COMPETITION RULES

The Microsoft Excel Collegiate Challenge Rules (hereinafter referred to as the “Rules”) are effective as of August 11, 2023.
All previous rules are canceled, null, and void.
 
Please read these Microsoft Excel Collegiate Challenge and Competition Rules carefully. All parts of these Rules apply to participation in the Microsoft Excel Collegiate Challenge. You should review all associated legal documents before participating in the Microsoft Excel Collegiate Challenge. If you do not accept these Rules or any of our legal documents, do not use the Website or participate in the Microsoft Excel Collegiate Challenge.
 

1. The Program

  • The Microsoft Excel Collegiate Challenge (hereinafter – the MECC) is a program for college and university students that consists of two parts; Monthly Challenges and Competitions (hereinafter – Competitions). Monthly Challenges focus on building skills, data analysis, business analysis, and Excel modeling using Microsoft Excel. Competitions allow Participants to compete against each other in either online or in-person formats.
 
  • Results from Monthly Challenges may be reported but do not impact results or standings in Competitions. During Competitions, the season’s overall Rankings are calculated based on the participant’s performance.
 
  • The MECC is jointly organized by the Financial Modeling World Cup (hereinafter – FMWC) and Eller College of Management at the University of Arizona (hereinafter – Eller). Jointly, both organizations hereinafter will be referred to as “the Organizers”.
 
  • The key goal of the MECC is to promote the educational aspect of data analysis, business analysis, and Excel modeling using Microsoft Excel. The Organizers’ goal is to ensure that all participants improve their knowledge and skills by completing Monthly Challenges and reviewing the correct answers and video walkthroughs provided by the Organizers.
 
  • The MECC is open to any student regardless of age, gender, race, place of living, or any other limiting factor. While all students are welcome to participate in all online aspects of the MECC, some Participants may be restricted from participating in in-person events including the Finals (categorized under Competitions) in Tucson, AZ, and thus may not be eligible for prizes awarded or benefits available at in-person events. The Organizers will follow guidelines provided by the United States State Department, the University of Arizona, partners, and sponsors in determining any such restrictions.
 
  • All students are welcome to register for the MECC and participate in online Competitions, but only individuals enrolled in degree-granting institutions at the time of the in-person event and are 18 years of age or older on the day travel commences to the event location can qualify for the Competition Finals or other in-person events.
 
  • Partner Schools have coordinated with the Organizers to promote the MECC and have the option to select a team of Participants from their currently enrolled student body to represent the Partner School at the in-person Finals in Tucson, Arizona and other eligible in-person events. Only eligible Partner Schools will be able to send teams to compete in team competitions in Finals in Tucson, Arizona and other eligible in-person events. Partner Schools are limited to one team per school. Team members are chosen at their discretion from eligible students that participate in the MECC. Partner Schools are responsible for the cost of travel to in-person events. Lodging and food costs will vary depending on the event.
 
  • If a college or university is interested in becoming a Partner School in the MECC, please reach out to the Organizers via email at info@mecc.college.
 

2. Competition Stages and Dates

  • The 2023 Season schedule is as follows:
    • Monthly Challenges availability: April 14 – November 15, 2023
    • Online Round 1: September 30 – October 1, 2023
    • Online Round 2: October 14, 2023 (11:00 AM – 1:00 PM EST/4:00 – 6:00 PM BST)
    • In-Person Finals: December 2, 2023 (Tucson, AZ USA).
 
  • Future dates will be announced and posted on the MECC Website. The Organizers reserve the right to change the dates at their sole discretion. If dates are changed, a Notice shall be provided on the MECC Website.
 

3. Monthly Challenges

  • The MECC will provide Monthly Challenges, subject to the current season’s schedule, related to Microsoft Excel skills, data analysis, business analysis, and Excel modeling designed to be completed in Microsoft Excel. The majority of Monthly Challenges will be accompanied by walk-through videos to provide learning opportunities to the Participants.
 
  • The Monthly Challenges will be published on a Hosting Platform arranged by the Organizers where Participants will be able to download the Monthly Challenges and submit their solutions.
 
