University of Hawai’i at Manoa
Shidler College of Business
March 24 - April 21, 2026
FOR ENTRY INFORMATION CONTACT:
Professor Dana L. Alden
APSMCC 2026 Coordinator
dalden@hawaii.edu
Overview
The 2026 Asia-Pacific Sustainable Marketing Case Competition (APSMCC) is designed to promote knowledge, excellence, and leadership in Sustainability in the Asia-Pacific region. Given the challenges and risks faced by businesses due to climate change, environmental pollution, and social equity in supply chains, increasing students' understanding of the best practices in sustainable marketing is of paramount importance.
The 2026 APSMCC case competition, sponsored by the Shidler College of Business, University of Hawai’i, seeks to:
- Co-create ideas and solutions to problems affecting local and regional communities;
- Harness the power of the academic community in the Asia-Pacific Region;
- Engage educational institutions and business leaders in the promotion and development of sustainable marketing education and curriculum;
- Enhance understanding of sustainable marketing management strategies and tactics in different national markets and cultural settings; and
- Discover and explore innovative solutions to issues and challenges related to sustainable marketing.
In addition, APSMCC aims to develop and enhance the critical thinking and consulting skills of our students through a timed case analysis. Ultimately, this collaboration will create a more unified global academic community and a stronger academe-industry linkage driven by the pursuit of a sustainable future.
The first-place team will be awarded a $1,000 honorarium, the second-place team a $500 honorarium, and the third- and fourth-place teams $250 honorariums each.
2026 APSMCC Sponsor and Participating Universities
University of Hawai’i - Shidler College of Business
Established in 1949, the Shidler College of Business is a leader among U.S. business schools for its expertise in international business education, focusing on the Asia-Pacific region. Shidler College of Business provides students with an in-depth understanding of the best business practices, an awareness of languages and cultures, and a solid comprehension of emerging technologies within today's complex global economic environment.
The 2026 APSMCC was formed through a consortium of the following universities:
Teams Guidelines and Format
Asia Pacific Region University Teams
Six universities are currently committed to participating in the 2026 APSMCC
- Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University
- Hong Kong University
- University of Canterbury
- University of Hawaiʻi
- Waseda University
- Yonsei University
If your university is interested in joining, please complete the entry form on this website. The competition's sponsor will review the entry form to ensure that the university is located in the Oceanic Asia Pacific Region and, therefore, qualified to join.
Team Composition
Each team should have exactly five presenting team members. Each participating university may have up to three teams. Members of the team can be undergraduate or graduate students who are enrolled at their schools as of the date of the competition. Non-business majors are welcome to participate.
Competition Details
IMPORTANT DEADLINES (All Dates Based on Hawaii calendar; times to follow):
March 9, 2026 - Final day to register by 11:59 PM HST.
March 24, 2026 – Ice-Breaker with all teams and coaches (Monday afternoon HST, Tuesday morning in other parts of AP Region)
March 25, 2026 - Case delivered to team coaches.
April 10, 2026 - Video recording of team presentation and case Executive Summary write-up submitted to judges via Team Dropbox.
April 16 - April 21, 2026 - Live Q&A with the judges (30 minutes each).
April 23, 2026 - A Zoom meeting (time to be arranged) of all team competitors, coaches, and judges will be held to announce the 2026 APSMCC winners and award the $1,000 first prize, $500 second prize, and $250 third and fourth place prizes.
TEAM VIDEO PRESENTATION OF CASE ANALYSIS
Each team will submit their case presentation as a Zoom video recording with team members in business attire. Video productions are not allowed. Please use software to reduce the file to 200 MBs or smaller before submitting to: jfriend@hawaii.edu. PowerPoint or other digital presentation slides will be shown on screen. Team members will work with the slide presentation, addressing the judges as if they were in the audience. Cue cards and phones with notes are not allowed. Presenters will review their slides in a professional manner, hitting the highlights as noted on the screen, but not reading from slides on the screen. Teams should practice moving their attention between the screen and the camera representing the judges. Three judges will review the presentation and rate the quality of the content and the professionalism of the delivery. Additional details will be provided to teams and judges before the case is distributed. There is no limit on the number of slides in the presentation. However, each presentation will be limited to a maximum of 30 minutes. Every team member must have a speaking role.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Teams will also prepare a written executive summary in a double-spaced, standard-margined format with numbered pages. This summary should not exceed five pages, excluding references, appendices, and other supplementary materials. Additional details will be provided to coaches and teams in the next few weeks.
JUDGES' QUESTION and ANSWER MEETINGS
After the judges have reviewed the teams’ video presentations and executive summaries, 30-minute Zoom meetings will be scheduled with each team. The meeting will include only the judges, team members, coach, and APSMCC coordinators.
COMPETITION MATERIAL UPLOADS
All competition materials will be uploaded to a Dropbox file that will be shared with each team individually. Only the team, the judges, and the APSMCC coordinator will have access to the team's folder. Both the slide presentation and the executive summary must be uploaded by the same due date.
Evaluation Criteria and Rules
Judging Criteria
Teams will be evaluated according to the following criteria:
- Quality of Executive Summary - 20%
- Quality of Case Presentation - 50%
- Quality of Q&A with the Judges - 30%
More detailed information in the form of a case preparation rubric will be available to all coaches and teams on March 23, 2026.
Competition Rules
Teams are encouraged to obtain advice from their coaches in preparation for the competition. However, the slide presentation and the executive summary must be the students' work.
Advisors/Coaches are welcome to observe their team during their presentation. However, they will not be permitted to sit in on the judges' deliberations.