Climate MBA Case Competition Roundup
(Published October 2025)
Participating in case competitions offers students an invaluable opportunity to apply classroom learning to real-world challenges. These events enhance critical thinking, teamwork, and presentation skills while exposing participants to pressing global issues like sustainability, impact investing, and climate innovation. Students gain hands-on experience developing actionable solutions, engage directly with industry leaders and recruiters, and often receive mentorship from top professionals. Regardless of the area of focus, each competition empowers students to test their ideas, build professional networks, and strengthen their career readiness in today’s most pressing climate & business issues.
Check out this list of case competitions that are perfect for MBAs:
Leeds Sustainability Case Competition
Host: University of Colorado Boulder, Leeds School of Business
Audience: Master’s Students
Key Dates:
· December 7, 2025: Team registration closes.
· December 10, 2025: Case released to all registered teams.
· January 28, 2026: Qualifying Round pitch decks due from all competing teams.
· January 31, 2026: Qualifying Round and Championship Round
Description:
The Leeds Sustainability Case Competition (formerly called the Net Impact Case Competition) brings together graduate students, executives, and businesses that share a common commitment to innovative business practices that yield positive social, environmental, and financial returns. Iron Mountain is the title sponsor this year, and the case topic is the "Warehouse of the Future."
Global Sustainability Challenge
Host: Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability (& Partners)
Audience: Any undergraduate, graduate, or PhD student
Key Dates:
· November 3, 2025: Phase 1 Ignite Closes
· Nov 2025- Feb 2026: Phase 2 Build
· Feb- April 2026: Phase 3 Shine
Description:
An academic-year long global competition that's focused on teams building real-world, impactful solutions. The challenge has been co-created by a consortium of global universities led by the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability. The challenge is open to students from all disciplines and to all undergraduate, graduate, and PhD students from around the world.
Turner Impact Portfolio Challenge (TIPC)
Host: Wharton Impact + Bank of America
Audience: Graduate Students (US Only)
Key Dates:
· Oct 2025 – Virtual kickoff
· December 15, 2025 – First deliverable: investment policy statement due
· February 23, 2026 – Portfolios and rationale due
· Mar 2026 – Finalist teams announced
· April 17, 2026 – Finalist presentations in Philadelphia at the Wharton School
Description:
Equips aspiring wealth managers, portfolio managers, and investment advisors with the knowledge and practical skills to design and execute 100% ESG portfolios across asset classes
Kellogg Morgan Stanley Sustainable Investing Challenge
Host: Kellogg School of Management+ Morgan Stanley
Audience: Graduate Students
Key Dates:
· November 11, 2025: Kickoff Webinar
· January 25, 2026: Deadline to Register
· February 22, 2026: Prospectus Due
· April 24, 2026: Finals in London, UK
Description:
The Kellogg-Morgan Stanley Sustainable Investing Challenge is a global competition for graduate students who are tasked with designing a creative financial solution to an urgent social or environmental problem. During the competition, students are provided with guidance in the form of mini-courses with faculty from leading business schools and mentorship from professionals in the field to guide them in identifying and understanding a problem and designing a tailored solution to address it.
MIT Climate & Energy Prize
Host: MIT Sloan
Audience: Any undergraduate, graduate, or PhD student
Key Dates:
· Nov 3rd, 2025 – Applications open
· Jan 12th, 2026 Jan 10th, 2025 – Applications final deadline
· Feb 10th-14th, 2026 – First round (virtual)
· Mar 6-7th, 2026 US Semi-final Reception and Event (Boston area, MA)
· Mar 13-14th, 2026 International Semi-final Reception and Event (Munich, Germany)
· Apr 17-18th, 2026 Grand Final Reception and Event in Boston area, MA
Description:
The MIT Climate & Energy Prize (MIT CEP) is the longest running and largest climate tech & energy startup competition for university students all over the world. MIT CEP teams compete for more than $100,000 in Grand Prize* and other monetary prizes.
MIT Water, Food & Ag Prize
Host: MIT Sloan
Audience: Any undergraduate, graduate, or PhD student
Key Dates:
· November 4th: Application Opens
· December 15th: Application Closes
· January: Finalists Chosen
· February-April: Mentorship
· April: Final Competition
Description:
The MIT Water, Food & Agriculture Innovation Prize brings together early-stage, student-led startups from across the US, awarding $50K+ in innovation grants annually to ventures driving the future of sustainable water, food, and agricultural solutions. Since its inception in 2015, the Prize has awarded $225K to 28 winning teams.
As the main innovation-focused event of MIT Water Club and MIT Food & Agriculture Club, we help emerging entrepreneurs translate research & ideas into businesses, access mentors & resources, and build networks in the water, food, and agriculture industries. All approaches to innovation are welcome, from engineering and product design to policy and data analytics.
