The Harvard Student Agencies Case Competition (HSACC) is an annual online business case competition run in partnership with Harvard Student Agencies (HSA) — the largest student-run company in the world, operated by Harvard College students. High school students analyze a real business case, build a strategy, and pitch it to judges including entrepreneurs, investors, and Harvard students.
Competition format:
HSACC is strictly individual (no teams). Participants are given a business case and complete two rounds:
- Round 1 — Strategy Submission (closed): The deadline was extended to November 2, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. ET; the homepage and FAQ explicitly say this round is closed. Participants submitted an anonymous landscape PDF deck, maximum 15 slides (one title, up to ten content slides and up to four appendix slides). Top submissions advance; results are scheduled November 9.
- Round 2 — Video Pitch (due November 22, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. ET): Finalists record and submit a video pitch. The Round Two guidance page says it will go live November 9, so further submission details are not yet published.
- Final Results & Award Ceremony: Livestreamed on December 6, 2026.
Historical free prep workshops: Each workshop required separate registration.
| Date | Session |
|---|---|
| Sep 18, 2026 | Case Competition 101 |
| Sep 26, 2026 | Cracking the Case |
| Oct 11, 2026 | Anatomy of a Winning Deck |
Prizes:
| Award | Cash | Ladder Internships Scholarship |
|---|---|---|
| Grand Champion | $1,500 | $3,190 |
| Runner-Up | $1,000 | $2,500 |
| Second Runner-Up | $500 | $2,000 |
| Most Innovative Strategy | — | $1,250 |
| Honorable Mention | — | $1,000 |
| Every Other Finalist | — | $750 |
Ladder Internships scholarships are awarded as tuition reductions upon acceptance into a Ladder program; receiving a scholarship does not guarantee admission.
Registration fees:
- Early-bird registration began August 10, 2026: $5 per participant
- Standard registration began September 1: $10 per participant
- Last-call registration began October 1: $15 per participant
- Registration closed October 17; fees were non-refundable. The checked pages do not explicitly name the dollar currency.
Checked November 4, 2026 against the official timeline, closed registration page, Round One guidelines, forthcoming Round Two guidelines, FAQ and workshop schedule. Registration closure does not mean the finalist competition has concluded. No future-cycle dates are announced. Ladder awards are conditional tuition reductions for a separate internship program, not funding to attend this competition.