Case Competition

It is designed to highlight the excellence of Canadian public administration programs and students, and to provide a valuable learning experience for students. Canadian universities that have programs in public administration may compete.

Past Competitions and Results

Honor Roll

Call for participation |
2026 CAPPA National Public Administration Student Case Competition

The Canadian Association of Programs in Public Administration (CAPPA) is pleased to announce the 2026 round of the CAPPA National Public Administration Student Case Competition. Dr Eugene Lang and Dr Ian Roberge will co-organise this year’s competition.

Please note that the competition will be held on February 21, 2026 (Saturday), and the opening reception and distribution of the case will be on February 11, 2026 (Wednesday).

We cordially invite member schools and programs to express their interest in participating. Please fill out this form to register: Call for Participation 2026. Only 14 spots are available, which will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis.

Should you have any questions, please contact the organizers at cappa.casecomp.2026@gmail.com or at Jean-Francois.Savard@enap.ca. We will gladly answer any questions you may have.

The National Annual Public Administration Student Case Competition is organized annually by CAPPA with annual and committed support by the Institute of Public Administration of Canada (IPAC), Canada School of Public Service (CSPS), and the Institute for Research on Public Policy (IRPP). Member schools of CAPPA are invited to compete in the competition with the aim of highlighting the excellence of Canadian public administration and public policy programs and their students. Each year, the competition brings together the best and brightest students.

2015 Case Competition Participants are organized into teams of four presenters and one alternate which are presented with a "real world" and current public administration case, with accompanying background material. They work together to develop the best solution to the case study questions and problem over a 10-day period. There is one round of competition held the third Saturday in February. Individual schools usually put together their teams in the fall term, either by direct invitation of the coaches or through a run-off competition. For more information on the format of the competition, please consult the rules and procedures.

The judging panel is selected from senior officials, many of whom have some attachment or familiarity with the case study. The competition has attracted judges from federal, provincial/territorial, municipal, private sector and nonprofit organizations. The competition has been very fortunate to have been able to attract very influential and talented officials who wish to support the experience of students entering what has become one of CAPPA's most important events in the year. The competition is also very well supported by faculty coaches and mentors who give generously of their time and experience, most often in ways not replicated in classroom experience.

Teams then develop 30-minute presentations that are made to a panel of judges. An assessment rubric will be provided before work begins, and time limits are strictly enforced.

Quality of the presentations is always high. A list of winners is available on our Honour Roll page.

Past Cases and the Results of past Competitions

Call for participation | 2026 CAPPA National Public Administration Student Case Competition

The Canadian Association of Programs in Public Administration (CAPPA) is pleased to announce the 2026 round of the CAPPA National Public Administration Student Case Competition. Dr Eugene Lang and Dr Ian Roberge will co-organise this year’s competition. Please note that the competition will be held on…