What to know

Rules and eligibility requirements are subject to possible changes. Participants will be notified of any changes.

Pre-registration timeline and process

• All teams will be asked to pre-register. Pre-registration is a way for all schools to have an equal opportunity to pull together a team of students to participate in the case competition.
• Pre-registration does not guarantee participation in the competition. Instead, it tells us you are interested in being considered for selection. Early pre-registrations are strongly encouraged to secure their school’s opportunity to complete at NICC.
• Pre-registration will remain open for additional teams to express interest and be placed on a waitlist.
• The first 20 schools to pre-register will secure a spot and will be contacted on a first-come, first-served basis to fully register participating students. Pre-registration will remain open for additional teams to join our waitlist to express interest.
• Schools that complete pre-registration will be contacted starting Monday, August 4, 2025 and then on a rolling basis until all slots are filled.
• Confirmed schools are required to provide their full team roster and request their hotel accommodations by Wednesday, October 1, 2025. Each school is limited to one team of four undergraduate participants and one optional advisor/support person at the competition.
• Participation in the case competition requires commitment from all registered teams. Once a team is formed and officially registered, each participant is expected to actively contribute and remain engaged for the duration of the competition. Dropping out greatly impacts the integrity of our competition.

Eligibility & teams

• Teams must be able to travel to the University of Iowa campus for the welcome event and competition. This is an in-person event.
• A maximum of 20 teams is allowed.
• Only 1 team per school may participate in the competition.
• Teams of 4 undergraduate-level students only. Students pursuing graduate/professional education are prohibited from participating in this case competition.
• Each team is limited to a maximum of 2 seniors.
• If selected, final team rosters are due by October 1, 2025.
• Teams are not allowed to change members after seeing the case.

Case and competition format

• The case will be distributed two weeks prior to the submission deadline on Monday, October 13, 2025.
• After a two-week solving window team slide decks (presentations) and exec summaries are due on Monday, October 27, 2025, by 11:59 ET/10:59 CT.
• After the case is distributed, teams will be given a one-time opportunity to ask questions during a virtual Q&A session. More details about this session will be provided after teams are fully registered.
• There are two competition rounds during the official event. First, the Preliminary Bracket Round with five divisions comprised of four teams. Secondly, the Finals Round comprised of the top winners of each division in the prelim round.
• Teams will be assigned to divisions for the Preliminary Bracket Round via random draw to ensure fairness. Each division will be assessed by the same judges to ensure grading consistency for all teams within the division. These divisions will remain until the final round with one team moving onto the final round from each division.
• To align with the ever-changing climate of AI, teams will be allowed to use AI. This includes, but is not limited to, ChatGPT and DALL-E. AI can be utilized for brainstorming, graphs, and other options not listed. Citations for the use of AI are required.
• If necessary, the total number of divisions will be based on the total number of teams, with the goal of having equal numbers in each division.

Presentation

• The case prompt will be sent via email to all competition participants at the beginning of the solving period. During the competition, teams will present to judges during the Preliminary Round of the competition and compete against others in their respective Divisions/Presentation Rooms.  
• After a two-week solving window, presentations and executive summaries must be submitted by October 27, 2025, at 11:59 ET/10:59 CT.
• Presentation slides must be formatted using Microsoft PowerPoint or Adobe PDF and be PC-compatible.
• The first or second slide of the presentation should list your assigned team number, as well as photos and names of team members. Do not put your school name or logo on any material and do not identify your affiliation to the judges prior to or during the presentation.
• Presentations should be no longer than 15-20 minutes. During the judging process, presentations will be stopped at 20 minutes. There is a 10-minute Q&A session and feedback after the presentation.
• Each member of the team is required to present, although the amount of time per speaker may vary.
• Advancing teams will be announced during a brief ceremony following the Prelim Round and Lunch Buffet.
• The top team from each Prelim Division will advance to the Final Round where the same competition rules apply. Before the final round, teams will have approximately 20 minutes to practice final presentations based on feedback received during the prelims. Teams will not be permitted to make changes to your slides.
• Final round presentations are open to all non-advancing teams, advisors, corporate partners, alumni, and to the public to watch.

Disqualification procedure

This policy outlines the grounds on which teams may be disqualified from participating in the case competition. It ensures the competition maintains fairness, integrity, and adherence to the established rules.

Grounds for disqualification

The Case Competition Committee reserves the right to disqualify any team at its sole discretion if it determines that a team has engaged in behaviors or actions that undermine the fairness, integrity, or spirit of the competition.

• Examples of such behavior include, but are not limited to:
• Disruptive conduct or unsportsmanlike behavior.
• Manipulation or falsification of data or materials.
• Attempts to gain an unfair advantage over other teams.
• Non-Compliance with the Rules

Failure to comply with the competition rules, as outlined in the official Rule Book, may result in immediate disqualification.

Specific violations include, but are not limited to:

• Collaboration or external assistance in a manner prohibited by the rules.
• Breaching confidentiality agreements related to case materials.
• Misrepresentation of team composition or eligibility.

Enforcement

The decision to disqualify a team will be communicated in writing by the Case Competition Committee. All decisions made by the Committee regarding disqualifications are final and not subject to appeal.

Releases

The data case sponsor (Sponsor) and the University of Iowa’s Tippie College of Business (Organizer) are not responsible for incorrect contact information or entries that do not meet submission criteria. All decisions of Sponsor/Organizer are final.

By participating in the National Impact Case Competition, teams:

1. Agree to be bound by the official competition rules,
2. Agree that the Sponsor and Organizer may use individual team members’ names and likeness for the purpose of promoting and publicizing this and future competitions,
3. Agree that their presentation and any subsequent material submissions may be used by both Sponsor and Organizer.