  • Solutions to Monthly Challenges can be submitted through the posted official end of the season of which they were posted in to receive credit for the associated Monthly Challenge. Once a Monthly Challenge is posted, Participants will be able to complete the Monthly Challenge and submit their solutions during the current season with no time constraints and can resubmit their solutions multiple times to improve their results.
 
  • Submissions of Monthly Challenge solutions during the current season are a requirement to receive a Certificate of Completion. See Section 12 for more details.
 
  • Monthly Challenges will not affect rankings during online or in-person Competitions.
 
  • If you are receiving completion credit through a college or university, please confirm with your organization if they require a different completion date.
 

4. Competitions

  • The Competition portion consists of Questions and Case Studies (hereinafter – Tasks). All the Tasks will be related to Microsoft Excel skills, data analysis, business analysis, and Excel modeling to be completed in Microsoft Excel.
 
  • The Tasks will be published on the Competition Platform arranged by the MECC. The Participants will be required to download the tasks and submit their answers on the Competition Platform.
 
  • The Questions will be either Multiple Choice or Fill-In-The-Blank format. No essay-type questions will be included in the Competitions.
 
  • The Case Studies will provide a range of real-life problems solvable through the use of Microsoft Excel, data analysis, business analysis, and Excel modeling.
 
  • The Case Studies shall be structured as 1 (one) to 5 (five) pages per Case.
    • Each Case will include several Questions, typically between 4 (four) and 20 (twenty).
    • The complexity of the Questions will vary, with more complex questions awarding more points if answered correctly.
    • The Question format is not standardized and could potentially be multiple-choice, number type-in, or other.
 
  • To correctly solve the Case Studies, the Participants will need to answer the questions and produce and submit Excel models on the Competition Platform.
 
  • Participants may be provided a template for the Excel file or may be required to produce their work from scratch.
 
  • Definitions of industry-specific terms and country-specific terms and ratios will be provided when deemed necessary by the Organizers.
 
  • Model formatting and style will not be judged in the Competitions.
 
  • After a Round is complete and the results have been published, possible solutions to the Case Studies and correct answers to the Questions will become available within a reasonable time.
    • Cases and solutions from previous Rounds in the currently running season will be provided for free to Participants.
    • For non-participants, the Cases and solutions may be sold separately on the FMWC website.
 

5. Competition Format 2023 Season

  • The 2023 Competition Season schedule is as follows:
    • Online Round 1: Saturday, September 30, 2023, until Sunday, October 1, 2023 at 11:59pm PST / Saturday, September 30, 2023 until Monday October 2, 2023 at 7:59am BST
    • Online Round 2: October 14, 2023 from 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM EST / 4:00 PM – 6:00 PM BST
    • Online Finals International Teams: November 23, 2023 from 12:00 PM – 2:00 PM EST / 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM GMT
    • In-Person Finals Individuals & Teams: December 2, 2023 in Tucson, AZ USA
 
  • Online Round 1
 
  • Online Round 1 will take place online on the Competition Platform from Saturday, September 30, 2023, until Sunday, October 1, 2023 at 11:59pm PST / Saturday, September 30, 2023 until Monday, October 2, 2023 at 7:59am BST. Participants will have a limit of 2 hours to complete the Case Studies. The 2 hour period for each individual Participant will start when they initially download the competition file from the Competition Platform within the overall time frame of Online Round 1. Please note that all Competition Platform sessions will be automatically closed at the time of deadline, even if the 2 hour countdown displayed in the Competition Platform still shows available time. This would occur if the Participant starts their round with less than 2 hours remaining of the allotted time.
 
  • The 2-hour period takes into account:
    • Downloading all relevant Tasks
    • Reading and analyzing the Tasks
    • Creation of Excel models
    • Entering and completing the relevant answers for Tasks
      Submitting solutions and other relevant materials
 
  • Online Round 2
 
  • All Participants will be eligible to compete in Online Round 2 regardless of their participation status or performance of Online Round 1.
 
