International Student Case Competition
Compete in Undergraduate or Graduate Divisions
The ILA International Student Case Competition provides undergraduate and graduate students the opportunity to compete and showcase their knowledge about leadership through the analysis of a contemporary socio-political-economic problem on the global or national level.
Competition Goals
The International Student Case Competition, which is organized annually by the ILA Leadership Education Member Community, provides participating teams the opportunity to:
- Develop a real-world case and learn about the systemic leadership complexities associated with a selected social problem.
- Comprehensively and collectively develop and articulate a deep understanding and proposed leadership solution to a problem you believe poses a significant societal challenge.
- Demonstrate an understanding of the complexity of leadership as it relates to contemporary social problems.
- Work together as a team to articulate a grasp of how leadership theories and practice can be applied to impact a local, national, and/or international social problem.
- Engage in dialogue and receive feedback to strengthen their analytical and presentation skills.
- Compete in an international competition with other students.
Competition Overview
To maximize opportunities for participation, ISCC Teams have the option of attending the Global Conference either online 3-4 October, in Vancouver, BC, 12-15 October, or both. The Finalist Round will be online after the conference to allow adequate time to integrate conference learnings into their Final Presentations.
Before the conference, each student team will identify a significant contemporary social problem they would like to address by choosing one of six pre-determined Sustainable Development Goals (https://sdgs.un.org/goals):
The team will conduct research to gain an understanding of how to frame the problem and its complex, systemic causes (i.e., economic, political, social, cultural, and individual factors). The team then analyzes and develops recommendations that they believe would mitigate or solve the problem, with attention to a leadership theory or theories and actions that can be applied. The case study and plan of action should be realistic and practical—and the suggested actions should not create other unintended problems that could be worse than the original problem.
The International Case Competition (ISCC) consists of three rounds:
- Round One – Executive Summary
- Round Two – Virtual Poster Presentation
- Final Round – Finalists Presentation
Each round is further described in this document. The Final Round will be scored independently from the first two and is comprised only of the teams three top teams in each division.
The first-place team in each division will receive a prize of $1,000 USD, plus team members will receive each a complimentary 1- year ILA membership.
While finalists will be notified of the results within 48 hours, the public announcement will be made during the ILA Membership Meeting, which is open to everyone.
Teams are expected to use the Global Conference as a resource and to weave learnings from their conference experiences into their Final Presentations. Teams have the option of attending either online 3-4 October, in-person 12-15 October, or both.
Steps for Competing in the International Student Case Competition
Step One
Download Competition Document and form your team today!
Step Two
Sign Up Team for the International Student Case Competition by Tuesday 19 September
Step Three
Register for ILA’s Annual Global Conference by Friday 22 September
Step Four
Submit executive summary and video of your virtual poster presentation by Tuesday 26 September
Important Competition Dates
Tuesday 19 September
Team Signup Deadline. Download Competition Document.
Friday 22 September
Individual team member conference registration deadline
Tuesday 26 September
Executive Summary & Virtual Poster Presentation due by Email to: casecompetition@ilaglobalnetwork.org
Tuesday 10 October
Notification emails sent to the teams advancing to the Finalists Round (Sent to each team’s contact person, preferably a Coach)
Thursday 19 October
Finalist (zoom) Presentations by the three finalist teams in each division
Friday 20 October
Finalists and winners notified of results. All teams receive feedback emails (Sent to each team’s contact person, preferably a Coach)
Thursday 9 November
Winners present at the ILA Membership Town Hall Meeting