INFORMS Case Competition

2024 - Winner(s)

2024 Winner(s)

Winning material: Potty Parity: Stadium Restroom Design

Purpose of the Award

The annual case competition is intended to encourage the creation, dissemination, and classroom use of novel teaching cases in operations research, management science and analytics. While the Case Competition Award Committee desires to promote creation of new and innovative cases, it recognizes that the dissemination of such cases cannot always wait for the timing of this award, and thus recognizes novel submissions for this award as those that have been first published within 12 months of the competition award deadline.

2025 Submission Deadline: July 31, 2025

Committee Chair

Cecilia Zenteno
Massachusetts General Hospital

Email: [email protected]

Click to view full committee

Application Process

All submitted cases must be previously unpublished at the time of submission, or have first been published within 12 months of the original published submission deadline. If the case contains material drafted originally by individuals or groups other than the author(s) submitting the case, then the intellectual history and ownership of these portions must be disclosed clearly to the Case Competition Award Committee upon submission of the case. Contestants are responsible for assuring that this guideline is strictly met.

The recipient of First Prize shall receive $500 and a framed certificate; there may be up a runner-up who shall receive $300 and certificate. 

All materials must be submitted to the committee via the INFORMS award software. Packages will be reviewed by a panel of judges familiar with the case method. The judges will select up to four finalists and the Chair will notify all contestants of the judges' decisions by the end of summer 2025.

Finalists must present their cases at the INFORMS Annual Meeting to be eligible to win. Click here for instructions »

