If you’re a university student, you’ve probably received countless emails about case competitions to join outside of your classes.
Typically in a team, participants will attempt to crack at a challenge a company faces, and pitch solutions to a panel of judges. Beyond the learning experience from feedback given, participants also stand a chance to win prizes such as cash, valuable mentorships and more.
So if you’re thinking about which to sign up for, here are five local and international competitions that are worth joining this year:
1. GLOBAL 2022 by CBS Case Competition
Looking to challenge yourself on a global scale? Copenhagen Business School Case Competition’s GLOBAL 2022 is open for undergraduates and graduates worldwide.
In its 2021 edition, the international competition saw more than 3,600 students from 90 nationalities participate, with furniture company IKEA as the case company.
Held virtually, participants in teams of four will have 24 hours to solve a case by international jewellery brand Pandora. The top three teams will compete virtually for the chance to win US$5,000 (S$6,739) and a mentorship programme with Bain and Company.
Registration fee: Free
Registration deadline: 7 February 2022
More details here.
2. CDL-GCNS Young SDG Leaders Award
Jointly organised by City Developments Limited (CDL) and Global Compact Network Singapore (GCNS), CDL-GCNS Young SDG Leaders Award is an annual case competition for youths aged between 17 and 25 years old to champion sustainable development in businesses.
Previously known as the CDL-GCNS Young CSR Leaders Award, the competition has “nurtured over 2,400 young leaders since inception in 2011”, according to its website.
This year’s edition hackathon topic is “SG Green Plan 2030”, in which participants must formulate initiatives to achieve one of Singapore’s Green Plan 2030’s five pillars within a day to stand a chance to win up to S$10,000.
The top 10 teams will be assigned to a three- to five-day work attachment to learn about their assigned company’s challenges with implementing sustainability before coming up with their final proposal.
Registration fee: Free
Registration deadline: 15 February 2022
More details here.
3. Global Case Competition at Harvard
The International Finance Student Association and Harvard GSAS Business Club’s annual Global Case Competition is back. Since 2016, the competition has attracted more than 2,500 students across the globe.
Given three weeks, teams comprising of two to five undergraduates or graduates are required to come up with a solution. The top 10 teams will get the chance to pitch their solutions to judges comprising of distinguished business executives and Harvard Business School professors in April 2022.
Aside from the chance to win US$10,000 (S$13,481), participants can also take part in various online networking events and panels discussions.
Registration fee: starts from US$150 (S$202.20) per team
Registration deadline: 22 February 2022
More details here.
4. hacksingapore
Looking for a competition that centres around Singapore’s technology ecosystem? hacksingapore (also known as hacksg) is a nationwide hackathon open for anyone internationally above the age of 16.
With three different hackatons under its belt, participants can choose from one of three tracks — namely The Era of Blockchain and Trust, The Rise of No-Code/Low-Code and The Future of Gaming — to solve the challenge statement proposed.
Organised by Tribe with AngelHack and the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA), participants can take part individually or in teams of up to four for a chance to win from the S$35,000 prize pool.
They will also have the opportunity to join the competition’s weekly Hakers’ Space and its physical networking session in March.
Registration fee: Free
Registration is still ongoing. Submission deadline is 3 April 2022.
More details here.
5. Singapore Business Case Competition
For the 13th year running, Singapore Business Case Competition will be open to all university and tertiary students in Singapore.
While it has not released details about its 2022 edition, organisers Nanyang Technological University Business Solutions Case Club has hinted that the case competition will be back.
The competition partnered with CapitaLand in its 2021 edition, allowing participants in teams of three or four to come up with innovative solutions in a simulated real-world business environment.
Participants stand a chance to win up to S$1,000 in cash prizes.
Registration Fee: TBC
Registration deadline: TBC
More details here and here.
Why should you join a case competition?
Aside from the attractive cash prizes, case competitions allow students to get a chance to apply what they learn in school to real-life problems.
The opportunity to meet other like-minded students and learn from each other is also another valuable asset to take away from such competitions.
While most case competitions are business-centred, students from other disciplines can also participate in such competitions to learn from their team members and apply their own specialisations into the solutions crafted.
So if you’re looking for something else to do aside from your studies, do consider participating in a case competition!
Featured Image Credit: CDL-GCNS Young SDG Leaders Award
