General Rules 

1. Teams will consist of only 3 presenters. One alternate team member is recommended and would take the place of a presenter who becomes unavailable for any reason. Alternate team members can view the presentation if they are not presenting. All graduate business students are welcome to participate; however, at least 50% of the team must be comprised of individuals from an African American or Hispanic American minority group. 
2. Teams must designate one person as the team captain. This person will be the point of contact for all correspondence between the team and competition organizers. It is the responsibility of the team captain to ensure the entire team receives all communications. 
3. All team members must be currently enrolled full-time as MBA, MS, or MPA students and must bring a Student ID as validation. 
4. Teams are limited to one faculty advisor. The advisor is prohibited from exchanging tips with other advisors or conferring with judges or staff for the duration of the competition. 
5. All team members (not their advisor) must be present at the hotel between 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. on Thursday, October 5, 2023, to register their team for the competition. Any teams who do not register for the case competition by 12:00 p.m. on Thursday, October 5, 2023, will be disqualified. 

Preparation 

1. In addition to the materials included with the case, team members may use any publicly available sources or materials (i.e., libraries, Internet, etc.) for their research. 
2. Once the team receives the case on Friday, September 22, 2023, coaching by faculty members, school staff, or contact with outside experts is expressly prohibited. This includes industry contacts and faculty, other than the team’s faculty advisor. Each team is permitted to have one dress rehearsal presentation with their faculty advisor prior to the competition. Feedback to the team from the advisor should be restricted to the organization, format, and style of presentation only. Feedback from advisors on content or strategy aspects is not permitted. 
3. On Thursday, October 5, 2023, by 12:00 p.m., all teams must submit their final presentation (clearly labeled with the team number or letter), by email to Donna Mason at dmason@howard.edu and 8 black and white, stapled copies of their presentation at registration. Therefore, NO CHANGES can be made to the presentation after registration. 
4. Presentation must use PowerPoint 2010 or newer. No audio will be allowed in the PowerPoint presentations. 

Presentation 

1. Only three (3) team members CAN speak as part of the presentation. An alternate team member can be assigned, in case 1 of the 3 members is unable to participate. The advisor cannot participate in the presentation in any way. 
2. Teams are prohibited from referring to their university affiliation in any presentation materials or in the oral presentation itself. Teams that do so will have 20 points subtracted from their score. 
3. PC laptops with Microsoft PowerPoint and LCD projector will be available to each team during their presentation. The paper handouts will be distributed to the judges by competition organizers before the presentation starts. Team members are not allowed to use speaker notes. 
4. Each team will be given 5 minutes prior to the start of their presentation in case of technical difficulties. If the problem is not resolved after 5 minutes, teams must use their paper handouts. 

Competition Format 

1. All teams will compete in the first round on Friday morning, October 6, 2023, from 9:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. The top three teams will be selected to compete in the final round on Friday afternoon, October 6, 2023 from 3:00 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. 
2. Teams that are picked to present in the second round will then do their original presentation for a new set of judges. 
3. Team advisors may only observe their team during the first round. All participants may observe the final round once their final presentation has been delivered. 
4. Each round will consist of a 20-minute presentation and a 10-minute question and answer session with the judges. 
5. Teams in both rounds will be judged on quality of analysis, creativity, clarity, and viability of recommendations, use of case facts and data, quality and style of oral presentation, Q&A session, and team participation. 
6. All competitors and advisors must wear the name badge provided in order to enter presentation and reception events. 
7. The top three teams will receive their prizes in the form of a check payable after the competition. Students are responsible for completing any necessary documents, as well as providing their social security number to receive payment. Please allow at least 6-8 weeks for payment of prize money. 

Cancellation Policy 

As stated above, at least 3 team members must present. Teams may bring a substitute if any team member becomes unavailable for the competition. Without exception, registration fees are forfeited should team cancellation be required.