Find the real problem.
Read the case, identify what matters and separate the signal from the noise.
02 / The day
A day built to move.
September 19 runs from 10:00 AM to 7:30 PM at the Elliott Building. Teams receive the case, make a direction, build a response and present it to a judging panel.
01 / Run of show
A clear rhythm from welcome to close.
Times are structured to keep the day focused while leaving space for teams to think, ask questions and prepare their delivery.
Opening Ceremony
Welcome from the Open Minds Foundation team, with an introduction to judges and mentors.
Arrive ready to meet your team, hear the context and understand how the day will work.
Lunch & Opportunity Fair
Lunch for teams and organizers, with university organizations and sponsors on site.
Use the break to connect, ask questions and learn what can come after high school.
Staggered Case Release
The case is released in waves. Teams begin research, ideation and solution building.
Read closely, define the problem and choose a response that is specific enough to defend.
Judge Briefing
Judges are briefed while teams continue preparing for the preliminary round.
Keep testing the logic of your recommendation and make the story easy to follow.
Preliminary Presentations
All teams deliver their presentations to assigned judging panels.
Show the problem, the opportunity, the solution and why your team can stand behind it.
Deliberation & Finalists
Judges deliberate and the finalist teams are announced.
Take a breath, listen for the announcement and be ready for the next room if you advance.
Final Presentations
The finalist teams present live in the main venue.
The final round is a chance to make the case sharper, clearer and more memorable.
Awards & Closing Remarks
Awards are presented and closing remarks are made.
Celebrate the work in the room and the people who made the day possible.
Event Close & Cleanup
The event concludes and teams clean up their workspaces.
Leave the space ready for the next group and take your thinking with you.
02 / What teams do
Four moves. One case.
The day is demanding because the work is real: teams must move from a messy question to a recommendation people can understand.
Choose a direction.
Shape a response that is imaginative, sustainable and possible to defend.
Make it legible.
Turn your team’s thinking into a concise story with evidence and a clear next step.
Keep the door open.
Meet mentors, judges and sponsors who can help an idea travel further.
03 / Practical expectations
Come prepared to participate.
The most useful preparation is not a finished answer. It is curiosity, a willingness to share the work and enough rest to stay with the problem.
- 01
Bring your questions
The case is designed to reward careful reading and thoughtful questions.
- 02
Share the work
Strong teams make room for different perspectives and divide the thinking clearly.
- 03
Make a defendable choice
You do not need to solve everything. You do need to explain why your response makes sense.
- 04
Stay for the full day
Opening context, presentations, the fair and closing remarks are all part of the experience.
September 19, 2026 · Elliott Building