Guidelines | My Site 1

Competition Guidelines

Everything students, advisors, and mentors need to know about eligibility, rounds, prizes, and participation requirements.

At A Glance

Team Format

Teams include four students from the same university, with undergraduate and graduate students from all degree programs eligible to compete.

Competition Structure

Rounds 1 and 2 are virtual written submissions; Rounds 3 and 4 take place in person in Washington, D.C. at the Mayflower Hotel.

National Recognition

Finalists compete on a national stage for a share of the $250,000 prize pool, with awards for students, advisors, and institutions.

Core Expectations

Teams are evaluated on ethical reasoning, free-market analysis, practical recommendations, teamwork, and adherence to the rules and AI use policy.

Am I Eligible to Compete?

NECC is open to degree-seeking undergraduate and graduate students from accredited nonprofit colleges and universities located in the United States or its territories.

To participate, teams must meet the following requirements:

Teams must include four students from the same university.
Teams may include all undergraduate students, all graduate students, or a mix of both.
All team members must be 18 years of age or older by the competition date.
Students from all degree programs are welcome.
Students may compete in multiple years.
Students or family members of competition staff involved in planning, executing, or administering the National Ethics Case Competition are not eligible to compete.

Round 1

Written Case Essay Response

Format: Virtual submission
What teams do: Submit a written response to an ethics case prompt.

Teams analyze a real-world ethical dilemma and submit a written response for judging. The highest-scoring submissions advance to Round 2.

Teams may register up to the final submission deadline, but the Round 1 prompt is not released until the team is fully registered.

All submissions must be received by the posted deadline. Late submissions are not accepted.

How the Competition Works

NECC begins with virtual written submissions and culminates in an in-person competition in Washington, D.C. Teams advance based on the strength of their ethical reasoning, free-market analysis, practical recommendations, teamwork, and ability to defend their ideas.