It is that time of the year, probably, when you would have just joined a B-school and would be wondering how to maximize your opportunities. You came to know about case study competitions and want to know what are the best case study competitions in India in 2021 for you to participate in and, hopefully, win.
So, let me share with you, which are the case study competitions which you should be definitely aiming for in the next one year.
What are case study competitions?
Just as you would be required to tackle business problems, case study competitions also invite students/groups of students to come together and solve a business problem within some mentioned rules and regulations. Some competitions also involve pitching new business ideas focusing on entrepreneurial abilities.
Case study competitions require a well-rounded dedication and time from each participant. Reading and comprehending the case study is a vital part of solving the case. Hence, I would also like you to read this article, mentioning how to read case studies quickly.
Benefits of Participating in Case Study Competitions
By now you must be wondering why case study competitions are so hyped in MBA. Are there any benefits of putting so much extra effort into such competitions?
To answer all such questions, I have listed down some of the benefits of participating in case study competitions.
Application of Classroom Learnings
You, as a future marketing leader, would be looking at honing your skills much before you enter the industry. Sure, an internship is a great opportunity. However, how about you get to apply your classroom learnings to the business problems of some of the world’s top brands like HUL, Amazon, Loreal.
Isn’t that exciting?
Case Study competitions provide students the opportunity to apply concepts learned in the classroom and be industry-ready for future prospects.
The Differentiating factor in your CV
During your entire MBA journey, you will come across the term CV Shortlisting very often. Everyone during their stint at B-school fights hard to add that differentiating factor in their resumes, which will ultimately land them in their dream companies. Case study competitions without any doubt is the factor that will make you stand apart from hundreds of resumes.
PPI/PPO's
During my MBA, I witnessed something which will truly inspire you to work towards case studies. I had a close friend who was just about average (academically) but he bagged PPO from one of the top private banks through its case study competition.
And from that day, he didn’t need to spend even a day in worry about his placements.
Corporate case study competitions are an excellent chance for students to grab a job in top companies. This can very help you in landing in your dream company.
Performing well in these interviews is also very important. I would also like you to read this article, describing how to answer interview questions.
Prize Money
With an MBA course already squeezing your pockets, case study competitions provide an excellent opportunity for you to earn lakhs of money and aid your expenses.
Certificates
Couldn’t make it to the national winners? Don’t worry! The top teams always get felicitated by certificates which are valuable in front of recruiters also. Not only to top teams, but some competitions also award certificates to all the participants.
Soft Skills Development
Since each competition requires you to work in a team of at least 2 or 3 members. You would know how difficult it can get to bring a team to consensus, no matter how small the team or the decision is. Thus, meticulous participation in case study competitions helps you improve key skills like teamwork, leadership, critical thinking under pressure, and time management.
But that’s the fun side of participating in case competitions.
Case Analysis Blueprint Course
Learn how to analyze MBA business case studies comprehensively in just five steps
Get to know how to analyze a marketing case study comprehensively in just 5 slides. Which means that the next time you need to analyze a case or participate in a case competition, you would know exactly how to ace the case
Best Case Study competitions in India in 2021
Hundreds of case study competitions are organized every year by corporates and various B-schools across the country, however, it is very important for you to know which are some of the best case competitions you should be targeting:
In this article, I would list some of the best corporate case study competitions in 2021 organized by both the corporates and the B-schools. In the article, we would be mentioning the best case study competitions you should be targeting depending upon your college tier.
The B-schools in the above tier are also eligible to participate in case study competitions mentioned for lower tiers. Say, a college in tier-1 is also eligible for competitions for tier-2 and tier-3 B-schools.
While we have tried to be accurate, whether your school is a part of that tier is subjective. Hence it is advisable to check the eligibility of your B-school on the competition website.
Best Case Study Competitions In India In 2021 For Tier -1 B-Schools
If you are in one in premier B-schools among IIM A, IIM B, IIM C, IIM L, IIM K, IIM I, ISB Hyderabad, MDI, JBIMS, FMS, IIFT, XLRI Jamshedpur, NITIE Mumbai, SJPIMR, SJMSON then would you have an opportunity to participate in one of the most sought-after case competitions in India.
H.U.L. L.I.M.E.
If you are a marketing aspirant then L.I.M.E. (Lessons in Marketing Excellence) is surely going to be your holy grail. It is among one of the most competitive corporate case study competitions also.
Rewards
- Cash prize worth INR 10,00,000
- Ticket to the global Unilever case study competition: Unilever Future Leaders' League
- Cash prize of INR 3,00,000 for the 1st runner-up team
- Cash prize of INR 2,00,000 for the 2nd runner-up team
- Cash prize of INR 1,00,000 for the 3rd runner-up team
Marico Over the Wall
OTW is the flagship competition organized by Marico, which involves students participating in real business challenges and coming up with feasible and implementable ideas and solutions to overcome the same.