Committee


Past Awardees

2024
Winner(s)
Ming Hu, University of Toronto
Setareh Farajollahzadeh, McGill University, Desautels Faculty of Management
Vahid Roshanaei, University of Toronto, Rotman School of Management
Runner-Up
Dan Guide, Penn State University
Wei Wu, Amazon
Yinshi (Agnes) Gao, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences
Finalist
Darren Manion, JD candidate at the University of Virginia School of Law
Varun Gupta,  University of Chicago, Booth School of Business
Vaughan Griffiths, Porsche Financial Services, Inc.
Xiao Zhang, Saint Louis University
2023
Winner(s)
Deniz Akturk, Washington University in St. Louis
Ozan Candogan, Booth School of Business, University of Chicago
2022
Winner(s)
Albert Loa, University of Toronto
Craig Fernandes, University of Toronto
Nathan Sandholtz, Brigham Young University
Timothy Chan, University of Toronto
2021
Winner(s)
Anton Ovchinnikov, Queen's University
Georgina Hall, INSEAD
Piyush Gulati, INSEAD
2020
Winner(s)
Dessislava Pachamanova, Babson College
Keely Dwyer-Matzky, University of Rochester Medical Center and Golisano Children's Hospital
Vera Tilson, University of Rochester
2019
Winner(s)
Team Name: Saurabh Bansal, Philip Jones, Timothy Lowe
2017
First Place
Sean Bandyopadhyay, Ivey Business School
Shelly Bajaj, Ivey Business School
Second Place
2016
First Place
Fredrik Odegaard, The University of Western Ontario
Second Place
David Kopcso, Babson College
Third Place
Mahesh Nagarajan, Sauder School of Business, University of British Columbia
Milind Dawande, University of Texas at Dallas
Sridhar Tayur, Carnegie Mellon University, Tepper School of Business
Tim Huh, Sauder School of Business, University of British Columbia
Vincent Slaugh, Carnegie Mellon University
Yang Bo, Naveen Jindal School of Management, The University of Texas at Dallas
2015
First Place
Gregory Dobson, University of Rochester
Vera Tilson, University of Rochester
Second Place
Kathleen Iacocca, University of Scranton
Third Place
2014
First Place
Yao Zhao, Rutgers University
Second Place
Matthew J. Drake, Duquesne University, School of Business
Third Place
Annie Gao, Babson College
David Kopcso, Babson College
Howard Simon, Babson College
2013
First Place
Allison Elias, University of Virginia
Gal Raz, University of Virginia
Tim Kraft, University of Virginia
Second Place
Garrett J. van Ryzin, Cornell Tech
Masoud Talebian, University of Newcastle
Third Place
Ersin Korpeoglu, Carnegie Mellon University
Fatma Kılınç-Karzan, Carnegie Mellon University
2012
First Place
Gökhan Ceyhan, Middle East Technical University
Gülser Köksal, Middle East Technical University
Murat Köksalan, Middle East Technical University
Sinan Gürel, Middle East Technical University
Sinem Mutlu, Middle East Technical University
Şahan Yıldız, Middle East Technical University
Second Place
Joshua Rheinbolt, Morganton Eye Physicians, PA
Robert Noecker, UPMC Eye Center
Sridhar Tayur, Carnegie Mellon University, Tepper School of Business
Tinglong Dai, Carey Business School, Johns Hopkins University
2011
First Place
Anton Ovchinnikov, Queen's University
Samuel E. Bodily, University of Virginia, Darden Graduate School of Business
Second Place
Samuel E. Bodily, University of Virginia, Darden Graduate School of Business
Third Place
Matthew J. Drake, Duquesne University, School of Business
Ozgun Caliskan Demirag, Georgia Institute of Technology
2010
First Place
Feryal Erhun , Cambridge Judge Business School, University of Cambridge
Timothy Kraft, Stanford University
Yenho Thomas Chung , Stanford University
Second Place
Kenneth C. Lichtendahl Jr. , Darden School of Business, University of Virginia
Yael Grushka-Cockayne, Darden School of Business, University of Virginia
Third Place
Gonca Karakus, Georgia Institute of Technology
Julie L. Swann, Georgia Institute of Technology, School of Industrial & Systems Engineering
Matthew J. Drake, Duquesne University, School of Business
Monica Villarreal, Georgia Institute of Technology
Paul Kerl, Georgia Institute of Technology
Pinar Keskinocak, Georgia Institute of Technology, School of Industrial/Systems Engineering
Özlem Ergun, Georgia Institute of Technology
School of Industrial/Systems Engineering
Runner-Up
Stefan Scholtes, University of Cambridge, Judge Business School
Yun Shin Lee, Judge Business School, University of Cambridge
2009
First Place
Amr Farahat, Cornell University
Susan Martonosi, Harvey Mudd College, Department of Mathematics
Second Place
Jessica Heier Stamm, Georgia Institute of Technology, School of Industrial & Systems Engineering
Julie L. Swann, Georgia Institute of Technology, School of Industrial & Systems Engineering
Pinar Keskinocak, Georgia Institute of Technology, School of Industrial/Systems Engineering
Özlem Ergun, Georgia Institute of Technology
School of Industrial/Systems Engineering
Third Place
Gregory S. Zaric, University of Western Ontario, Richard Ivey School of Business
Peter C. Bell, University of Western Ontario, Richard Ivey School of Business
2008
First Place
Brian Keller, University of Arizona
Guzin Bayraksan, University of Arizona
Finalist
Jeffrey Ohlmann, University of Iowa, Henry B. Tippie College of Business & Management Science
Justin Goodson, University of Iowa
2007
First Place
Haldun Süral, Middle East Technical University
Murat Köksalan, Middle East Technical University
Selin Bilgin Özpeynirci, Middle East Technical University
Finalist
Bert De Reyck, University College London, Dept. of Management Science & Innovation
Harish Krishnan, University of British Columbia, Sauder School of Business
Nicos Savva , London Business School
Stefan Scholtes, University of Cambridge, Judge Business School
Yael Grushka-Cockayne, Darden School of Business, University of Virginia
2006
First Place
Bert De Reyck, University College London, Dept. of Management Science & Innovation
Murat Köksalan, Middle East Technical University
Pascale Crama, Singapore Management University
Sakine Batun, University of Pittsburgh, Dept. of Industrial Engineering
Zeger Degraeve, London Business School
Finalist
James J. Cochran, The University of Alabama
Julie L. Swann, Georgia Institute of Technology, School of Industrial & Systems Engineering
Matthew J. Drake, Duquesne University, School of Business
Paul M. Griffin, Georgia Institute of Technology, School of ISYE
2005
First Place
Anton Ovchinnikov, Queen's University
Dmitry Krass, University of Toronto, Rotman School of Management
John C.W. Parsons, Parsons, McKinsey & Company
Scott Sampson, Brigham Young University
Stephen C. Graves, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Finalist
L. Robin Keller, University of California - Irvine, Paul Merage School of Business
Nicos Savva , London Business School
Stefan Scholtes, University of Cambridge, Judge Business School
Tianjun Feng, The Paul Merage School of Business, University of California - Irvine
Xiaona Zheng, Guanghua School of Management, Peking University
2004
First Place
Bert De Reyck, University College London, Dept. of Management Science & Innovation
Pascale Crama, Singapore Management University
Zeger Degraeve, London Business School
Finalist
Glen M. Schmidt, University of Utah
Jan A. Van Mieghem, Northwestern University, Kellogg School of Management
Julie L. Swann, Georgia Institute of Technology, School of Industrial & Systems Engineering
Matthew J. Drake, Duquesne University, School of Business
Paul M. Griffin, Georgia Institute of Technology, School of ISYE
Ricardo Ernst, Georgetown University
2003
First Place
Martin L. Puterman, University of British Columbia, Faculty of Communications & Business Administration
Stanley Tse, Visual8 Corporation
Finalist
Christopher M. Keller, East Carolina University, Dept. of Marketing & Supply Chain
John F. Kros, East Carolina University, Dept. of Marketing & Supply Chain
Robert C. Carlson, Stanford University, Management Science & Engineering Department
Russ G. Garber, Stanford University
2002
First Place
F. Sibel Salman, Koc University, College of Engineering
Murat Köksalan, Middle East Technical University
Finalist
Alexander M. Smith, University of British Columbia
Christopher M. Keller, East Carolina University, Dept. of Marketing & Supply Chain
David Glenn, Profit Logic
John F. Kros, East Carolina University, Dept. of Marketing & Supply Chain
Martin L. Puterman, University of British Columbia, Faculty of Communications & Business Administration
Mehmet A. Begen, University of Western Ontario
Richard Ivey School of Business
Pinar Keskinocak, Georgia Institute of Technology, School of Industrial/Systems Engineering
Stephanie Leung, Cua-Oh Consulting
Wedad Elmaghraby, University of Maryland, RH Smith School of Business
2001
First Place
Don Kleinmuntz, Strata Decision Technology LLC
Finalist
Christopher M. Keller, East Carolina University, Dept. of Marketing & Supply Chain
Christopher M. Rump, Bowling Green State University
John F. Kros, East Carolina University, Dept. of Marketing & Supply Chain
Katta G. Murty, University of Michigan - Ann Arbor, Dept. of I/O Engineering
Woo-Je Kim, University of Michigan - Ann Arbor, Dept. of I/O Engineering
2000
First Place
Pinar Keskinocak, Georgia Institute of Technology, School of Industrial/Systems Engineering
Sridhar Tayur, Carnegie Mellon University, Tepper School of Business
Finalist
Christopher M. Keller, East Carolina University, Dept. of Marketing & Supply Chain
Christopher M. Rump, Bowling Green State University
Gregory S. Zaric, University of Western Ontario, Richard Ivey School of Business
John F. Kros, East Carolina University, Dept. of Marketing & Supply Chain
Robert McGowan, University of Western Ontario, Richard Ivey School of Business