Competitions
Build new skills, expand your professional network, and win prizes by participating in career competitions! Competitions give students the opportunity to gain hands-on project experience and receive feedback from alumni and employer mentors.
Annual Competitions
College New Venture Challenge
The College New Venture Challenge gives teams of students the opportunity to propose a business venture and compete for seed funding. To learn more about the College New Venture Challenge, visit the program website or schedule an appointment with Careers in Entrepreneurship.
Education Consulting Case Competition
In this experiential workshop, students will have the opportunity to engage alumnae who founded their own education consulting firm. Participants will hear about their company and then split off into teams to tackle a variety of case scenarios in a friendly competition. Students will learn how to scope problems, ask critical questions, and develop skills to address the diversity and equity challenges most educational institutions face. The competition will take place on April 9, 2020.
Francis and Rose Yuen Tech Innovation Challenge
Students can showcase their skills in product design, coding, marketing, negotiations, teamwork, and communication at the Francis and Rose Yuen Tech Innovation Challenge in Shenzhen, China. Participating students design a tech innovation concept and pitch their concept to a panel of expert judges.
Global Health Impact Competition
Teams of students will work together to propose a solution to a current issue impacting health on a global scale. Through a series of workshops, participants will have the opportunity to develop their understanding of the problem, the social and economic context of affected countries, and to build practical skills such as effective writing and presentation. The competition will kick off on April 8, 2020 and conclude with a presentation event on May 20, 2020.
Journalism, Arts, and Media Awards
Undergraduates of all class years can submit original works of journalism, arts, and media completed on or after January 1, 2019 for an opportunity to win prizes. Eligible projects include (but are not limited to) filmmaking, documentaries, non-fiction, visual art, design, reportage, and composition. The competition is organized by the Careers in Journalism and Creative Writing program and judged by alumni, faculty, and field practitioners. Submissions are due by April 27, 2020.
Legal Ethics Competition
Understanding the rules of professional responsibility is key to understanding the practice of law. On Thursday, May 7, 2020, Careers in Law will host a panel of experts on legal ethics, including an attorney from the Illinois ARDC (Attorney Regulatory and Disciplinary Commission), a practicing attorney, and a law professor who teaches professional responsibility and students compete on teams to answer five legal scenarios that raise ethical questions. The team that correctly answers the most scenarios, as judged by the experts, will receive a prize.
Midwest Trading Competition
Organized by Career Advancement’s Financial Markets Program, the Midwest Trading Competition offers a unique opportunity for students from top-tier colleges and universities to engage and network with companies in the financial industry. Students from across the nation who share a passion for trading and quantitative finance come together for this competition, where they compete in teams in simulated trading, connect with each other, and extensively network with sponsor firms and employers.
Social New Venture Challenge
The Social New Venture Challenge is an opportunity for teams of students and alumni to pitch a nonprofit or for-profit enterprise that has a social mission at its core. Students can learn more about the competition by visiting the program website.
UChicago Conservation Corps: Conservation Competition
Are you interested in using your skills to solve tough sustainability challenges? Join us and work together with a cross-disciplinary team to bring sustainability innovation from brainstorming to creation with the goal of making the consumer product life cycle more sustainable.
Participants will be asked to examine one step of the consumer product lifecycle, from sourcing, to manufacturing, to packaging, to marketing, to distribution. Working in groups, competition participants will be challenged to create a more sustainable solution to their chosen step of the life cycle, approaching the problem from a wide variety of backgrounds. You'll be asked to work with your team members to think through the technical details of your proposed solution as well as business concerns and eventual marketing to sustainability-conscious customers. Students of all years and majors are highly encouraged to participate. Capacity is limited for this exciting inaugural event - please RSVP by January 23rd, 2020 to participate!
Please note that participation includes full attendance of a talk and dinner from 5 - 8 PM on Friday, February 21st as well as full attendance of the final competition, judging, and awards ceremony from 2:30 - 9:00 PM on Friday, February 28th. Prizes will be awarded to the winning teams.