10/1
Case Competition Registration Opens
10/29
Registration Deadline for Free Agents (11:59 p.m. ET)
10/31
Registration Deadline for Teams (11:59 p.m. ET)
11/1
Case Released (5 p.m. ET)
Join us for one of Kogod’s premier events.
You will have the opportunity to network with business leaders and colleagues from your school and others. The event is open to all graduate and undergraduate students at American University and invited Kogod-partner schools.
Case competitions focus on a challenge or opportunity faced by an organization. Participants work together in teams to recommend solutions to the leadership of that organization. There are different formats and styles for case competitions, but they often come with cash prizes (see below for more information about Kogod's prizes). Additionally, competitors build their resumes and network with employers.
Eligibility
All undergraduate and graduate (including WCL) students at AU as well as partner schools of Kogod are invited to compete in teams of 3-5 students. There are two competition divisions: Undergraduate and Graduate. Having two divisions ensures that students are competing against others who have had similar experiences or coursework.
Format
There are two rounds in the competition: The first round is online only. Teams will receive the case study and then have approximately one week to submit a video pitch with their proposed recommendations. Video submissions are reviewed by judges and scored for the preliminary round.
The top seven teams in each division are then invited to Kogod in mid-February to present their full recommendations in a 15-minute presentation followed by a 10-minute Q&A before a panel of judges. Our judges are mostly alumni and area business leaders, many of whom have been judging the Competition for several years.
11/11
Preliminary Round Videos Due (11:59 p.m. ET)
11/22
Finalists Announced (5 p.m. ET)
2/13-2/15
Final Round Weekend
Kogod School of Business
4400 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20016
AU students can register as a Free Agent (to be placed on a team with other Free Agents) or as a member of a Team. Students from Invited Partner Schools can only register as a team. Registration deadlines are displayed on this page.
Participants must be an enrolled undergraduate or graduate student at AU or an Invited Partner School during the residential Fall 2024 and Spring 2025 semesters, or 2024T4 and 2025T1 for online students. Students graduating in Fall 2024 or 2024T4 are not eligible to compete.
AU continuing undergraduate students must have a cumulative GPA of at least 2.5 to compete. Note that first-year students without a GPA can compete but must have at least a 2.5 at the completion of the fall semester to be eligible for the finals.
AU graduate students must have a cumulative GPA of at least 3.0 to compete. Note that new students without a GPA can compete but must have at least a 3.0 at the completion of the fall semester to be eligible for the finals.
Questions? Please contact the organizers at kogodcasecomp@american.edu.
For AU Students Registering as an Individual
To register as an individual, please select "An individual (Free Agent)". Those from invited partner schools must register as a team and cannot register as individuals.
For AU Students Registering as a Team
If you are registering as a member of a team, please write your team's name in the "Team Name" field.
- Each team must have 3-5 members. Members can be added to or changed on your team at any time until the case is released. No members can be added after the case is released.
- Your team must meet the eligibility requirements for your division when the case is released.
- Team names cannot identify the students' school, college, or university in any way (to keep judging neutral)
For Invited Partner Schools Registering as a Team
Each Invited Partner School is allowed two teams per division. Team members must all be from the same institution to be eligible to compete.
Please write your team's name in the "Team Name" field.
- Each team must have 3-5 members. Members can be added to or changed on your team at any time until the case is released. No members can be added after the case is released.
- Your team must meet the eligibility requirements for your division when the case is released.
- Team names cannot identify the students' school, college, or university in any way (to keep judging neutral)
There is no registration fee for partner schools this year.
Team Divisions
Teams must fall into one of the following divisions:
Undergraduate: Team is comprised of undergraduate students; no graduate students are allowed on the team.
Graduate: Team is comprised of graduate students; no undergraduate students are allowed on the team.
Team changes will be accepted until 11:59pm on the day before the case is released and must be communicated with the competition planning team at kogodcasecomp@american.edu. See the FAQs section on this page for more information on teams.
Workshops and events are specifically designed for Case Competition participants who want to prepare for the competition.
For AU students, you will be added to a Canvas section after registering for the competition and have access to workshop content that covers the basics of case analysis and presentation skills.
Events may include a panel of judges and a panel of professionals with expertise in the case topic for all competitors.
Case Analysis
We have selected a Harvard Business course to help you prepare for the competition, learning strategies, and methods of reading and analyzing case studies. The cost of this course has been covered by Kogod. Please note this will take approximately 1.5 hours to complete.
You will be emailed a link to enroll after you have registered for the competition.
Panel of Experts
Early November | Date and Time TBD
A panel of executives with expertise in the case topics will give you insights into the case in a Q&A format with a moderator. This workshop is open to all competitors, will be held virtually, and will be recorded.
Thursday, February 13 | 7 pm ET | Welcome Reception
This is for all competitors, advisors, judges, and Kogod faculty and staff. Join us at 7pm in the Kogod Student Lounge.