  • Online Round 2 will take place online on the Competition Platform on October 14, 2023 from 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM EST / 4:00 PM – 6:00 PM BST. All participants will be completing the Tasks simultaneously during the designated time period. Participants will have the designated 2 hours to complete all Tasks and submit their solutions.
 
  • In-Person Finals Individuals
 
  • The top 20 ranked individual Participants (hereinafter – Individual Finalists) based on the total cumulative points earned in Online Round 1 and Online Round 2 will be invited to participate in the In-Person Finals.
 
  • Additionally, the top performing student from the school with the most sign ups in the USA and the top performing student from the school with the most sign ups outside of the USA will also be invited to participate in the In-Person Finals. For a school to qualify, they must have the most legitimate student sign ups, have a 60% participation rate, and must be a degree granting higher learning institution. The participation rate refers to the proportion of students who have either taken part in a Monthly Challenge or engaged in an online competition round, relative to the total number of students who have enrolled or registered from a specific school. The Organizers reserve the right to disqualify a school if they believe this status was reached by means outside of the defined rules. If either top performing student qualifies in the top 20 or is unable to participate, then the next top performing student from the same school will be invited until a student is identified who can participate and who completed both online challenges. If all options are exhausted from one school and time allows, the next school with the most sign ups will have a student invited to participate.
 
  • All Individual Finalists who are willing and able to participate in the in-person Finals will be provided:
    • Reimbursement for economy class airfare (up to $850 domestic and $1,900 international)
    • 2 nights of hotel accommodations for the night before and the night of the Finals at a hotel designated by the Organizers
    • Meals on the day of the Finals
    • Waived Registration Fee
 
  • Individual Finalists will be required to manage their own transportation arrangements including any necessary travel documentation, associated fees, costs and fees associated with transportation, and the transportation arrangements itself. Individual Finalists will be required to complete the necessary reimbursement paperwork by January 31, 2024 in order to be eligible for reimbursement. Individual Finalists who do not meet the deadline risk losing the ability to be reimbursed for airfare.
 
  • Individual Finalists will be responsible for all other expenses incurred such as but not limited to ground transportation in Tucson, AZ, meals outside of the day of Finals, hotel room charges outside of the room rate, etc.
 
  • Each initially invited Individual Finalist will be notified by the Organizers by Friday, October 20, 2023 via their registered email. They will have until Tuesday, October 31, 2023, to accept the invitation and to provide proof they are currently registered at a degree granting higher learning institution and that they will be 18 years of age or older before traveling to the In-Person Finals. Proof of enrollment documents are accepted at the discretion of the Organizers. A government issued photo ID with date of birth will be the only acceptable form of proof of age.
 
  • Each initially invited Individual Finalist will be required to provide proof of booked travel arrangements and required travel documentation by Wednesday, November 8, 2023. Individual Finalists who do not meet this deadline will risk losing their spot in the In-Person Finalists and may be replaced with Alternates. Alternates are chosen at the discretion of the Organizers. The Organizers will work with any Alternates regarding timeline but please note the Organizers are unable to adjust any deadlines or requirements to travel to the USA from another country. This may affect some Participants ability to become Alternates.
 
  • Selected Participants who do not participate in the Finals forfeit their eligibility for prize money and other associated prizes and benefits.
 
  • In-Person Finals Teams
 
  • One Team (up to 3 Participants) from each eligible Partner School will qualify to compete in the team’s portion of the In-Person Finals. Each Team is formed at the discretion of the Partner School. Partner Schools are not required to send a Team to the In-Person Finals to maintain their Partner School status. Registration fees for each Team Participant are $700 each for a total of $2100 per Team. Any additional Faculty, Staff, or persons traveling with the Team and attending the In-Person Finals will also be charged a Registration Fee of $700. This will include:
    • 2 nights of hotel accommodations for the night before and the night of the Finals at a hotel designated by the Organizers
    • Meals on the day of the Finals
 
  • Team Participants along with any accompanying Faculty, Staff, or persons will be responsible for all other expenses incurred such as but not limited to ground transportation in Tucson, AZ, meals outside of the day of Finals, hotel room charges outside of the room rate, etc.
 
