Eligibility
- The competition is open to undergraduate and graduate students.
- Each team may consist of three (3) to five (5) University of Michigan students.
- Your team can consist of both undergraduate and graduate students; however, it can not be composed of all graduate students.
- All participants must be enrolled full-time at Michigan during Winter 2026.
- Given the case study will have financial, development, statistical research, and design aspects, teams are strongly encouraged to form a multidisciplinary team to best compete. It is recommended each team include at least one member representing each of the following disciplines: investment, development, and design.
Team Registration
- Deadline to register: Thursday, March 26, 2026, at 11:59pm EST.
Case Release & Preparation Period
- From this moment, teams may not seek input from faculty, alumni, professionals, or peers. Teams may not attempt to contact real-world principals, brokers, consultants, bankers, etc.
- All analyses and deliverables must be the original work of the team.
- Students may use CoStar, publicly available research, standard financial tools (e.g., Excel, CapIQ, Bloomberg), and academic databases.
Questions About the Case
- Clarification questions may be submitted via email to realestatecompetitions@umich.edu
- Answers will only be issued to all teams if the case authors determine they are essential and not inferable from the case.
Submission Requirements
- Final presentations must be submitted as a PDF file no later than Tuesday, April 7, 2025, at 11:59 p.m. EST.
- Submissions will be collected via a Google Form link shared with all teams.
- Late submissions or incorrect formats will result in disqualification.
Presentation Format
- Each team will present live in person on Wednesday, April 8, 2026, at the Ross School of Business
- Teams will present using a provided computer. No personal laptops permitted.
- Presentations are limited to 12 minutes, followed by 12 minutes of Q&A from the judges.
- It is suggested that you bring printed copies of your presentation for the judges. There will be three judges in the first round and a maximum of five judges in the final round.
- All team members must participate in the delivery of the presentation.
Slide Guidelines
- Decks may include up to 15 content slides, plus a maximum of 5 appendix slides.
- Title slides and transitions do not count toward the slide limit.
Judging Process and Criteria
- Teams will be evaluated on:
- Strategic insight
- Analytical rigor and financial justification
- Practicality
- Design creativity and feasibility
- Presentation clarity and delivery
- Defense of assumptions during Q&A
- Judges’ decisions are final.
Code of Conduct
- Teams are expected to uphold the highest standards of academic and professional integrity.
- Disruptive behavior, plagiarism, or disrespect toward other teams, judges, or event staff will not be tolerated.
- Failure to comply with any of the rules above may result in immediate disqualification.
Video & Audience Policy
- No video recording is permitted during preliminary rounds, except by organizers.
- Final presentations may be recorded and shared by organizers.
- A professional photographer and videographer will be on-site for the event. Footage will be utilized for future marketing purposes and social media sharing.
Prizes
Cash prizes will be awarded to top-performing teams. The prize pool is estimated at $25,000, distributed at the discretion of the judges.
