Boardroom Brawlz

Boardroom Brawlz - Competition Rules & Guidelines

As part of Drishti 2026, PGPEM at IIM Bangalore presents Boardroom Brawlz, a case challenge built around decisions faced by real businesses.

Teams will examine a live business issue provided by a participating business, define the core problem, evaluate the available information and recommend a practical, evidence-based course of action. The jury will assess each team's reasoning, business judgement and ability to respond to questions.

The competition is designed for management learners who want to apply classroom concepts to real management situations. The strongest teams will combine original thinking with clear analysis and recommendations that a management could realistically act on.

Event Overview

• Competition: Drishti 2026 - Boardroom Brawlz
• Host: PGPEM, Indian Institute of Management Bangalore
• Mode: A multi-round competition concluding with an in-person presentation to business leaders and jury members.

Eligibility & Team Composition

• Open to students enrolled in recognised undergraduate, postgraduate or executive management programmes.
• Team composition: Each team must have 2 to 4 members.
• Each participant may register as part of only one team in Boardroom Brawlz.

Competition Stages & Presentation Guidelines

Registration and Case Assignment

• Registration: One member must be nominated as the team leader and submit the complete team registration by the notified deadline.
• Registration Fee: ₹ 499 per team

Round 1 - Online Quiz

• The first round is an online screening quiz comprising multiple-choice and application-based questions.
• It is designed to assess business awareness, analytical reasoning and decision-making.
• The quiz will contain 25 questions to be completed in 10 minutes. There is no negative marking.
• The quiz window will be open from 9:00 PM to 9:10 PM on the announced date. Participants must begin at 9:00 PM.
• The quiz must be attempted on a laptop or desktop computer.
• Questions will appear sequentially. Once a question is skipped or submitted, it cannot be revisited.
• Quiz date & time: 24th October, 2026 at 9 PM

Round 2 - Case Solution Submission

• Teams qualifying from Round 1 will receive a business case and must submit their proposed solution as a presentation deck.
• A ten-slide solution deck & pitch video (max. 3 minutes) presenting your solution must be submitted by 31st October, 2026 at 9 PM.
• Detailed submission requirements and the evaluation criteria will be communicated to qualified teams.

Round 3 - Final Presentation

Business Leader interaction: Before the final, shortlisted teams will join a virtual session with the relevant business leaders to seek factual clarifications and better understand the case context. The session is expected to be held 3 to 5 days before the event, subject to business leaders' availability.

• Finalists will present their detailed solutions in person at the IIM Bangalore campus.
• Presentation: 14th November from 9 AM onwards

Final Presentation Format

• Presentation time: Up to 8 minutes, followed by a 5-minute jury Q&A.
• Final deck: Upload the presentation in PDF, PPT or PPTX format before the notified deadline. There is no prescribed slide limit, but the presentation must remain within the allotted time.
• Reporting time: Teams must report at least 15 minutes before their assigned slot. Late entry or slot exchanges will be allowed only with prior approval from the organisers.
• Presenters: Teams may decide how speaking roles are divided; every member is not required to present.

Conduct, Integrity & Professional Standards

• All analysis and recommendations must be the team's original work. External data, frameworks, visuals and other sources must be appropriately acknowledged.
• Use of AI tools: Generative AI may be used only with clear disclosure of how and where it supported the submission. Teams remain responsible for accuracy, originality and confidentiality.
• Teams must not exchange case material, analysis or solutions with other teams. Collaboration across competing teams may result in disqualification.
• The organising committee may disqualify a team at any stage for plagiarism, misrepresentation, breach of confidentiality, misconduct or violation of these rules.

Intellectual Property & Confidentiality

• Team submissions: Teams retain ownership of their original work. Any use of a submission for publicity or an event showcase will be undertaken only with the team's consent.
• Business information: Case packs and any non-public operational, commercial or financial information shared by a business leader are confidential and may be used only for this competition. Participants must not copy, publish, circulate or use such information for any other purpose without the business's prior written permission.
• Event changes: The organisers may revise the schedule, venue, format or rules where operationally necessary. Team leaders will be informed in writing as early as practicable.

Awards & Recognition

- Cash prizes worth INR 2,00,000

General Rules:

• Registration will close at 05:00 PM on 24th October, 2026.
• Round 2 case material will be available only to teams that qualify in Round 1.
• Each team must have 2 to 4 members, and every member must be enrolled in an eligible programme at the time of registration and submission.
• Teams may include members from different institutes.
• There is no limit on the number of teams from an institute. However, a participant cannot join more than one team; all teams involving a duplicate participant may be disqualified.
• Only the first complete submission received before the applicable deadline will be evaluated, unless the organisers expressly permit a resubmission.