Cornell EMC² Corning Case Competition
This year is the 10th anniversary of the competition. We will continue our mission: tackling real-world questions that businesses and managers face today in relation to Emerging Markets. As the role of Emerging Multinationals grows, this competition challenges participants to develop innovative, win-win solutions for companies navigating this evolving landscape.
Registration opens in August 2026.
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Timeline
Week of Sept 25
Partner schools' semifinals
Sept 30
Evaluation committee meeting
Oct 5
Finalists announced
Nov 5
Final presentations
Nov 6
Annual conference
Guidelines
Competition Registration:
There is no registration fee for participants.
Registration Deadline: TBD
Compensation travel for finalist upon request.
Round 1 Notification, Case Distribution, and Submission Deadlines:
Team registration applications will be reviewed after the final day of registration. The case will be distributed to you via email.
Teams have seven days to work on the case. Teams cannot contact the company in the case, or anyone directly affiliated with the case. Submission details will be provided in the email. Please see below for formatting requirements.
The deadline to submit the case is no later than September 17. If the submission is late, your team will not be considered for finals.
1st place: $6,000
2nd place: $3,000
3rd place: $1,000
*The awards are subject to tax withholdings as required by IRS regulations.
Teams:
Participants in the case competition come from MBA and other master level or undergraduate programs in the United States and from across the globe (we highly recommend including at least one graduate level participant).
In Round 1 of the case competition, schools may be represented by a maximum of three teams, each consisting of 4-5 students. Students can register for only one team.
If more than three teams are registered for a given school, the main point of contact for that school will be contacted and is responsible for providing the final three teams for registration. If needed, we recommend schools independently host a preliminary competition to select the three teams. Schools are welcome to use previous years’ cases for their school competition. This must be completed prior to the registration deadline. If the school takes no action in selecting a maximum of three teams, then the EMC² Case Competition Committee will use the Case Competition application essay to select the final three teams that will participate in the competition.
While students on the team(s) can belong to any graduate program, we recommend that at least one student is an MBA student. If the team has two or more MBA students, we encourage that at least one student is a first-year MBA student or from a one-year MBA/Executive MBA program. Undergraduate students may also compete as part of a team.
Each team must have a faculty advisor who will serve as the primary point of contact for questions from the Committee. The faculty advisor’s name and contact information must be provided in the application. Teams are also allowed to have an advisor. If you prefer, the faculty advisor may also serve as the advisor. Please notify the EMC² Case Competition Committee (contactemc2@cornell.edu) that your team has an advisor and include his/her name/position in your case submission.
Teams cannot change or add members once registered. In the event of an emergency, please contact the EMC² Case Competition Committee (contactemc2@cornell.edu). Exceptions will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.
Round 1 – Proposal
- Each team’s submission will be reviewed by judges and evaluated using the rubric below.
- Five final teams will be announced early in October
- Presentation slides must be formatted using Microsoft PowerPoint.
- Each team is allowed a maximum of 12 presentation slides (the first two slides must be a Title slide followed by an Executive Summary slide), and a maximum of 5 slides of appendices.
- This presentation will also be used in Round 2 – no edits will be allowed.
- You must record an audio presentation using Zoom to accompany your slides. Your recording must be six minutes or less and will only be used for Round 1 evaluation.
- Instructions for Recording: If you do not have Zoom, please create a free account and download the free software. Ensure your cameras are disabled and your microphone is enabled. Please share your screen, so the slides are displayed. Press the record button and begin presenting your slides. At the end, please stop recording and submit the recorded file with your submission. If you need further instructions, please reference this video.
- Teams must include their team’s name on the title slide.
- Teams may not mention their respective university or program in their presentations.
- If your team received assistance from an advisor, include his/her name and position in the title slide.
- Any avenue of primary and secondary research is allowed so long as it does not violate copyrights. Key details within this Case must be kept confidential and not be shared with external parties.
- Additional media such as music and third-party animation are prohibited.
- File size cannot exceed 15 MB.
Round 2 – Final Presentation
- Finalists will present their case analysis and recommendations from Round 1 to a panel of judges at the Cornell EMC² Corning Case Competition final that will take place on November 5, 2026.
- Teams will be given 12 minutes for the final presentation and approximately 5 minutes for Q&A from the judges. Note: The audio component that you provided in Round 1 will not be used for Round 2.
- Please note that teams that exceed the 12-minute presentation will be cut off. Some questions may also be cut off. This is to ensure all teams have the same amount of time to present and answer questions.
- At least two team members must attend the final presentation in-person. If any team members are unable to attend the final presentation, please notify contactemc2@cornell.edu
- No university logos or colors should be worn during the presentation.
- Winners will be announced during the final, and they will present during the EMC² Conference in November 2026.