A4S International Case Competition (A4SICC)
Host: Accounting for Sustainability (A4S)
Audience: Undergraduate and Graduate Students
Key Dates:
· 3 November 2025- 14 December 2025: Entry Window
· 9–13 February 2025: Semi-finals
· 26–27 March 2026: Finals
Description: With a different focus every year, the A4SICC attracts a diverse group of business and accounting students – the business leaders of the future – and harnesses their drive and creativity to help today’s business executives solve some of the world’s greatest challenges.
This year, we invite students to work together as action-oriented problem-solvers to focus their skills on the business case for nature.
Turner MBA Impact Investing Network & Training (TMIINT)
Host: Wharton Impact + Impact Capital Managers Institute
Audience: Graduate students
Key Dates:
The TMIINT program runs for one full academic year — from September/October through April.
Description:
Trains graduate students in the fundamentals of impact investing, from online training modules and advisory sessions to a final pitch competition with the chance to win a $50,000 investment.
ESG Dilemma Design Challenge
Host: Erb Institute and Business+Impact at the University of Michigan & Alliance for Responsible Capitalism
Audience: Graduate and Phd Students
Key Dates:
· October 19, 2025: Design Challenge Brief
· November 2, 2025: Deadline for Submissions
· December: Notification of Finalists
· February 7, 2026: Finalist Round
Description: The Alliance for Responsible Capitalism presents a competition focused on the interplay of ESG, climate risk, and public policy for the banking sector.
Launching Investment for Future Transformation (LIFT)
Host: UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School & Kenan Institute
Audience: Undergraduate and Graduate Students
Key Dates:
· Spring 2025: Develop a team and brainstorm your idea – Training/Coaching
· October 6, 2025: Submission Deadline
· Late October: Finals
Description: Launching Investment for Future Transformation (LIFT) challenges undergraduate and graduate students around the world to propose blended finance and impact investing strategies for sustainability solutions that will drive equity and economic mobility related to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In basic terms, blended finance-based impact investing includes public/government financing and sometimes philanthropy to reduce risk to make big sustainability investments more attractive for private capital.
National Energy Finance Challenge (NEFC)
Host: University of Texas at Austin McCombs School of Business
Audience: MBA Students
Key Dates:
· October 3rd, 2025 - Registration for the NEFC challenge closes
· October 20th, 2025 - Case solution and presentation due
· October 24th, 2025 - Competition takes place, additional networking events occur throughout the day with sponsors, and the winner is announced in the evening
Description: This competition challenges teams from the country’s top MBA programs to address real-world finance issues relevant to today’s dynamic energy industry. Contestants will present their solutions to panels of senior executives representing multiple facets of the energy finance landscape. The purpose of the event is to match executives and recruiters with the top energy-focused MBA candidates from around the country and to provide a unique learning experience for everyone involved.
Boston University Questrom School of Business $50K Sustainability Case Competition
Host: Boston University Questrom School of Business
Audience: Undergraduate and Graduate
Key Dates:
· September 12th, 2025: Application Deadline
· All selected teams will visit Boston University Questrom School of Business on November 15th, 2025.
Description: Interdisciplinary / cross-program student teams will grapple with and develop solutions for real-life sustainability challenges. The overarching theme of the case competition is on Sustainability, with the following objectives: Seek to solve a current real-world problem; and, develop solutions that will be commercially and practically viable to build and implement, and ultimately generate a profit and/or support further sustainability initiatives (i.e., analyze and recommend direction amongst multiple strategic choices a company is considering in real-time)
Energy in Emerging Markets Case Competition
Host: Duke University Fuqua School of Business
Audience: Graduate Students
Key Dates:
· August 26 - September 10, 2025: Case Registration Open
· September 24, 2025: Round 1 Closes
· October 17, 2025: Round 2 Closes
· October 26, 2025: Round 3 Finalists Announced
· November 4, 2025: Final Round Presentation During Energy Week
Description: The Energy in Emerging Markets Case Competition, now in its 13th year, is sponsored by the Duke Fuqua MBA Energy Club and the James E. Rogers Energy Access Project at Duke University. The competition is part of Energy Week at Duke which brings industry experts, community organizers, government officials, and students to discuss the energy-climate nexus and explore the ways in which energy both contributes to climate change and can be a major solution.
Rice Business Energy Case Competition
Host: Rice University
Audience: Graduate Students
Key Dates:
· September 5-19, 2025: Registration Open
· September 19-October 8, 2025: First Round
· November 13, 2025: Final Round
Description: The Rice Business Energy Case Competition is a student-led case competition that welcomes passionate cleantech and energy leaders from communities across the US to discuss solutions addressing a pressing issue: the increasing energy demand in the US. We are proud to offer a platform for students and industry professionals to learn from each other and discuss the challenges and opportunities presented by decarbonization. This case competition is an opportunity for students to engage with real-world problems and provide impactful solutions that showcase critical analytical and problem-solving skills within a short period of time.