  • Each Partner School must notify the MECC they will be sending a team to the Finals by August 31 of the participating year to guarantee their school will be able to participate in that year’s in-person Finals. Deadline to make full payment for related registration fees for both team members and any additional attendees will be October 20 of the participating year. Please note Partner Schools do not have to have their team members chosen by these dates. If a Partner School fails to make full payment by deadline, the MECC reserves the right to refund any partial payments and cancel the Partner School’s reserved spot in the team competition.
 
  • Partner Schools must provide their team members’ information to the Organizers by Wednesday, November 8, 2023 along with proof of enrollment and proof each individual will be 18 years of age or older before traveling to the In-Person Finals. Proof of enrollment documents are accepted at the discretion of the Organizers. A government issued photo ID with date of birth will be the only acceptable form of proof of age.
 
  • Participants who are initially selected for a Partner School Team who do not participate in the Finals forfeit their eligibility for prize money and other associated prizes and benefits.
 
  • In-Person Finals format
 
  • Both the Individual and Teams In-Person Finals will take place in Tucson, Arizona USA at the Eller College of Management at the University of Arizona and the University of Arizona Esports Arena (hereinafter – Arena) on December 2, 2023. The Organizers reserve the rights to adjust the schedule. Any adjustments will be published on the MECC website. This will be a full-day event. A more detailed schedule will be published closer to the event date and all registered Participants will be provided notification upon the schedule’s release. The Organizers reserve the right to live stream the In-Person Finals on preselected YouTube channels that may include, but are not limited to, the FMWC and the MECC YouTube channels.
 
  • After each Round is over, the Participants will be required to upload their Models. If this is not done upon completion of the Participant’s work, the Participant’s results may potentially be annulled which will prevent the Participant from progressing.
 
  • Preliminary Rounds for both Individual Finalists and Teams will take place during the morning in closed sessions at the Eller College of Management. Participants must provide their own hardware and software to be used during the Preliminary Rounds. Participants must be able to set up and troubleshoot their own equipment.
 
  • Final Rounds for both Individual Finalists and Teams will take place in the afternoon at the Arena and will be open to the public. In the Arena, the Participants will be required to share their screens which will be made viewable to both in-person spectators and online viewers of the live streams, if applicable. During the Final Rounds in the Arena, Participants must use the hardware and software provided by the Organizers and the Arena staff. An English version of Microsoft Excel will be used during the live-streamed finals. The Organizers will provide details to Finalists participating in the Final Rounds on the existing hardware and software in the Arena. Software or hardware-based accommodations will be made whenever possible with reasonable notice to the Organizers.
 
  • Organizers reserve the right to add wildcards to the competition finals.
 
  • Online Finals International Teams
 
  • For the 2023 Season, the Organizers will be hosting an online Teams competition on Thursday, November 23, 2023 with competition beginning at 9AM PST / 5PM GMT for international Partner Schools who are unable to travel to the USA. The competition will be recorded and edited to be released at a later date. The Organizers reserve the right to change the time and date as necessary.
 
  • To be considered, a school must be registered as a Partner School and not be located in the USA. The four international Partner Schools with the highest accumulative scores from their top 3 participating students in the two Online Rounds will be invited to participate. The three student team must be available for setup and equipment testing before the scheduled time and must be available during the scheduled time to complete the competition. No alternative times will be offered, and if a selected international Partner School is unable to compete during the scheduled time, an alternate international Partner School will be invited at the discretion of the Organizers. The Organizes reserve the right to reduce the number of teams competing and to cancel this portion of the competition if enough teams cannot be identified that are available to compete.
 

6. Prize Money 2023 Season

  • The total prize fund for the MECC 2023 Season in-person Finals is $30,000 and divided as follows:
 
  • RankingAmount (In USD)
    Individual: 1st Place$10,000
    Individual: 2nd Place$5,000
    Individual: 3rd Place$2,500
    Individual: 4th Place$1,250
    Individual: 5th Place$750
    Team: 1st Place (prize money per team to be paid equally split to individual members)$6,000
    Team: 2nd Place (prize money per team to be paid equally split to individual members)$3,000
    Team: 3rd Place (prize money per team to be paid equally split to individual members)$1,500
    International Team: 1st Place (prize money per team to be paid equally split to individual members)$1,500
 
  • The Organizers reserve the right to refuse the Prize Money payout if the Participant cannot confirm their current enrollment status in a degree-granting institution, being 18 years of age or older, and identity by submitting a photograph of a valid government-issued ID document (only Prize Money recipients or participants receiving reimbursements can be asked to verify their identity) or if payout would be against the guidelines provided by the United States State Department, other government entities, or the University of Arizona.
 

