils.trim(status);
+	}
 }
diff --git a/src/main/java/com/appirio/service/challengefeeder/api/challengelisting/ChallengeListingData.java b/src/main/java/com/appirio/service/challengefeeder/api/challengelisting/ChallengeListingData.java
index e876c22..b64abe8 100644
--- a/src/main/java/com/appirio/service/challengefeeder/api/challengelisting/ChallengeListingData.java
+++ b/src/main/java/com/appirio/service/challengefeeder/api/challengelisting/ChallengeListingData.java
@@ -7,6 +7,8 @@
 import java.util.List;
 import java.util.Set;
 
+import org.apache.commons.lang3.StringUtils;
+
 import com.appirio.service.challengefeeder.api.FileTypeData;
 import com.appirio.service.challengefeeder.api.IdentifiableData;
 import com.appirio.service.challengefeeder.api.PhaseData;
@@ -71,7 +73,6 @@ public class ChallengeListingData extends IdentifiableData {
      * The status field
      */
     @Getter
-    @Setter
     private String status;
 
     /**
@@ -447,7 +448,7 @@ public class ChallengeListingData extends IdentifiableData {
      * @param track
      */
     public void setTrack(String track) {
-        this.track = track.trim();
+        this.track = StringUtils.trim(track);
     }
 
     /**
@@ -472,4 +473,11 @@ public void setSubTrack(String subTrack) {
     public void setSubTrackFromEnum(SubTrack subTrackE) {
         this.subTrack = subTrackE.toString();
     }
+
+	/**
+	 * @param status the status to set
+	 */
+	public void setStatus(String status) {
+		this.status = StringUtils.trim(status);
+	}
 }