CASEKEY CASE COMPETITION 2026
Solve Real Cases. Compete with the Best. Prove Your Skills.
The CaseKey Case Competition is the core track of CaseKey 2026. Throughout the season, your team will solve three real Armenian business cases (August, September, October) and culminate in a 24-hour final case intensive in Dilijan (November). Each case tests your analytical thinking, teamwork, communication, and resilience. Compete fairly within divisions based on your skill level, earn recognition for your work, and join Armenia's elite case-solving community.
More Than Analysis. A Six-Month Challenge
The Case Competition is not a 48-hour sprint. It's a structured, six-month journey that grows your capabilities step by step. You will solve cases from real Armenian companies, present to experienced judges, receive feedback, and improve for the next round.
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3 Micro-Cases (August, September, October)
Each case has 24–168 hours to solve. Teams work in parallel across different challenges. After submission, teams present in divisions and winners advance
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1 Grand Final (November, in Dilijan)
All remaining teams gather for a 24-hour intensive sprint. Teams solve the same case, present in divisions, and division winners compete in the Grand Finale.
What is a Micro-Case?
A micro-case is a real business problem from an Armenian company. You receive the case materials, analyze the situation, develop recommendations, and prepare a presentation—all within a specified time window (usually between 24 and 168 hours).
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Case Release
You receive case materials (document, financial data, background info)
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Analysis Period
Your team has X hours to solve it
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Submission
You submit your slide deck and written summary by the deadline
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Presentation
You present to judges (typically 10–15 minutes, then Q&A)
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Feedback
You receive detailed feedback from judges
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Advancement
All the teams earn points toward final case seeding
Micro-Case Competition Structure & Scoring System
All micro-cases follow a two-stage format: Divisional Rounds and Micro-Case Finals.
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Stage 1 – Divisional Rounds
For each micro-case, teams are distributed into divisions based on the total number of participating teams. There may be up to 5 divisions, with up to 6 teams per division.
- Teams compete only against the teams in their own division.
- Within each division, teams are ranked from best to worst based on jury evaluation.
- Each team receives points equal to its position in the division:
The top team from each division advances to the Micro-Case Finals for that specific micro-case.
Within each division, teams earn points based on their rank:
- 1st place: 6 points
- 2nd place: 5 points
- 3rd place: 4 points
- 4th place: 3 points
- 5th place: 2 points
- 6th place: 1 point
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Stage 2 – Micro-Case Finals
The division winners from Stage 1 compete in an additional final round of that micro-case.
Based on their final ranking in this Micro-Case Final, they receive bonus points:
These bonus points are added to the points earned in the divisional round for that micro-case, creating a differentiated reward for teams that perform strongly at both levels.
In the Micro-Case Finals, division winners receive additional bonus points based on their final ranking:
- 1st place: +3 bonus points
- 2nd place: +2 bonus points
- 3rd place: +1 bonus point
- 4th place and below: 0 bonus points
These bonus points are added on top of the points earned in the divisional round for that micro-case.
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Cumulative Scoring Across Micro-Cases
- The same structure is applied to every micro-case in the CaseKey Case Competition.
- Teams accumulate points across all micro-cases they participate in.
- After every set of three micro-cases, cumulative points are used to re-assign teams into new divisions for the next stage of the competition.
This system ensures that:
- High-performing teams are distributed across different divisions,
- Top teams are not clustered too early,
- The competition remains balanced, fair, and exciting throughout the season.
The number of divisions in each stage depends on how many teams remain in the competition at that point, allowing the structure to scale dynamically as the field narrows.
The Final Case: Where Champions Emerge (November, Dilijan)
The final case is the culmination of your six-month journey. All remaining teams gather in Dilijan for a 24-hour intensive sprint. You will receive a new, comprehensive business case, analyze it, prepare a professional presentation, and present to a panel of expert judges.
Arrival, #KeyPlay Finals & Opening Party
- Teams arrive in Dilijan in the second half of the day and check in to the venue.
- The #KeyPlay Intellectual Championship Finals are held, where the top teams from the season’s games compete for the overall title.
- The evening continues with an Opening Party, giving all participants, mentors, judges, and partners a relaxed space to connect, celebrate the journey, and set the tone for the final days.
Free Day & Track Finals
- The day is kept free for networking and informal meetings. Teams can spend time with other participants, mentors, company representatives, and judges, deepening relationships built during the program.
- During the day, the Investment Track Final and the Innovation Track Final take place, where finalist teams present their portfolios and innovation projects to expert panels and partner companies.
- Participants can attend these finals as audience members, support their peers, and learn from the best-performing teams in each track.
Case Release
- At 8:00 AM, the case is released to all teams simultaneously
- Case materials include background documents, financial data, customer insights, and competitive info
- You have 16 hours to solve it
Divisional Rounds and Grand Finale
Divisional Round
- Teams are divided into 4–5 divisions based on micro-case performance
- Each division has 4–6 teams competing
- Presentation Format per Team: 15 minutes presentation + 15 minutes Q&A with judges
- One team per division wins and advances to the Grand Finale
Grand Finale
- Division winners (4–5 teams) present again to a senior judging panel
- Format: 15 minutes presentation + 15 minutes Q&A
- Overall CaseKey Case Competition Champions crowned
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