Rubric
From the Round 1 submissions, finalist teams will be selected to present their case analysis and recommendations to a panel of judges at the EMC² Conference in November 2026.
The finalists will be chosen by a panel of Round 1 judges who will score the preliminary submissions based on the following criteria:
Content (80%):
| Criteria | Weight |
|---|---|
| Quality of Analysis | 30% |
| Quality of Recommendation | 20% |
| Implementation/Plan of Action | 30% |
| Creativity of Ideas | 20% |
Form (20%):
| Criteria | Weight |
|---|---|
| Handling of Questions | 60% |
| Presentation Style | 40% |
Content (80%):
- Quality of analysis
Teams will be assessed on the scope, thoroughness, and depth of their analysis. Teams should showcase that they have conducted deep research, addressed all key components of the problem, conducted qualitative and quantitative analysis, and addressed major threats/opportunities.
- Quality of Recommendation
Teams will be assessed on the realism and practicality of their recommendations, which should be strategic. Teams will also be assessed on the justification of their recommendations. Teams should ensure recommendations logically tie-in to the analysis and therefore be backed by data. Teams should consider the anticipated impact of their recommendations on the organization and its stakeholders.
- Implementation/Plan of Action
Teams will be assessed on the thoroughness and achievability of their implementation plan. Teams should propose an implementation timeline, address short term and long run considerations, conduct an analysis of unforeseen problems/risk and identify realistic ways to mitigate risks.
- Creativity of ideas
Leaders of the 21st century should think outside the box. This is greatly encouraged in the case competition. Teams will be assessed on their ability to employ out-of-the-box thinking to maximize the value of their recommendation to stakeholders. Teams should move beyond simply processing information and push themselves to come up with unique and innovative recommendations.
Form (20%):
- Handling of questions
Teams should demonstrate forethought and preparation for questions. Teams should be able to defend their position, be persuasive and precise, and be balanced across the team.
- Presentation style
Teams should display great communication skills and professionalism. Teams should thoughtfully manage their presentation time. Presentation slides should progress in a logical sequence and be visually aesthetic. When relevant, teams should try to effectively use infographics to communicate findings.
Round 1 judges will be comprised of Cornell faculty, SC Johnson Cornell EMC² Fellow Alumni, and members of the EMC² Board.
Round 2/Final presentation judges will be comprised of a professor/faculty member from each school represented by the finalist teams, Cornell professors, SC Johnson Cornell EMC² Fellow alumni, members of the EMC² Board, and possibly former case competition winners.
2026 Committee
Past Editions
Winners
- BITS School of Management, India (Prize of $6,000)
- IIM Indore, India (Prize of $3,000)
- Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University, Japan (Prize of $1,000)
The 2025 Case
Nearly 1,400 participants took part of this edition, making it more and more challenging. We congratulate the finalists and the winners. The case brought a vaccination company from Africa.
Watch the finals and the celebration on EMC²’s YouTube channel.
Chairs and case developers: Ayodeji Tolulope Ogunyamoju, MBA ’26; Zara Rahman, MBA ’26; Fiorina Siamir, BS ILR ’28
Judges:
Ricardo Buitrago, Maria Amparo Camarero, Juan Alberto Casas, Diego Finchelstein, Jhon Fonseca, Juana Garcia, Andrea Goldstein, Michel Hermans, Boris Kulakhmetov, Andrei Zhuk
Winners
- Vinception, VinUniversity,Vietnam (Prize of $6,000)
- OnsenTamaGO, Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University, Japan (Prize of $3,000)
- Team RedBricks Solutions, Carlson School of Management, University of Minnesota, United States (Prize of $1,000)
The 2024 Case
The 2024 Cornell Emerging Markets Institute Corning Annual Case Competition had the participation of 705 students from 48 different business schools from 15 countries. Held on October 31, 2024 during the EMI Conference. Download the case, featuring an EV company from Vietnam.
Watch the finals and the celebration on EMI’s YouTube channel.
Chairs: Iris Arguedas, MBA ’25; Niyonika Chhabra, Cornell Tech MBA ’25
Case developers: Kenza Bouarroudj, MBA ’25; Yash Jhavar, MBA ’25; Nisrina Nur, MBA ’25
Judges:
Mehmet Akgunay, Shivani Komma, Diego Finchelstein, Jhon Fonseca, Alejandro Galindo, Juana Garcia, Xueyuan Liu, Howard Tai, Andrei Zhuk
Winners
- Team SIMulation, Corvinus University of Budapest, Hungary (Prize of $6,000)
- Team Fletcher Frontiers, Tufts University, United States (Prize of $3,000)
- Team Blazing Stars, Indian Institute of Management, Indore, India (Prize of $1,000)
The 2023 Case
The 2023 Cornell Emerging Markets Institute Corning Annual Case Competition was the biggest EMI’s competition since its launch, holding 585 students from 49 different business schools from 11 countries. Held on November 3, 2023 during the EMI Conference. The case approached a Brazilian semiconductor company and its challenges on becoming more relevant in a such unique industry. Watch the finals on EMI’s YouTube channel.