Friday, February 14 | All Day
- Case presentation preparation (and site visit, if applicable)
Saturday, February 15 | 8:00-9:00am ET | Breakfast, Registration, and Overview
- Undergraduates: Kogod Harris Lounge (outside room 118)
- Graduates: Kogod Terrace Lounge
- Judges: Kogod Student Lounge
Saturday, February 15 | 9:15am - 1:00pm ET | Final Round Presentations
- Undergraduate: Kogod School of Business, Room 118
- Graduate: Kogod School of Business, Room 233
Saturday, February 15 | 1:00pm - 2:30pm ET | Lunch, Remarks from Case Company, and Awards
- Competitors, advisors, judges and Kogod staff and faculty: Constitution Hall, East Campus
Release of the Case
The case will be released on Friday, November 1 at 5pm ET.
Research and Outside Experts
Once the case is posted, coaching by faculty members or school staff or contact with outside experts is expressly prohibited. Teams are expected to conduct any and all necessary research through publicly available resources. Use of all library resources, including pay-for-subscription services such as Lexis-Nexis, is welcomed.
Students MAY NOT gain assistance in any form from anyone other than the Center for Professionalism and Communications or comparable business communications/preparation office at other institutions. Prohibited assistance includes but is not limited to faculty sponsors, professors, parents, friends, or personal contacts of any kind whose ideas are not publicly available (i.e., published online).
For AU students, the Business Librarian may help you conduct research but not answer any questions about the case content or possible solutions. Comparable library staff and resources are allowed at partner schools as well.
Each team is permitted to have presentation practice with the Center for Professionalism and Communications or comparable business communications/preparation office at other institutions, prior to the competition. Feedback in these sessions with the team will be restricted to clarity, organization, format, and style. Feedback on content or strategy is not permitted.
Your team will be disqualified from the competition if you violate these rules.
Tiebreakers
In case of a tie in either round, judges will be asked to rank each team. The team with the highest rankings will win the tie. If there is still a tie, three judges will be selected at random by the scoring official. The team that has garnered the highest scores from these randomly selected judges will win the tie.
Guidelines for The Preliminary Round
- Each team will submit a video pitch which may include visual aids.
- The purpose of the pitch is to provide judges with an idea of the approach your team will take to address the issues presented in the case. Remember, a case competition poses a problem that needs a solution. You might not know what your final recommendations will be, but your pitch will give preliminary round judges a sense of what critical analysis your team has undertaken. This analysis could include ideas, people, and data that are central to your proposed solutions and why your ideas will lead to strong recommendations for the company.
- All team members must speak and be visible in the pitch video.
- The length of the video will be no longer than 5 minutes. Videos longer than 5 minutes will be disqualified; no exceptions.
Scoring
The preliminary round scoring structure is:
- Critical Issues: 10 points
- Recommendations: 10 points
- Delivery/Professionalism: 10 points
- Overall Impression: 10 points
The maximum total score is 40 points.
Final Round Information
For teams that advance to the finals round, the information below provides more information on what to expect. Finalists will be announced in late November.
Provide Your Resume to Judges
One of the benefits of being a finalist is sharing your resume with all judges. AU team members must submit a resume via the Case Comp Canvas site and partner school team members must submit a resume to kogodcasecomp@american.edu. The deadline for inclusion is the first Friday in February at 5pm.
Day of the Finals Round
Registration and USB Drop-off: Student registration begins at 8am and ends at 9am on the Saturday of the finals weekend. Undergraduate students will check in and drop off their presentations in the Harris Lounge. Graduate students will check in and drop off their presentations in the Terrace Level Lounge in Kogod. A light, continental breakfast will be available at both locations.
USB Drop-off Deadline: 8:45 a.m. A USB drive containing the final copy of the presentation in PowerPoint format must be submitted by 8:45am on competition day at registration. All team members must be checked in by 9am.
Final Round Presentations
There will be multiple judges evaluating each of the final round of presentations. The same judges will review all presentations within that division’s final round. Presenters will be allowed to use PowerPoint but no other software or visual aids are allowed.
Guidelines for PowerPoint Presentations
- Presentations will be displayed on laptops that operate on the Windows platform.
- All presentations must be saved in Microsoft PowerPoint format. (Note: Presentations will be viewed on computers with Microsoft 365.)
- All presentations must be saved to a USB Drive. (Note: Please test your presentation files before the day of the competition.)
- The USB must be clearly labeled with your team's name.
- The presentation file should be the only item on the USB.
- Sound effects are NOT allowed in the presentation.
- Graphics ARE allowed but animation effects are discouraged.
- To achieve the best presentation quality, the screen should be set to wide aspect (1366 x 768).
- In the case of technical difficulties, each team is allowed to bring printouts of their slide show to give to judges if the laptop or projection fails (plan for 10 judges, i.e., bring 10 copies of the presentation and at least one for the team.) You may also bring a backup copy of your presentation on a USB drive in case the file on the drive malfunctions. Ten minutes will be allotted to fix any technical or equipment problems after which the teams must use their handouts.
