Case Competition Policies, Procedures, and Deadlines

Register for the Global Health Case Competition

Students and teams planning to register for the competition are advised to read through all of the eligibility requirements prior to submitting your registration. Teams must meet all eligibility requirements to be accepted into the competition.

All graduate and undergraduate students at the University of Iowa may register to participate. Registrants may enter a as a team, as an individual, or as a partial team. Individual registrants will be placed on a team by the case competition planning committee. Acceptance into the competition is based on overall eligibility and competition logistics.

Register as a Team Register as an Individual Register as a Partial team

Registration closed

Registration for the 2024 Case Competition is now closed. Individual and team applications will reopen in January 2025.

Student Eligibility

All participants must meet the following requirements.

  • Currently enrolled in an academic program at the University of Iowa
  • Being in good academic and disciplinary standing
  • Have a minimum GPA of 3.0

No department, major or academic discipline is excluded from participating.

Students are not required to have prior case competition experience. It is advised that students take at least 1-2 semesters of coursework in their primary major before participating. Students who do not meet the eligibility requirements may appeal to participate. Appeals will be determined on a case-by-case basis at the discretion of the competition planning committee.

Team Eligibility

All competing teams must meet the following criteria.

  • Include a minimum of 3 and maximum of 5 team members.
  • A minimum of one College of Public Health student must be on each team.
  • One undergraduate and one graduate student must be on each team.
  • Three academic disciplines must be represented.
  • No more than two students from the same academic department can be on one team

Teams that are missing one or more of the above criteria may contact the competition planning committee for assistance.

2024 Competition Dates and Deadlines

Registration Deadline

February 18, 2024

11:59pm CST

Case Topic Reveal

February 28, 2024

12:30-1:20pm CST

S106 CPHB

Case Competition

April 1, 2024

9:00am-3:00pm CST

C217 CPHB

illustration of two hands clasped in a handshake

Awards Ceremony

April 3, 2024

12:30-1:20pm CST

C217 CPHB

View all case competition events

The aim of the Global Public Health Case Competition is to train the next generation of leaders through a unique competition experience built upon a real‐world challenge. By participating in this event, students will attain the following competencies:

  • synthesizing information under pressure
  • prioritizing issues
  • recognizing and working within resource constraints
  • integrating various perspectives and methods
  • leadership and team negotiation skills
  • working within and appreciating multidisciplinary teams
  • applying evidence-­‐based decision-­‐making to global health problems

Still unsure if the Global Health Case Competition is right for you?

Take a look at intervention presentations and other events from past competitions.

View Recordings Archive

How the Competition Works

All competing teams and individuals must register before this year’s case topic is announced. The case topic is announced approximately one week following the registration deadline.

All teams are provided with the same case study which they must use to create their intervention. The case study is written by a team of experts at the Univeristy of Iowa and the larger global community to ensure it is accurate and culturally appropriate. Teams will have 4-5 weeks to do their own research, design an intervention, and create a presentation for competition day. Teams are encouraged to utilize as many resources as they can, including primary and secondary resources, faculty on campus, and media. Teams may NOT contact members of the writing team.

All teams are provided with a faculty mentor who they may meet with 3 times for 1-hour each. Mentors serve to help teams structure their research, suggest ideas, and help individuals work together. Mentors are not intended to be topic experts.

Competition day is filled with excitement as teams present their recommendations to a panel of expert judges. Teams will have 15 minutes to present, followed by 10 minutes of Q&A by judges. Teams must justify recommendations to judges following their presentations. Team members should be prepared to think on their feet and answer questions on the spot. Teams may present in any format they choose (powerpoint, diagrams, etc) and are allowed to provide a small number of supplemental materials, such as handouts, to the judges. It is not guaranteed that judges will look at supplemental material or take them into consideration when choosing a winner.

Following the competition, judges will convene to decide on a 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place teams. The NGO sponsoring that year’s topic will choose the grand prize winner from the top 3 teams. Winners will be announced during the awards ceremony.

Rules & Procedures

  • The teams’ case solutions should be innovative yet feasible (i.e., have the potential to be applied in the real world).
  • Each team member is not required to present for an equal amount of time but all team members are required to contribute equally to the overall project.
  • Teams are limited to  3, 1-hour meetings with their assigned faculty mentor.
  • Teams may contact university staff, faculty, or other relevant professionals for guidance.
  • Members of the Case Writing Team cannot be contacted for supplemental research.
  • Library and electronic sources are permitted.
  • The competition time will be limited to 15 minutes to present, and 10 minutes to answer questions from the judges
  • Teams should not discuss their case presentations or the case content with other teams until the judges have completed final scoring.
  • Teams should not discuss the case with the case competition planning committee.
  • Teams will not be allowed to view other teams’ presentations prior to their own presentation.
  • Team captains should contact cph-global@uiowa.edu with any questions.

Judging & Scoring

  • The competition judges are experts from a variety of disciplines and will critique and evaluate each team’s intervention.
  • The panel of judges represents a variety of disciplines appropriate to the case topic and mimics the multi-‐sectorial nature of decision­‐making bodies
  • Judges will consider the following aspects when evaluating teams’ recommendations:
    • Justification for the recommendations proposed (data and evidence)
    • Creativity and innovation
    • Organization and clarity
    • Delivery (voice, body, eye contact)
    • Cultural relevance and case-specific information around feasibility, sustainability, and acceptability of the proposed ideas.

View the Competition Scoring Rubric

Individuals with disabilities are encouraged to attend all University of Iowa–sponsored events. If you are a person with a disability who requires a reasonable accommodation in order to participate in this program, please contact the competition planning committee in advance at 319-384-1500 or cph-global@uiowa.edu.