This competition is being held to encourage and reward the development and publication of new case studies about energy innovation in low- and middle-income countries by for-profit companies. These cases will then be used in higher education to provide students with critical thinking learning opportunities about this very important topic.

University faculty, either individually or in teams; graduate or undergraduate students, either individually or in teams – as long as they enter in collaboration with a faculty member; other professionals and practitioners can also enter, again, as long as they enter in collaboration with a faculty member.

We require faculty collaboration to ensure the submitted documents have academic rigor and strong pedagogy.

The competition is open to faculty, students, or practitioners from anywhere in the world.

First place receives $3,000. Second place receives $2,000. Third place receives $1,000. In addition, the first, second, and third place winners will be published by WDI Publishing. There may also be Honorable Mentions awarded and they will also be published by WDI Publishing, but will receive no prize money.

The Intent-to-Enter form, due on Jan. 31, 2023, can be found on the competition website here. It is a brief form that asks you for information such as: Is your protagonist and featured organization real or fictional? What is the case dilemma/decision point? What are the preliminary teaching objectives? We ask for this information because it give us an opportunity to respond back to you if the decision point, teaching objectives, or other information needs any adjustments before the final submission date of March 31, 2023. Think of the Intent-to-Enter form as a check-in opportunity on the way to submitting your final case and teaching note!

If you choose NOT to submit an Intent-to-Enter form, it does not preclude you from entering the competition; you can still submit your final documents by March 31, 2023. Again, submitting the Intent-to-Enter form is just an opportunity for you to check-in with us before your final submission is due.

There are no specific requirements for the number of total pages in your case and teaching note. However, the average number of pages in a typical Microsoft Word case submitted to WDI Publishing is between 12 and 22 pages, using 12 pt font, single-spaced, and inclusive of tables, figures, exhibits, and appendices. The average number of pages in a teaching note ranges from 8 to 15.

A teaching note is the foundation upon which a successful case study is built. The purpose of the teaching note is to provide instructors (who adopt the case) with a “how to” guide for facilitating the case discussion in class. A good teaching note will give instructors a road map for class discussion and serve as a starting point for instructors who would like to adapt the material to their classroom needs.

Additionally, a teaching note makes a case study much more likely to be adopted!

The criteria upon which your submission will be judged can be found here. Additional submission requirements can be found here. First and second rounds of reviews will be double-blind, i.e., the reviewers will not know the identity of the submitting author(s), and vice versa. Finalist judging will be reverse single-blind, i.e., finalist judges will not know the identity of the submitting author(s), but authors will know the identity of the finalist judges, as they are featured here.

March 31, 2023; by 11:59 p.m. EDT

Go to the Submission Form page and fill out all the requested information. At the end of this process, you will be prompted to upload your case and teaching note documents, as well as any other relevant files, such as the Organization Release form, or other supplemental documents that you want included with your case.

Please visit our Resources page which offers case writing and other topical information. Also, at the top of this page is a list of any upcoming informational webinars that will provide additional guidance and instruction. Recordings of any completed webinars can also be accessed on this page.