KU Business Case Competitions

AIO Case Competition

The AIO Case Competition challenges students to apply Figure Sense principles to generate insights from real-world data, sharpen their analytical and presentation skills, and compete for cash prizes.

Who can participate?

The spring 2026 competition, divided into undergraduate and graduate levels, kicked off February 10 with the case release. Teams could include one to four members, all enrolled at the same academic level (undergraduate or graduate).

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

• Business Analytics
• Information Systems
• Supply Chain Management

Graduate students must be enrolled in the Master of Science in Business Analytics program.

Finalists for the 2026 competition will be announced Friday, April 3, and final presentations will be 10 a.m. Friday, April 17, at Capitol Federal Hall with winners announced during the reception following presentations.

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 undergraduate and graduate students from Business, Engineering and other STEM fields at KU compete in a 10-week challenge throughout the fall semester. Over the 10 weeks, participating students will:

• Receive a specific prompt with a current environmental, technical or social challenge;
• Participate in a series of workshops to learn and apply the design thinking process;
• Research, design, prototype and test a real-life business solution;
• Receive mentorship and coaching from past competitors and professionals;
• Present their ideas to a panel of expert judges from industry, venture capital and academia at the end of the 10-week period. The top three teams receive prize money.

Who can participate?

Undergraduate and graduate KU students from:

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

How to apply

Applications for the 2026 Kirkendall Awards Ideation Challenge are due April 10. Find details about requirements on the application page.

Program format

Students are expected to attend all sessions. Programming is tentatively scheduled for Fridays from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in Capitol Federal Hall. The final Friday will include extended sessions for the preliminary and final rounds. Exact times will be shared with selected students.

Team structure

Teams of four that do not meet the below requirements will be disqualified from consideration.

• Apply as a pair or a team of four; selected pairs will be matched with another pair to create a team of four.
• Each team must include:
  • At least one Business major
  • At least one Engineering/STEM major

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 or international competitions.

Information about the fall 2026 competition will be shared when finalized.

Who can participate?

Undergraduate KU students of all disciplines

(Note: Teams that place in the top five become ineligible for future fall competitions.)

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