Rewards
- Cash prize of INR 500000 to winning team
- PPI opportunity to national winners
- First runners up get prize money of INR 300000 followed by INR 100000 for second runners up
Google Case Study Competition
If you want to get hands-on challenges are faced by one of the best companies in the world, this case study competition is for you. This is a highly stimulating competition incorporating - hardware sales, smart home cases, digital marketing, product growth, and user experience.
Rewards
- Winners get a cash prize of INR 250000
- PPI opportunity for winners
- Finalists also get a chance to work closely with assigned Google mentors and understand Google's ecosystem better
Mahindra War Room
M.W.R. is a highly competitive case study competition inviting top B-schools from across the globe. The competition requires students to develop innovative and implementable solutions to real-life challenges faced by the Mahindra group.
Rewards
- The winning team gets a cash prize of INR 500000
- PPI opportunity
- Winners also get an all-expense-paid trip to Formula E-International Race
Flipkart WiRED Campus Case Challenge
Flipkart's WiRED is a case study competition that allows you to gain hands-on experience in tackling real challenges faced by Indian e-commerce. You would have to choose from three domain-specific challenges between business, H.R., and supply chain.
The challenges are designed to test your technical knowledge and logical reasoning and how creatively you can solve a problem.
Rewards
- National winners get prize money of INR 200000
- PPIs during the campus round
Johnson and Johnson Quest
It is a Business Case Competition where you will have an opportunity to bring a unique perspective and innovative solutions to critical business problems faced by different businesses of Johnson & Johnson.
Rewards
- Pre-Placement Interviews (PPI's)
- Your recommendations being put into action by the company
- The Campus Champions get an opportunity to present their recommendations to the President's Council of Johnson & Johnson
- The Grand Finale winners will also meet the leadership team of Johnson & Johnson
Colgate Transcend
This is a competition organized by Colgate Palmolive group inviting students to address real situation problems faced by the company.
Rewards
- Grand Finale Winners fly to Hong Kong to present to Asia Pacific Division Leadership
- A cash prize of Rs 3 Lakhs for Grand Finale Winners & Rs 2 lakhs for Grand Finale Runners-up
- PPIs for Grand Finale Winners & Runners-up
- Kindles & Colgate Gift Hampers for all National Finalists
Best Case Study Competitions In India In 2021 For Tier-2 B-Schools
Don’t feel missed out if you couldn’t participate in the case study competitions mentioned above. You still have a plethora of opportunities with some of the best case study competitions asking you for your participation.
If you are in of the B-schools including IIM Udaipur, IIM Trichy, IIM Raipur, IIM Ranchi, IIM Rohtak, IIM Kashipur, DMS IIT Delhi, DMS IIT Madras, DMS IISc Bangalore, NMIMS, SIBM, SCMHRD, TISS, VGSOM, XIMB, here are some of the exciting case study competitions for you.
Optum Stratethon
For all MBA students who wish to pursue your in the technology and healthcare sector, don’t miss out on this competition. One of its kind, Stratethon is a global competition, thus the value you derive from participating and winning is unmatched.
Rewards
- $3000 worth cash prize for regional winners
- $1500 cash prize for regional runners-up
- PPI opportunity for all the finalists
- Certificates for campus winners
Nestle 4Ps Challenge
One more opportunity to prove your marketing mettle. This competition gives you a chance to analyze and solve marketing problems for one of the top FMCG companies in the world.
Rewards
- Winners get a cash prize of INR 100000 and a PPI opportunity
- Runners up get a cash prize of INR 60000
4P's being the cornerstone of marketing, it is very important that you understand the 4P concept very diligently. To know about 4P's in-depth, I would like you to go through this article also.
Titan Elevate
Another chance for you to participate in a widely respected group like the TATA group. Titan is one of the most successful brands of the TATA group, places Elevate among the best case study competition in India.
Rewards
- Cash Prize of INR 1 lakh and live project opportunity for winners
- PPI/PPO opportunity for winners
- Cash prize of INR 75000 and INR 50000 for first and second runners up
- Titan Goodies and certificate for all finalists
Tata Steel-a-thon
Want to work with India’s most trusted and employee-friendly employer? Don’t miss out on this opportunity and participate in this competition asking for solutions from multiple domains including Corporate Strategy, Operations, HR, etc.,
Rewards
- Cash Prize of INR 250000 and PPO opportunity for National Winners
- Cash Prize of INR 150000 and PPO opportunity for first runners up
- Cash Prize of INR 100000 and PPO opportunity for second runners up
- Cash Prize of INR 30000 and Inspire Internship for all national finalists
MI Summit
“Your chance to Rise Above”, the tagline of this competition indeed justifies itself, providing you with an opportunity to come up a business solution to disrupt the entire industry.
