Hosted by Queen's University, SAS Canada and Scotiabank, this competition is open to any student enrolled in a post-secondary academic program. The top 5 teams will win a cash prize, with the First Place team getting a whopping $20,000 (Canadian)!

Last year, the winning team was an undergraduate group of three, second place was a group of Masters students and third place went to a Masters group from Ukraine.

Students interested in competing should consider the need for diversity on the team. Although advanced knowledge is not required, a team consisting of individuals with complementary skills would be beneficial. Some knowledge of business, marketing, statistical analysis, mathematics, computer programming (R, Python, SAS) would be helpful.

The Competition format is as follows:

Launch Day (Friday October 6, 2017)

  • Academics working in the field of Food Security will introduce some problems that students may choose to work on.
  • SAS will give an introduction to Viya – the latest cloud-based corporate level statistical analysis software.
  • This session will be recorded and posted to Facebook so students do not have to travel to Toronto, Canada.
    • Semi-Final Round
  • Teams will have to submit a slide deck and a 10-minute video of their presentation before Friday, October 27, 2017 by 11.00 PM EST. Submission details and technology will be provided shortly.
  • Judges from Sponsor companies will review the submissions and select the top teams, which will move to the Final Round
  • The teams that move on to the finale will be notified Wednesday November 8, 2017.
    • Final Round (Friday, November 24, 2017)
  • Final Round will take place in the Scotiabank Center in Toronto, Canada. Teams coming from outside the Greater Toronto Area will be reimbursed up to a maximum of $3000 for flight and accommodations. Restrictions and conditions apply; see below*
  • The expectation will be that students will incorporate the feedback provided by Judges in the Semi-Final round, and improve their presentations further
  • Judges from sponsor companies will evaluate the presentations and the following Awards will be given to the 7 teams:
    • o First Place: $20,000 (CAN)

    o Second Place: $10,000 (CAN)

    o Third Place: $5,000 (CAN)

    o Fourth Place: $3,000 (CAN)

    o Fifth Place: $2,000 (CAN)

    The competition registration website will be launched September 15, 2017. In the meantime, here is a link to the Facebook group:

    https://www.facebook.com/groups/299234000414172/

    Attached is a detailed document outlining the Challenge and its focus on Food Security. Here is a link to our webinar describing the Challenge:

    https://youtu.be/GhxUswUSfaQ

    Travel & Accommodation Reimbursement Restrictions and Conditions

    The competition is intended to attract top talent from all around the world. Consequently, teams arriving from outside the Greater Toronto Area will be reimbursed for their travel and accommodation. Meals will not be reimbursed.

    The following additional restriction/conditions apply:

  • Reimbursement will only be provided to those teams which have reached the Final Round
  • The competition will have a tiered reimbursement:
    • o Outside Greater Toronto Area (GTA) but within Canada: up to $1000 for travel and accommodation expenses will be reimbursed for the entire team

    o Outside Canada but within North America (except Mexico): up to $2000 for travel and accommodation expenses will be reimbursed for the entire team

    o Outside North America (including Mexico): up to $3000 for travel and accommodation expenses will be reimbursed for the entire team

  • Accommodation reimbursement is limited to a maximum of $120 / night / room including taxes for a maximum of two nights. A maximum of 2 rooms per team will be reimbursed.
  • Reimbursement will be based on Ontario Public Sector rules and student teams must provide original receipts. All receipts must be received no later than December 10, 2017. If mailing the receipts, please send them to Attention: Dean McKeown, Smith School of Business, 99 University Ave. Queen's University, Kingston, ON K7L 3N6
  • The reimbursement processing time can take 4 - 8 weeks; and cheques will be mailed to the addresses provided by student team