2026 IvyBiz Case Debate

About IvyBiz Case Debate

The highly anticipated international business thought leadership event—the 2026 IvyBiz Case Debate—has officially launched jointly by the International Case Research Association (ICRA) and Quality Case Education (QCE), and co-sponsored with world top university - Tsinghua SEM - Harvard Case Co-collection Library.

A hybrid of case competition and debate
A first case role based debate
2026 case theme: Embodied Artificial Intelligence

This competition aims to build an international, professional, and innovative platform for case learning and business debate. To enable more students to participate deeply, the competition has, for the first time, established a dedicated platform to enhance young leadership in AI era.

Unique Opportunity: From Learning to Professional Practice

The competition offers not only awards and honors but also builds a clear pathway from capability certification to internship:

• Free CACR Certification: All finalists will have free access to the Certified Associate Case Researcher (CACR) program—a course valued at $1,000 USD. Upon successful completion, participants will earn the internationally recognized CACR certification.
• Case Research Internships: Outstanding participants will have the opportunity to apply for case research internship positions, contributing to real-world case development for globally renowned case libraries such as Harvard Business School and Ivey Business School.
• Direct CEO Interviews: Top performers may even secure interviews with business leaders i.e. CEOs, achieving a professional leap from case learning to case writing and ultimately to case-based business consulting.

Interdisciplinary Participation Welcome

The competition is open to students in higher education worldwide, regardless of academic discipline. Whether from business, engineering, humanities, or science, any student with insight into business issues and passion for debate may form a team to participate.

Competition Timeline

February 11, 2026: Registration opens

April 30, 2026: Registration deadline

March - April 2026: Free Workshops

The organizing committee will provide more than 20 hours of free online case debate workshops to help participants master case analysis methods and debate skills for different case roles.

May 2026: Preliminary Round

After receiving the case, participants will have two weeks to submit their:

• Analysis report
• Case role-based debate video

End of May 2026: Finalist Announcement

Finalist list will be announced.

June - July 2026: Global Finals

The global finals across various tracks.

Participation Fee

USD $100 per team

Chapter Schools may enjoy multiple benefits, including free participation for up to three teams and one-year subscription to the Case Competition Management System (CCMS) for running internal competition.

Specific judging criteria will be provided during the competition workshops and case release. The competition emphasizes:

• Case Analysis Quality: Depth and rigor of business analysis
• Debate Performance: Role-based debate skills and argumentation
• AI Understanding: Insights into Embodied Artificial Intelligence theme
• Innovation: Creative approaches to business challenges
• Presentation: Professional communication and delivery