Rewards
National Finale
- Cash Prize of INR 100000 for winners
- Cash prize of INR 50000 for runners up
Cluster Round
- Winners get Mi Soundbar + 2 Mi Luggage 20 + 2 Redmi Earbuds S+ 2 Mi Smart Band 4 + PPIs
- 2 Mi Smart Band 4 + 2Mi Dual Driver In-ear earphones + 2 Mi Luggage 20 for runners up
Campus Round
- Winners get 2 Mi Casual Backpack + 2 20000mAh Mi Power Bank 2i
- 2 Redmi 10000mAh Power Bank for runners up
Amazon Ace Challenge
A.C.E. (Amazon Customer Excellence) Challenge is organized every year as part of Amazon's vision to encourage innovation and identify the business leaders of tomorrow who devised innovative solutions for real-life complex business challenges.
Rewards
- Cash prize of INR 200000 to the winning team
- Cash prize of INR 150000 for first runners up and INR 50000 for second runners up
- PPI opportunity for top 3 teams
- Amazon rewards
Case Analysis Blueprint Course
Learn how to analyze MBA business case studies comprehensively in just five steps
Get to know how to analyze a marketing case study comprehensively in just 5 slides. Which means that the next time you need to analyze a case or participate in a case competition, you would know exactly how to ace the case
Best Case Study Competitions In India In 2021 For Tier-3 and other institutes
Don’t think that you are missing out on some of the best case study competitions in India in 2021 just because you are not part of tier-1 and tier-2 colleges. You still have the opportunity to participate in corporate case study competitions organized by some of the best world’s largest and best companies.
Hero campus Challenge
What’s more inspiring than solving the real situations faced by the world’s largest automobile company. Here, is your chance to compete with thousands of MBA students and prove your mettle.
Rewards
- National Winners get a cash prize of INR 200000 along with a PPI opportunity
- Cash prize worth INR 100000 for runners up
Reliance T.U.P
T.U.P (The Ultimate Pitch) is organized to inspire the entrepreneur in you and pitch your ideas in front of industry stalwarts. If you feel you have a budding entrepreneur inside you, here is your chance to pitch your ideas to top leaders of Reliance industries.
Rewards
- Cash Prize of INR 500000 for the winners
- Exclusive mentorship opportunity from Reliance JioGenNext Hub
- Pre-Placement Interviews for all National Finalists
- Cash Prize and goodies for campus round winners
Myntra Stylbiz
If you aspire to start your career in e-commerce, Stylbiz is the competition for you to target and get an exciting opportunity to solve problems faced by e-commerce giants like Myntra.
Rewards
- Winners get a cash prize of INR 60000 and PPIs
- Cash prize of INR 40000 and PPIs for runners up
K.P.M.G. Ideation Challenge
If you have the ambition to become a successful entrepreneur, then the KPMG Ideation challenge is probably the best place for you to show your skills and test your ideas. The competition involves creating a prototype and pitching your ideas to business leaders.
Rewards
- The winner gets INR4 lakh
- The prestigious title of 'Team India' to participate in international finals with teams from across the globe
- Runner up team in India finals to get INR2 Lakh
- Guaranteed internship with K.P.M.G. in India for top two teams from national finals
- Opportunity to attend a networking event in Delhi/Gurgaon with leaders from start-ups as well as the industry
- Win a cash prize of up to USD6000 (gift cards worth USD1000 per person) for winning the global finals
L'Oréal Brandstorm
To unleash the beauty entrepreneur in you, Brandstorm is an innovation competition organized for students around the world. Students are invited to Invent the Beauty Shopping Experience through Entertainment, exploring the world of retail and e-commerce, mentored by L'Oréal's digital experts.
Rewards
- The winners get awarded the Intrapreneurship Award,
- A global 3-month internship for International winners in Paris
- Ideas suggested by them get implemented under the mentorship of industry leaders
- PPI opportunity for national winners and select students who performed amazingly in the preliminary rounds.
All the competitions mentioned above are only a few where you can test your skills. Apart from many other B-schools also organizes case competitions which are also worth participating in.
I hope this article helps you to identify the best case study competitions in India in 2021 for you and augment your MBA experience.
Conclusion
Being an MBA student, you would surely want to capitalize on all the opportunities you have during the two-year course. Case-study competitions come with a beautiful opportunity for you to make a mark and stand out from the crowd. The benefits of participating and especially winning a case competition are unmatched with all other things you do during your MBA.
Since many competitions are organized within a year, it is very important for you to identify the best-suited competition for you and dedicate your time with undivided attention.
To apply and know about each case study competition, refer to dare2Compete.
Useful compilation!
Very well explained.
Very useful compilation
Great article, Rishabh
Well written, Rishabh. Good read.