Case competitions and business plan competitions are a great way to put MBA skills to work. Formats vary, but most competitions present a real-world business challenge to teams, giving them a finite period of time (sometimes weeks, sometimes less than 24 hours) to present their best analysis and recommendations in front of a panel of judges.
Dukes hosts its own competition — the annual Energy in Emerging Markets Case Competition.
Duke teams also have a track record of successfully competing in national energy- and sustainability-related case competitions.
Recent Competition Successes
2024 U.S. DOE Energy Tech UP
Bonus Prize: Office of Electricity, National Finals
Team: Ross Fly (MEM/MBA’25), Brian Wong (MBA’24), Sumit Dalsania (MEM/MBA’26), and Marla Harvey (MEM/MBA’25)
2024 U.S. DOE Energy Tech UP
1st Place, Eastern Regional Finals
Team: Ross Fly (MEM/MBA’25), Brian Wong (MBA’24), Sumit Dalsania (MEM/MBA’26), and Marla Harvey (MEM/MBA’25), Alex Dobrinov (MEM/MBA’24)
2023-24 Net Impact Case Competition
Finalist
Team: Petya Miteva (MEM/MBA’24), Tatiana Sokolova (MEM/MBA’24), Myra Nguyen (MBA’24), Lydia Roth (MBA’24)
2023 AES Energy Innovation Challenge
2nd Place
Team: Petya Miteva (MEM/MBA’24), Amelia Atencio (MBA’24), Louis Linden (MBA’24), Sanchit Patra (M.Eng’23)
2021 UCLA Challenges in Energy Case Competition
2nd Place
Team: Will Foster (MEM/MBA’22), Eliza Henderson (MEM/MBA’23), Keisuke Kobayashi (MBA’21), Emily Perry (MEM/MBA’22), Will Slap (MEM/MBA’22)
2020 Tuck Renewable Energy Finance Challenge
1st Place
Team: Will Foster (MEM/MBA’22), Meagan Klebanoff (MEM/MBA’22), Keisuke Kobayashi (MBA’21), Akshath Polavarapu (MBA’22), Patrick Raab (MBA’22)
2020 Patagonia Case Competition
3rd Place
Team: Samantha Burch (MEM’20), Martin Dietz (MEM’20), Shannon Parker (MEM/MBA’21), Lisa Sundeen (MEM/MBA’20), and Adam Thompson (MBA’21)
2020 Columbia University Energy Symposium Case Competition
2nd Place
Team: Zukhruf Amjad (MEM’21), Akshay Krishnan (MEM’21), Hassan Nadeem (MEM’21), and Christopher Onorato (MEM/MBA’22)
2019 Renewable Energy Case Competition, Ross School of Business, University of Michigan
2nd Place
Team: Davis Guebert (MEM/MBA’21), Chris Lazinski (MEM/MBA’21), Amit Ranjan (MEM’20), Varun Saluja (MBA’20), and Michelle Weaver (MEM’20)
2019 Columbia University Energy Symposium Case Competition
1st Place
Team: Veronica Cortes (MEM/MBA’20), Emily Davenport (MEM/MBA’20), Dexter Liu (MEM/MBA’19), Mike Penansky (MBA/MPP’20), and Alex Szerszen (MBA’19)
2019 Duke University Energy in Emerging Markets Case Competition
2nd Place
Team: Zukhruf Amjad (MEM’21), Akshay Krishnan (MEM’21), Hassan Nadeem (MEM/21), Christopher Onorato (MEM/MBA’22), Nicolas Villar (MEM’21)
2019 Kellogg School of Management Energy Case Competition
2nd Place
Team: Veronica Cortes (MEM/MBA’20), Emily Davenport (MEM/MBA’20), Dexter Liu (MEM/MBA’19), and Alex Szerszen (MBA’19)
2018 Columbia University Energy Symposium Case Competition
3rd Place
Team: Elihu Dietz (MEM’18), Paige Swofford (MEM/MBA’18), Edgar Virguez (PhD’20), Colin Walker (MEM’18), and Jenna Weiner (MEM/MBA’19)
2018 UCLA Challenges in Energy Case Competition
2nd Place
Team: Zach Siegel (MBA’19), Soli Shin (MEM’18), Dexter Liu (MEM/MBA’19), Alex Szerszen (MBA’19), Leah Louis-Prescott (MEM’18)
2017 The Economist’s Which MBA? Energy Case Study Competition
“People’s Choice Award”
Team: Edgar Virguez (PhD’20), Colin Walker (MEM’18), Jenna Weiner (MEM/MBA’19)
2017 UCLA Challenges in Energy Case Competition
1st Place
Team: Paige Swofford (MEM/MBA’18), Liz Arnason (MEM/MBA’18), Mike DeNoia (MEM/MBA’18), Yochai Ben Haim (MBA’18)
2016 Renewable Energy Case Competition, Ross School of Business, University of Michigan
2nd Place
Team: Dennis Bartlett (MEM/MBA’17), Heather Wiggins (MEM/MBA’17), Ted Herman (MEM/MBA’17), Ben Funderbunk (MBA’18), and Chris Kane (MBA’18)
2016 Fuels Institute Future of Transportation Case Competition
2nd Place
Team: Kate Buczek (MEM’16), Michael DeNoia (MEM/MBA’18), Eleanor Johnstone (MEM’17), Hoël Wiesner (MEM’17)
2015 Yale University Low-Carbon Portfolio Case Competition
1st Place
Team: Sidney McLaurin (MEM/MBA’17), Tripp Burwell (Duke MEM/UNC MBA’17), Sarah Hoyt (MEM/MBA’16), Xander Kent (MEM/MBA’16), Eric Smith (MEM/MBA’18)
2015 Smeal MBA Sustainability Case Competition
2nd Place
Team: Abdullah Al-Rashid (MBA’17), Ishita Anil (MBA’17), Bilal Shaikh (MBA’17), Heather Wiggins (MEM/MBA’17), Lynn Xia (MEM/MBA’17)
2014 Renewable Energy Case Competition, Ross School of Business, University of Michigan
3rd Place
Team: Clayton Avent (MEM/MBA’15), Dan Chow (MEM/MBA’15), Josh Raycroft (MBA’16), Mattox Hall (MEM/MBA’16), Wenkai Sun (MBA’16)
2012 Renewable Energy Case Competition, Ross School of Business, University of Michigan
3rd Place
Team: Jake Thomsen (MPP/MBA’13), Johnny Fu (MBA’13), Kent Truckor (MEM/MBA’13), Rotimi Thomas (MEM/MBA’13), and Tim Dertzbaugh (MEM/MBA’12)
2011 Renewable Energy Case Competition, Ross School of Business, University of Michigan
3rd Place