The inaugural Tippie Sustainability Case Competition will challenge teams of UI undergraduate students to integrate knowledge from business and sustainability disciplines to solve a real sustainability challenge facing organizations today. Students from all disciplines will have the opportunity to develop leadership and decision-making skills that will help them maximize economic, social, and environmental sustainability in their future jobs.
Problem solve relevant business challenges
The Tippie Sustainability Case Competition engages University of Iowa undergraduates in addressing real-world sustainability challenges by applying business and sustainability concepts. Open to students of all majors at no cost, the competition develops critical thinking, leadership, and decision-making skills essential for advancing economic, social, and environmental sustainability in today’s organizations. In a time when sustainability is a pressing issue, this is the perfect opportunity for students to develop the knowledge base and skill set that so many employers are looking for.
Spring 2026 Competition
Date: Friday, April 17 - Saturday, April18, 2026
Location: Pappajohn Business Building
Who can participate?
- Students from all University of Iowa majors and colleges welcome
- Sign as a team of 3-to-4 students OR as an Individual (Free Agent) to be placed on a team and meet new people!
- Teams must consist of 3-to-4 members
- Maximum of 2 seniors per team
- Registrations capped at 15 teams
What happens at the competition?
- Teams are emailed the sustainability focused case-prompt at staggered times the morning of April 17th.
- Each team receives 5 hours to solve and submit their case presentation.
- After submissions, teams participate in the preliminary round consisting of 15-minute presentations and 10 minutes of Q&A.
- Judges will decide on each room's top team, who will then advance to the final round.
- Final round presentations will consist of an added challenge for teams to overcome.
Registration
Register as a team with 3-to-4 students OR as an Individual (Free Agent) to be placed on a team.
Team Prizes
$5000 in cash prizes awarded to the top three teams:
1st Place — $500 per team member ($1500-2000 total)
2nd Place — $400 per team member ($1200-1600 total)
3rd Place — $350 per team member ($1050-1400 total)
2026 Collaborators
Tippie Senate, Goodwill of the Heartland, Tippie Social Impact Committee (SIC), and Tippie Undergraduate Program Office (UPO).
Timeline of events
| Friday, April 17 | 5:00-7:30 p.m. — Welcome to the Tippie Sustainability Case Competition
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| Saturday, April 18 | 8:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m. — 5-hour case solving
1:00-2:30 p.m. — Presentation Round 2:30-3:30 p.m. — Judges confer to determine finalist teams 4:00-5:00 p.m. — Working hour for advancing teams 5:00-7:00 p.m. — Finalist Round 7:30-9:00 p.m. — Dinner and awards ceremony |
Contact
Tevin Robbins
Undergraduate Program
tevin-robbins@uiowa.edu