You Should Participate In An Evaluation Case Competition
October 2025
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I first found out about evaluation case competitions from my evaluation course instructor during graduate school. She encouraged me and a few other classmates to sign up as a team for the Canadian Evaluation Society’s (CES) Student Evaluation Case Competition. It was a way for us to get more familiar with the evaluation landscape in Canada and practise applying the evaluation skills we learned in class.
To this day, the case competition was probably one of the nerdiest evaluation things I have ever done in my career. But it was also fun, and I learned a lot. I still keep in touch with some of my teammates to this day, and a couple of us have now joined the case competition committee as volunteers.
What is an Evaluation Case Competition?
An evaluation case competition is a structured and timed event whereby teams analyze a real-world program or a policy (the case) and develop a plan of action to address it. There is usually a panel of judges who review the plans submitted by each team and choose a winner from amongst them. Participation is usually free.
When I participated in the CES Student Evaluation Case Competition, our team had a set amount of time to review a Request for Proposals for a real-life youth program and write an evaluation proposal in response.
What is the purpose of an Evaluation Case Competition?
One of the main goals of an evaluation case competition is to give its participants an opportunity to tackle real-world evaluation problems while building their skills. It is an especially great learning opportunity for aspiring evaluators, as it allows them to experience working on a simulated evaluation. In other words, you’ll have a chance to use the evaluation frameworks you learned in school on a real-life problem. Therefore, it is no surprise that many (but not all!) of these case competitions are targeted to post-secondary students at undergraduate, graduate, and post-graduate levels.
A secondary purpose of these case competitions is that they promote the field of program evaluation and often introduce it to a new generation of emerging evaluators coming out of post-secondary education and entering the workforce.
How do I participate?
Before deciding to participate, you’ll need to find a competition available to you in your area.
Evaluation case competitions are usually held annually around the world, and they are hosted by evaluation associations, post-secondary institutions, or other evaluation groups. You can find a non-exhaustive list of competitions at the end of this article.
After you decide on a competition to join, participating can look something like this:
1. Form a team and register for the competition.
2. Prepare for the competition with guidance from a coach (experienced evaluator).
3. Practise as a team using past cases.
4. Compete in the case competition!
How do I form a team?
Forming a team doesn’t have to be hard – you just need a group of 3-4 people who would be interested in doing a case competition. Each competition has its own eligibility rules, but they are fairly open. For example, CES lets you form a team of students attending different schools, and AEA explicitly states that students can be of any degree program.
How do I find a coach?
Finding a coach for your team can be a little bit harder – but if you reach out to your local evaluation association’s chapter, they should be able to connect you to someone. If you are taking an evaluation course at school, you can also ask your instructor to help you find someone.
What are the benefits of participating?
Why should you participate in an evaluation case competition? Fame? Glory? Unlimited bragging rights?
There are more than a few good reasons why you should consider participating:
Evaluation Practice: Like I said earlier, case competitions often simulate tackling a real-world evaluation problem. It’s a great chance to practise evaluation in a safe and controlled setting without risking real project dollars.
Networking: You get to meet a lot of people in the evaluation field by participating in a case competition. You will forge bonds with your teammates through the struggle of the case as well as with your coach – who is often a seasoned evaluation professional. Depending on the structure of the competition, you may also have a chance to meet and connect with other professionals in the field, such as the judges, case competition organizers, competition sponsors, and other teams.
Employment: Participating in an evaluation case competition does not guarantee you a job, BUT it can connect you with potential employers through its networking opportunities. In the past, winners of case competitions have been considered for employment by organizations and companies that view the results.
Prizes: For those of us who are extrinsically motivated, there are sometimes tangible prizes to be won from these competitions. Competitions have given out cash prizes, conference registrations, or a free year of professional membership to your local evaluation association.
Personal Growth: It’s not the easiest thing to put together a team, find a coach, practice, and compete. It’s very doable, and there are many people willing to help you along the way, but you need to seek out some of that support yourself. Accomplishing something like this will help you grow personally and prove to yourself that you are capable of accomplishing your goals.
Call to Action – Sign Up Now!
If you’ve made it this far and you are still interested in joining an evaluation case competition, I’ve got some links and resources you should check out.
For those who would like to be involved but don’t want to compete, you can consider sponsoring a competition, submitting a case on behalf of your organization, volunteering to be an organizer or a judge, or starting a case competition! Check out your local case competition or evaluation association to explore your options.
Evaluation Case Competitions
I’ve compiled a non-exhaustive list of evaluation case competitions that may be of interest to you. I’ve grouped them regionally, so that it’s easier for you to find one local to your area. Registration for many of the competitions targeted to post-secondary students open at the beginning of the school year – so keep an eye on the deadlines!
North America
Canadian Evaluation Society’s (CES) Student Evaluation Case Competition
Open to: Students in Canadian post-secondary schools (EN or FR)
Important Dates: Registration opens around December; first round of the competition takes place around February, and the final round is around May
American Evaluation Association’s (AEA) U.S. Student Evaluation Case Competition
Open to: Students in American post-secondary schools
Important Dates: Registration opens around February; competition takes place March/April
Evaluation Capacity Case Challenge (EC3)
Open to: Students in Canada or the U.S.; early-career professionals (graduated within past 5 years)
Important Dates: Registration opens around November; competition takes place April/May
Europe
Czech Evaluation Society’s Student Competition in Evaluation
Open to: Post-secondary students in the Czech Republic
Important Dates: Competition takes place around May
Asia
Indian Evaluation Case Competition
Open to: Post-secondary students in India with Indian citizenship
Important Dates: Registration opens around June; competition takes place around August
Mongolian Evaluation Case Competition
Open to: Post-secondary students in Mongolia
Important Dates: Registration opens around April/May; competition takes place around May/June
Global
World Evaluation Case Competition
Open to: Students from around the world (team members can be from different countries and can use EN, FR, or SP)
Important Dates: Registration is open until around October; competition takes place around November
Resources You Should Bookmark for Working on Your Case
If you do decide to participate in an evaluation case competition, we’ve got some resources at Eval Academy that can help you prepare:
Articles and Videos:
Templates and Tipsheets: