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Each January, the Milgard School of Business hosts an internal case competition that is open to all undergraduate students at the University of Washington Tacoma. In 2026, the competition will take place on Friday, January 30.
Not from UWT? Go to the Milgard Invitational Case Competition page.
Milgard Internal Case Competition 2025
Milgard Internal Case Competition 2025
Milgard Internal Case Competition 2025
Milgard Internal Case Competition 2025
Milgard Internal Case Competition 2025
What is a case competition?
A case competition is where teams of 3-4 receive a case study to read and research in a limited period of time. During this period, the teams must identify the most prominent issues facing the company and develop a strategy to address these key issues in order to help companies achieve their goals. Winning strategies require attention to detail, creativity, and business acumen when presenting recommendations. (ref. UCC)
It is important for teams to work together, assign roles to each team member, and present their idea in a clear and concise manner to industry professionals. Case competitions are a great way to:
Develop your leadership skills
Practice public speaking and time management
Strengthen your analytical and strategic thinking
Network with professionals
Competition Schedule
Competition Rules
Prizes
Registration
Competition Schedule
2026 Milgard Internal Case Competition
- December 15 - Priority registration deadline as a team or an individual
- January 15 - Final Registration Deadline
- January 18 - Case distributed via email at 11:00 am to all teams
- January 25 - Team slide decks due by 11:00 am.
- January 30 - Live in-person presentations and Q&A with judges
Presentation Day Schedule — Friday, January 30, 2026
In-Person Presentations
- 1:00 pm - 2:45 pm - Preliminary round case competition
- 2:45 pm - 3:00 pm - Preliminary judge deliberations
- 3:00 pm - Announcement of finalists (Joy 215)
- 3:15 pm - 4:15 pm - Finalist presentations
- 4:30 pm - Announcement of winners
Competition Rules
Rules & Format
Teams are made up of up to 4 undergraduate students who are enrolled at the University of Washington Tacoma as of the date of the competition.
- Teams will be judged on their quantitative, qualitative, analytical, organizational and presentation skills.
- For the Milgard Internal Case Competition, preliminary rounds and final presentations in-person will be on Friday January 30, 2026.
- Cases will be delivered to teams electronically from clsr@uw.edu according to the competition schedule.
- Presentation slide decks are due by 11:00 am on January 25, 2026.
- Each team member must actively participate in the team's presentation.
The competition will have three pools of three teams in the preliminary round, with one team advancing from each pool.
Preliminary and Final Round
PRELIMINARY ROUND
- All teams will have 15 minutes for their presentations to the judges, followed by 10 minutes of Q&A and 5 minutes of feedback.
- There will be a timekeeper in each room. Timekeepers also ensure that rules are followed by team members and judges.
- After all the teams meet with judges, the judges will decide a winning team from each pool.
FINAL ROUND
The winning team from each competition room will participate in the final round. All participants are encouraged to stay and watch the finalists compete.
WINNING TEAMS
The winning team from the Milgard Internal Case Competition will represent the Milgard School of Business in the Milgard Invitational Case Competition on Social Responsibility (MICCSR).
Judging Criteria
Presentations will be judged according to the following criteria:
- 40 - Quality of Analysis
- Scope and depth of analysis
- Ability to draw valid conclusions from case data and research
- 30 - Quality of Recommendations
- Scope and viability of recommendations as it relates to analysis
- Anticipated impact on the organization and its stakeholders
- Backed up recommendations with documentation and anticipated outcomes
- 15 - Quality of Presentation
- Logical sequence of presentation
- All members participated
- Representation of the case and company values
- 10 - Quality of Q&A
- Understand and respond to questions appropriately
- Demonstrate forethought and preparation for questions
- 5 - Overall Performance
Judge's score sheets will NOT be made available to students after the event. They only serve as a starting point for their judging, not a strict numeric calculation.
Prizes
FIRST: $500 for each presenting team member
SECOND: $250 for each presenting team member
THIRD: $100 for each presenting team member
Registration
- Team members must be currently enrolled undergraduate students at the University of Washington Tacoma.
- Teams consist of four (4) members and are encouraged to think about the member's diversity (majors, gender, backgrounds, etc.) when recruiting a team.
- Students can sign up as teams or as individuals.
- All team members have to submit the registration form.
- The CLSR staff will do their best to combine individual sign-ups in teams of four.
The final registration deadline for the Internal Case Competition is January 15, 2026.
FAQs for Participating Teams
Yes. The period for developing your recommendation is the case analysis and problem solving period. Once you submit your electronic presentation, your focus should shift to refining your delivery style for your presentation.
No. Employee knowledge about company practices, regardless of title or company, is not considered to be publicly available information accessible to all teams. Conversations with company employees are limited to typical customer-company transactions.
No. Teams may not get input on their presentation's content at any time from any one. The content of the presentation includes the work of the student team members and no one else.
Yes. Teams may request feedback on their delivery of the case solution after they have submitted the final PowerPoint . Presentation skills advice addresses things like verbal tics, body language, speaking too fast, clothing suggestions, volume, or timing of slides. Advice should not attempt to change the content of slides or the team's proposed solution.
Yes. The period for developing your recommendation is the week between receipt of the case and the electronic presentation deadline. The days between the submission deadline and the competition day are to be used to refine your delivery style and practice the delivery of your content. Keep in mind:
- Your preliminary round assignment will be based on the quality and thoroughness of your recommendation.
- Judges are instructed to make sure that the electronic presentation is aligned with and supported by your verbal presentation.
Check out the archives to find the previous cases, videos, and electronic presentations.
