Global Case Competition

The 180 Degrees Global Case Competition is an annual, social impact theme based case competition that offers students around the world a unique opportunity to solve real-world problem statements for some of the largest and most impactful nonprofits globally. The competition features multiple rounds of problem-solving case challenges, insightful discussions with case partners, and the chance to compete against the brightest minds.

The competition provides students a unique opportunity to:
‍‍

Gain recognition for innovative solutions

Work alongside global peers and industry mentors

Solve high-impact problem statements

About the 2025 edition of the Global Case Competition

The 2025 edition of the Global Case Competition will tentatively run from August to December. Participants will go through multiple rounds of case-solving, engaging discussions with case partners, and final presentations before a panel of judges.

Learn more about the detailed competition structure, application process and evaluation criteria in our programme brief here.
‍

View our programme brief

Apply here ( For 180DC teams)

Apply here ( For non- 180DC teams)

Follow us on social media for real-time announcements!

Timeline

September 7 – Applications open

September 28 – Applications close

October 12 – Round 1 results announced

November 2 – Round 2 submission deadline

November 23 – Round 2 results announced

November 30 - Round 3 (Interviews)

December 7 - Round 4 (Grand Finals)

December 14 - Winners announced

Introducing our case partner of this year

Barefoot College International (BCI) is a global NGO equipping rurally remote communities with the tools and knowledge to achieve self-sufficient clean energy, educational and economic resource access.

BCI does this by training women as Solar Engineers, Educators and Entrepreneurs, and then equipping them to fully solar electrify their communities, and to implement educational and economic uplift programs. Communities living in rurally remote poverty are often prevented from taking control of their development by their reliance on costly, environmentally harmful fossil fuels that also impact human health.

BCI’s programs help communities achieve, on average: 98% reduction in the use of fossil fuels, a 70% reduction in ocular and respiratory infections, 50% increase in household income, 35% reduction in energy costs and 30% increase in educational attainment. BCI’s programs address 15 of the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals. Globally our work produces 205,682 MWh of clean energy every year, offsetting 164,500 tonnes of CO2 per year.

Their impact so far:
• 15/17 UN Sustainable Development
Goals achieved
‍• 98 Countries covered
‍• 4,250 Solar Mamas trained
‍• 7,455,000 Direct beneficiaries
‍

Visit BCI website here to learn more

Participation: Who? How? Why?

Who is eligible to apply?

Anybody who is currently enrolled in an undergraduate degree program and is passionate for social impact & problem-solving!

• Age has to be under 25
• Team composition: 3-4 students per team
• Cross-university teams are allowed.

What’s in store for the winners?

Below is an indicative and tentative list of prizes, please note that we’ll be announcing a full list as we get closer to the launch!
‍
• Cash prizes (total pool will be announced soon!)
• L&D perks
• Fast-tracked recruitment for the Global Leadership Team at 180DC*
• Priority access to the Future Leaders Program 2025-26*
•GLT sourced projects in the following calendar year*
• Trophies & medals

* (Ts & Cs applicable)

About the 2024 Inaugural Edition!

For the inaugural edition, we were honored to partner with One Acre Fund (OAF), a leading social enterprise dedicated to reducing hunger and poverty among smallholder farmers in East Africa. OAF provides farmers with asset-based financing, agricultural training, and access to essential resources to help them build sustainable livelihoods and combat food insecurity.180 Degrees provides socially conscious organisations around the world with affordable consultancy services in all areas of business: strategy, finance, sales and marketing, operations, logistics, and human resources.

The competition provided participants with the opportunity to engage with OAF's impactful work, gain insights into its initiatives, and pitch innovative solutions to real-life challenges the organization is currently facing. If you are interested to know more, feel free to check out our detailed deck on the 2024 edition here!

Snapshot of the 2024 edition:
‍
• 200+ students participated
• 60 teams from 10+ countries
• Real-world solutions pitched to the OAF team.

‍Hall of fame:
‍Previous Global Winners:
• Valencia (Global Winner)
• The University of Sydney (Global Runner-up)
• Vanderbilt (Third Place)
Regional Runner-ups:
• Milan (EMEA)
• Sri Guru Gobind Singh College of Commerce (APAC)
• University of British Columbia (AMER)

"We enjoyed working with 180DC Global and a variety of teams through the first Global Case Competition! We appreciated the diverse perspectives teams brought to the challenges posed, and received many ideas that we can pursue internally as a result."

~ from our official case partner, One Acre Fund

Contact Us

❓Have questions about the Global Case Competition? We're here to help!

ℹ️ For general queries, reach out to us at global.programs@180dc.org
🤝 If you're interested in partnership opportunities with the Global Case Competition, please feel free to drop an expression of interest at partnerships@180dc.org
‍