Chairs: Julian Galarza, MBA ’24; Shivani Mulji, MBA ’24; Kara Styers, MBA ’24
- Feifei Hung, Undergraduate ’25
Judges:
Momina Aijazuddin, Arnab Basu, Chris Borroni, Ricardo Buitrago, Rustom Desai, Tricia Haskell, Sofia Kalantzi, Marcelo Kawabata, and John Newman
Winners
- Team DeGroote Warriors – McMaster University, Canada (Prize of $5,000)
- Team Hoosier Hypothesis – Indiana University, United States (Prize of $3,000)
- Team Emerging5 – Cornell University, United States (Prize of $1,000)
The 2022 Case
The 2022 Cornell Emerging Markets Institute Corning Annual Case Competition was the biggest EMI’s competition by then, holding 376 students from 25 different business schools from 9 countries. Held on November 4th, 2022 during the EMI Conference. The last few years have been unexpected for all. The case was related to an Indonesian telecom sector experiences by continuing growth, due to increased population, widespread phone adoption, and the rise of 5G. Watch the finals on EMI’s YouTube channel.
Chairs: Clarisse Alpaert; William Montgomery, MBA ’23; Julian Galarza, MBA ’24
Judges:
Ricardo Buitrago, Gabriel Ferrareso, Sofia Kalantzi, Gleb Margolin, Lorena Palacios-Chacón, Moacir de Miranda Oliveira, Mario Saravia, Christina Valauri, Amanda Ward, David (Wei) Wu.
Winners
- Fletcher ESG Team – A – Tufts University (Prize of $5000)
- Team Rocket – Indian Institute of Management Bangalore, India (Prize of $3000)
- Maize Consulting – Indiana University (Prize of $1000)
The 2021 Case
2021 Cornell Emerging Markets Institute Annual Case Competition was held on November 5th, 2021 during the EMI Conference, based on a global pandemic, COVID-19, economies, lives, and supply chains around the world impacts. Keeping this evolving state in mind, this case competition addressed the challenges that emerging markets companies, which increasingly rely on a globally interconnected supply chain, were facing, specifically on African ecommerce companies. Watch the finals on EMI’s YouTube Channel.
Chairs: Amanda Ward, AMBA ’21; Gleb Margolin, MBA ’22
Winners
- Team Famous Five – Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad, India (Prize of $5000)
- Team Titan – Indian Institute of Management Bangalore, India (Prize of $3000)
- Team VUCA – Universidad de los Andes, Colombia (Prize of $1000)
The 2020 Case
2020 Cornell Emerging Markets Institute Annual Case Competition was held on November 7th. The year 2020 was unexpected for all of us. Hit by a global pandemic, economies and lives around the world have been impacted, something which none had anticipated. The case competition addressed the challenges that the emerging markets companies, which increasingly rely on a globally interconnected supply chain, are facing due to Covid-19, specifically in the Indian pharmaceuticals industry. Watch the finals on EMI’s YouTube Channel.
Chairs: Amanda Ward, AMBA ’21; Swapnil Gupta
Winners
- Universidad de los Andes, Colombia (Prize of $5000)
- Cornell University, USA (Prize of $3000)
- Cheung Kong Graduate School of Business, China (Prize of $1000)
The 2019 Annual Case Competition was held during the 2019 EMI Annual Conference, on November 8th at Cornell Tech, NYC. The competition had 83 participants from 9 countries. The case challenges a Chinese consulting company going global. We congratulate all of the participants for their hard work and impressive solutions!
Chairs: Gabriel Ferrareso, AMBA ’20; Amarildo Gjondrekaj, Cornell Tech MBA ’19; Maria Luisa Garduño, Cornell Tech MBA ’19
Winners
- University of Maryland, United States (Prize of $5000)
The 2018 Annual Case Competition was held during the 2018 EMI Annual Conference, in November 2018, at Cornell Tech, NYC. The case challenged the Mexican automobile industry.
Chair: Christian Laftchiev, MBA ’19
Winners
- Georgetown University, United States (Prize of $5000)
The inaugural Annual Case Competition was held during the 2017 EMI Annual Conference, in November, at Cornell Tech, NYC. The competition’s theme was Corning in the U.S. investing in emerging markets.
Chair: Audi Wiratama Prabowo, MBA ’18