Additional Guidelines for the Final Round
- Presenters must be dressed in business attire.
- All team members must speak during the presentation.
- Notecards are allowed to be used during the presentation.
- The time limit for the presentation is 15 minutes (followed by 10 minutes of Q&A by the judges). Time limits will be strictly enforced.
- Handouts and/or props or displays are NOT allowed.
Final Round Scoring
The scoring structure is:
- Critical Issues: 10 points
- Evidence: 10 points
- Recommendations: 10 points
- Q&A: 10 points
- Delivery: 10 points
- Overall Impression: 10 points
The maximum total score is 60 points.
Who can be on my team?
There are two divisions of teams:
- Undergraduate: Team is comprised of undergraduate students; no graduate students are allowed on this team.
- Graduate: Team is comprised of graduate students; no undergraduate students are allowed on this team.
The purpose of this is to group participants with similar skill levels so division judges can fairly compare teams during the finals.
What happens if we want to add or remove team members?
We permit (up to) five-person teams to promote a balanced distribution of the work that goes into creating a presentation for the Case Competition. Teams with fewer people will have more work to do individually than a team with more people.
Why is there a GPA requirement?
Participating in the competition requires a significant amount of time and energy. We have determined that students who are on academic probation will not benefit from the competition in the same way as those students who are in good academic standing. Undergraduate students whose GPA is below a 2.5 and graduate students whose GPA is below a 3.0 should focus on their coursework to improve their GPAs and look forward to competing next year.
Can I register as a free agent and then move to a team later?
Absolutely. We recommend registering yourself as soon as possible to save a space. Of course, if you have a team formed, you should all register as soon as possible, but if you find teammates later, you can add them to your team. If you register as a free agent and would like to be added to a team later, just email kogodcasecomp@american.edu. Unfortunately, you can't save spots for team members and we cannot "complete" partial teams after the case has been released, so don't delay!
Can I still participate if I'm not a Kogod student? Can I include students from other AU schools on my team?
Yes. The Kogod Case Competition has value for all students at American University. The event is open to all graduate and undergraduate students at AU. Students from all academic backgrounds and levels of experience will enjoy and benefit from the event. We have had all schools represented by competitors in the past and hope to do the same this year! The cases that students analyze encompass communications, nonprofit management, public policy, and law, in addition to business.
What support is available to help prepare for the competition?
Kogod provides several resources to help AU students be prepared for the competition. First, the Case Competition Canvas site will be your "one-stop" for case competition resources, including videos of past finalists and updates from staff. For non-AU teams, this information will be shared via email.
I'm a first-year/sophomore...do I have the business knowledge I need to participate?
Yes! A big part of the competition is working on a team and learning how to analyze a business case from any level of experience. As a first-year/sophomore, you will gain experience in how to manage your time during a competition and how to work on a team so that in future years, you will be able to focus more on the application of your business knowledge. In addition, the opportunity to network with judges could land you your next internship and give you a solid experience to highlight during an interview. Finally, the opportunity to interact and network with upper division Kogod students could help you make new friends and get connected with the Kogod student community.
How can I highlight the case competition on my resume?
The Kogod Case Competition is a great addition to your resume as well as integral to your interview prep. Career Development staff members are prepared to help you highlight this experience to fit the jobs/internships you are looking for. We hear time and time again that students have landed a job or internship because of the skills they acquired during the competition and/or the network they cultivated during the event.
What time commitment is required to participate?
You probably hear this saying a lot but "you will get out of the competition what you put into it." Remember, the case competition is not required, but you are working on a team with peers who are committed to giving the case competition their best shot. So, you need to pull your weight. The case competition isn't an excuse for missing class, so make sure you plan accordingly and prepare class assignments and readings in advance to ease the workload that week.
How is the competition scored and how are teams ranked?
Each presentation will be observed and scored by a panel of judges who are business leaders and alumni. It is important to remember that this competition is different than classroom grading. Judges are not faculty and they will each come to the competition with a background of experiences that will, inevitably, inform their scoring. In preparation, we send each judge the case in advance and provide a training session led by Kogod faculty and Kogod Center for Professionalism and Communications. We hope students will embrace the opportunity to be in front of a real panel of professionals and appreciate the diverse experiences brought by each of our judges.
Why are partner schools invited to send a team to the Kogod Case Competition?
The Kogod School of Business values:
- its globally diverse student body and faculty
- partnerships with the people and institutions shaping international change
- educating its students to be competitive in the US and abroad
- offering exchange and study abroad opportunities
- educating students and institutions around the world about the Kogod School of Business
Benefits of inviting partner schools to the Kogod Case Competition include:
- providing AU students the opportunity to see how business students from other schools conduct case analysis
- giving AU students experience competing in a global marketplace
- demonstrating Kogod's value to a wider audience
- strengthening the relationships between Kogod and its partners
How can my school be invited?
Contact us at kogodcasecomp@american.edu.
