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 (due Oct 31, 2026): Submit a written strategy deck analyzing the case. Top submissions advance.
- Round 2 — Video Pitch (due Nov 22, 2026): Finalists record and submit a video pitch of their strategy.
- Final Results & Award Ceremony: Livestreamed on December 6, 2026.
Free prep workshops (open to all registrants):
| Date | Session | | ------------ | ------------------------- | | Sep 18, 2026 | Case Competition 101 | | Sep 26, 2026 | Cracking the Case | | Oct 10, 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 (through Aug 31): $5
- Standard (Sep 1 – Oct 1): $10
- Last-Call (Oct 1 – Oct 17): $15