2025 USAEE Virtual Case Competition

Registration is now open for the 2025 United States Association for Energy Economics (USAEE) Virtual Case Competition, a one-of-a-kind opportunity for student teams to apply their knowledge of economics, engineering, and policy analysis.

Competition participants demonstrate their skills and ideas for potential employers, contribute to solving challenges in the field of energy economics, and compete for monetary prizes. Teams of two to five students may register by emailing a completed competition registration form to 2025 Case Competition Chair Julia Frayer at julia@londoneconomics.com and usaee@usaee.org by Friday, August 15.

This year's case problem will require entrants to consider the implications of large new loads on the electric industry (including new data centers) and propose improvements in system planning, market design, and regulatory perspective to more effectively accommodate load growth while maintaining reliable and affordable service of electricity for all customers. Participating teams will work on the designated case problem over a period of four weeks and submit a written report detailing their methods and solution to USAEE.

Finalist teams will be invited to attend the 42nd USAEE/IAEE North American Conference — for which finalists' registration fees will be waived — and receive their prizes at the annual USAEE awards luncheon. The conference will be held November 16-19, 2025, at The Worthington Renaissance Fort Worth Hotel in Fort Worth, Texas.

Other key competition dates:

Case packets will be distributed to registered teams on Monday, August 18.
Teams will be required to submit their written reports by Thursday, September 18.
After the finalists are announced on Thursday, October 2, those teams will present their work at a mid-October virtual event.
Finalists will receive their prizes at the awards luncheon at the USAEE/IAEE North American Conference on Tuesday, November 18.

Prizes:

First place team: $3,500
Second place team: $2,500

The competition is open to students from all over the world. Teams need not be USAEE/IAEE members to register and submit an entry. Any combination of students is permitted (mixed majors, mixed undergrad/grad, mixed universities). Additional competition details can be found on the registration form.

NYISO Support for the case competition, including prizes, is provided by the new competition sponsor, THE NEW YORK INDEPENDENT SYSTEM OPERATOR, INC. (NYISO). In addition, a NYISO representative will serve as a judge on the case competition evaluation committee.

NYISO a not-for-profit corporation responsible for operating New York's bulk electricity grid, administering the state's competitive wholesale electricity markets, conducting comprehensive long-term planning for the state’s electric power system, and advancing the technological infrastructure of the electric system serving the Empire State.