Teams flew in from as far as Romania to compete in the 2026 Asper Business Case Competition.
At the 2026 Asper Business Case Competition (ABCC), graduate-level teams from across Canada and the world congregated at the Drake Centre to apply their knowledge to complex business case studies.
From teams’ arrival on February 18, 2026, to the announcement of the winners on February 21, the Asper School of Business felt like it had an electric current running through it, energized by competition, fresh ideas, and hands-on experiential learning.
Coming together were: the nine teams of eager competitors, Asper student volunteers graciously giving time during reading week, and Manitoban industry leaders serving as judges—some of them, former Asper graduate students themselves.
New to the fourth edition of the competition, the first-ever international team was welcomed to Winnipeg. For the team from Babeş-Bolyai University in Romania, ABCC represented their first time in setting foot in Canada.
And not only that, but their top-notch, deeply analytical presentations ended up winning them the whole thing. The top three teams are as follows:
Competitors go through three rounds in the Asper Business Case Competition, each with a more difficult twist.
For the two weeks leading up to ABCC, teams had access to their first case—where they were asked to pitch a radical new idea for the arts organization Jazz Winnipeg.
Before they begin their presentation, teams are read the rules and then told (with a small dramatic flair) “Your time begins once you start speaking.”
Once they did, they had 25 minutes to pitch an idea to bring new vitality to Jazz Winnipeg’s operations, followed by 15 minutes of questions from the judges.
The high-stakes intensity of case competitions is on full display in the boardroom case. In this challenge, teams sit (standing is prohibited) across the boardroom table from four judges as well as a representative from the company they’re presenting on.
In this case, the subject was the Winnipeg retailer Coal & Canary—known for their premium candles situated in whiskey glasses. The question? How do you elevate the brand (even further!) from a premium brand to a luxury brand.
Armed with only four hours of preparation, teams have 3 minutes to present their main idea—which is then followed by 22 minutes of intelligent questions from judges, requiring teams to defend their idea quickly, accurately and articulately.
Teams’ adrenaline hits an ABCC high-point for the final case—where they have 3 hours to prepare for a 20-minute presentation (and a 10-minute question period). This time around, their subject was Access Credit Union. Each team was asked to consult on ways in which Access could innovate their services to further engage young people.
Following this presentation, scores were calculated from the previous rounds, with each round worth more percentage points than the last.
Here, the competition was whittled down to three teams; each then presented once again, to a new panel of judges, to determine their placement in the top three.
Winnipeg itself became a character in the story of each competitors’ experience. Mirroring the Athlete’s village at the Milano Cortina Olympics (in its final week during the time of the competition), ABCC set up its own “case village” at the Delta in downtown Winnipeg.
These 72 hours became not just a school event, but a social one. A scavenger hunt was arranged for teams around the Forks—where they got to see the Coal & Canary store firsthand. During a visit to Festival du Voyageur, teams could enjoy the signature blend of live music and French-Canadian Cuisine.
Events like these offered an excellent opportunity for team bonding and easy, Canada-wide…sorry, worldwide networking opportunities with the other teams.
Post-competition, winners were announced at a Gala Dinner at Marshall McLuhan Hall. Throughout the speeches from key voices, it became clear that a real connection had been made between the Manitoba Business Community – often said to “punch above its weight” – and this set of graduate students.
Manny Atwal, Vice Chair of The Associates of the Asper School of Business (who sponsored ABCC), made a convincing case for Winnipeg as a business hub—sharing a list of just a few Winnipeg companies making worldwide impact, such as New Flyer, one of the largest manufacturers of buses in North America.
Judy Jayasuriya, Lead of Experiential Learning at the Asper School, conducted an impromptu survey of the room, sans-microphone, of each team’s favourite parts of the trip.
Voices bounced around the room: “The scavenger hunt,” someone said. “The Forks,” “Festival du Voyageur.” “Poutine.”
Competitor Sue Dhaliwal from Beedie School of Business (Burnaby, BC) was impressed with the kindness on display at the Asper School: “The thing I’ll remember is how kind and warm and generous they’ve been.”
At the end of the day, ABCC is about people, and Jayasuriya encouraged the competitors to come away from the weekend thinking about the relationships they forged at ABCC.
The 2025 Asper Business Case Competition is key to the Asper School of Business’ mission to provide relevant, rigorous, and quality business education enriched by the transformative power of experiential learning.
This year’s competition was possible thanks to the generous support, efforts, and time given by individuals and organizations throughout Manitoba. ABCC 2026 sponsored by The Associates of the Asper School of Business, the Stu Clark Graduate School, Access Credit Union, Jazz Winnipeg, Coal & Canary, Qualico and the Canadian Marketing Association.
Over 100 people made ABCC 2026 a success. An extra special thank you to the 52 volunteers, 50 industry judges, 35 participants, and 9 faculty advisors.
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