KU Business Case Competitions

KU Case Competition

Each fall the KU School of Business, in partnership with the KU Case Competition Club, hosts a case competition with cash prizes open to KU undergraduate students of all disciplines. The top five teams qualify for either national and international competitions.

Oct. 16-17, 2025
Capitol Federal Hall

Who can participate?

Undergraduate KU students of all disciplines

Why participate?

• Showcase your strategic thinking and presentation skills.
• Network with industry professionals during a dedicated event.
• The top three teams get to choose a national competition to participate in, sponsored by the School of Business. Fourth and fifth-place teams will compete in a KU-hosted international competition with other leading business schools in the spring.
• KU Business students will earn 20 HATCH points for participation in the competition, 10 NEST points for attending an info session, and 10 HATCH points for the required workshop.

Cash prizes

• 1st place: $1,000 and opportunity to participate in a national competition
• 2nd place: $750 and opportunity to participate in a national competition
• 3rd place: $500 and opportunity to participate in a national competition
• 4th place: $250 and qualification to compete in KU-hosted international competition in the spring
• 5th place: $250 and qualification to compete in KU-hosted international competition in the spring
• Most innovative: $250
• Best presentation: $250

How to compete

1. Attend an info session at 5 p.m. either Sept. 2 or Sept. 4 in Dicus Family Auditorium, 1111 Capitol Federal Hall.
2. Attend a required workshop from 5–8 p.m. Oct. 2 in Dicus Family Auditorium, 1111 Capitol Federal Hall.
3. Register your team.

Kirkendall Awards Ideation Challenge

Established in 2024, the Kirkendall Fund honors the late KU Business and KU Engineering alumni Robert “Scott” Kirkendall, Jonathan “David” Kirkendall, and their parents, Robert and Gail Kirkendall. This permanent endowment fund supports student-driven solutions to major environmental, technical and social challenges.

Kirkendall Awards
Interdisciplinary teams of students from business, engineering and other STEM fields compete in a 10-week challenge. Guided by faculty and peer mentors, participants attend design-thinking workshops and develop prototypes over the course of the competition.

At the end of the 10 weeks, teams present to a panel of judges from industry, venture capital and academia. The top three teams receive prize money.

Weekly challenge events: Sept. 3–Oct. 29
Finals: Nov. 5
Capitol Federal Hall

Who can participate?

Undergraduate KU students from:

• KU School of Business
• KU School of Engineering,
• Industrial Design majors
• All STEM majors

Cash prizes

• 1st place: $10,000
• 2nd place: $6,000
• 3rd place: $2,000

Award amounts may vary by year.

How to compete

Applications for fall 2025 have closed.

Applications for fall 2026 will open in spring 2026.

AIO Case Competition

Teams of one to four students will use Figure Sense principles to generate insights from real-world data and have the opportunity to further develop their analytical and presentation skills while competing for cash prizes.

First round: Written report on analysis due Oct. 17

• Teams chosen will present their analysis in person for a second round.

Finalists announced: Oct 31 | In-person presentations: Nov. 14

Who can participate?

Undergraduate students with a major and/or minor in one of the following:

• Business Analytics
• Information Systems
• Supply Chain Management

Cash prizes

• 1st place: $2,400
• 2nd place: $1,200
• 3rd place: $800
• Three other finalists: $200 each

How to compete

1. Register by 11:59 p.m. Sept. 5.
2. Once each student's eligibility has been confirmed, the team will be added to a Canvas page. Competition details will be posted to the Canvas page by Tuesday, Sept. 9.