The NRF Foundation Student Challenge isn’t an average business case competition. This unique experience gives undergraduate students at NRF University Member Schools the chance to apply what they’ve learned in the classroom in a real-world setting. Since its launch, the NRF Foundation Student Challenge has provided nearly $300,000 in scholarship funds to students across the country, and priceless career opportunities.
It’s more than an exercise. A handful of teams will earn the chance to present their pitch to leaders from retail’s biggest companies, with the top team earning a $7,000 tuition scholarship for each team member.
The 2023-2024 NRF Foundation Student Challenge will open in March 2023! Check out last year's prompt.
The 2022-2023 Challenge:
Founded in 1948, DICK'S Sporting Goods is a leading omni-channel sporting goods retailer offering an extensive assortment of high-quality sports equipment, apparel, footwear and accessories. Headquartered in Pittsburgh, DICK'S also owns and operates Golf Galaxy, Field & Stream and Public Lands specialty stores.
Teams will form a strategy for Public Lands, a new outdoor specialty retail concept with a unique and inclusive mission, to develop the growth strategy as Public Lands looks to expand its reach both into new US markets and through eCommerce. This case will center around strategically picking new markets for Public Lands to expand to, creating a launch strategy for the highest priority market, forming a marketing strategy, sales goals etc. Teams of two to four students will collaborate on a 25 slide pitch presentation and 90 second pitch video to convince the DICK'S Sporting Goods leadership team on how their market proposal presents the best growth opportunity for Public Lands.
The NRF Foundation will host three information sessions focused on the requirements & timeline for this year's competition:
- March 25, 2022 at 12 p.m. ET: Click here to watch the recording.
- May 13, 2022 at 12 p.m. ET: Click here to watch the recording.
- September 12, 2022 at 12 p.m. ET: Click here to watch the recording.
You can also view the recording of the Q&A with last year's top team here.
Members only
The NRF Foundation Student Challenge is exclusively open to students that attend NRF University Member schools. Each member school can submit two teams of two to four students each; interested applicants must check with their school’s NRF Advisor to see how they are selecting teams to enter. Participating students must be sophomores or above at the time the scholarship is awarded in January 2024.
To join the NRF Student Association as a student member, your school must be a member of NRF. We currently partner with dozens of colleges and universities across the United States to promote careers in retail and provide students with exclusive access to educational, networking and scholarship opportunities. All students at member schools are eligible to join the NRF Student Association for free.
To find your advisor, or for more information, contact scholarships@nrf.com.
“This competition has inspired me to think beyond the status quo. The Student Challenge has shown me how innovative retail can be and I’m excited to take what I’ve learned during the Student Challenge and come up with my own inventive ideas.”
- Kendall McDermott, Columbia College Chicago
The Student Challenge enforced our idea that that retail industry is consistently evolving, especially as it relates to technology. The challenge also showed how important data is for a growing business and how said data informs retail strategists.”
- University of Pennsylvania Team
Other opportunities