7. Points System for the 2023 Season

  • Online Rounds:
    • The total number of points available for correctly solving all the Tasks is 1,000 points. The organizers reserve the right to introduce additional extra point bonuses that will be announced before the Online Rounds commence.
    • If a Participant solves all the Tasks before the stated deadline, a bonus of 10 points is awarded for each full minute saved. To receive the bonus, Participants are required to score at least 90% of the regular points.
 
  • In-Person Finals:
    • During the morning Preliminary Rounds, the total number of points available for correctly solving all the Tasks is 1,000 points. Participants will qualify for the Finals based on the Preliminary Round scores. Specifics on the scoring of the Final Round will be published closer to the date of competition.
 

8. Case Design Team

  • The Case Design Team is responsible for the Case design for Competitions and can consist of members of the Organizers and other experts chosen at the discretion of the MECC.
 

9. Individual Rankings

  • The Competitions utilize an internal Ranking System which is based on the performance of each Participant. Participants will be ranked based on the total number of points earned during the current Competition season.
 
  • The Ranking System is unbiasedly handled, calculated, and updated on the MECC Website (mecc.college) based on the timeline of the current Competition season by the Organizers, based upon defined criteria.
 
  • All rankings and decisions relating to rankings are strictly at the discretion of the Organizers, who are under no obligation to disclose any decision-making processes.
 
  • Upon completion of each Competition Round, updated Rankings will be published on the MECC website.
    • The Rankings will be updated on a regular and reasonable basis defined by the MECC.
    • The information which will be published includes:
      • The registered first and last name of the top 30% of Participants or an assigned ID number for the remaining Participants
      • Country
      • University or College
      • Level of degree enrolled in
      • Number of points scored
    • First and last name, Country, name of University or College, and Level of degree are all provided by Participants and are not verified by the MECC unless the Participant becomes eligible to participate in an in-person event such as the Finals
 

10. Tiebreakers (Draws)

  • In the event of a tie after the completion of qualifying Rounds, tie breakers will be conducted only when there are insufficient slots available to accommodate Participants who are tied for the number of designated slots for the Finals.
 
  • In determining the higher-ranked Participant in a tie, the following will be taken into consideration:
    • The Participant with fewer incorrect answers determined by the lowest total point value of incorrect answers.
    • The Participant with the highest amount of time saved during a qualifying Round that provided additional bonus points for Time Saved.
    • The Participant with fewer incorrect answers in all previous qualifying Rounds combined.
    • If the above steps do not determine a winner, then the person who registered for the MECC first will be declared the winner of the tiebreaker.
 
  • In the event of a tie during in-person events such as the Finals:
    • The higher-ranking Participant will be the one who scored the final amount of points first.
 

11. Participation Price

  • Participation in the online portions of the MECC including Online Competitions is free of charge.
 
  • Participation in in-person events can and will vary. See Section 5 Competition Format for the current season’s associated in-person event costs.
 
  • The Organizers reserve the right to decline all or part of any Participation in any Competition entry requested.
 

12. Certificate of Completion

  • Participants in good standing with the MECC are eligible to earn a Certificate of Completion during each MECC Season. To be eligible, Participants must complete a combination of 6 different Monthly Challenges or different Online Competition Rounds from the current season. Participants do not need to participate in any competitions to be eligible for the Certificate of Completion.
 
  • Participants are not required to achieve a minimum score to earn the Certificate.
 
  • Participants are responsible for ensuring they meet the eligibility requirements including ensuring both the Hosting Platform and the Competition Platform reflect the Participant has received credit for the intended Monthly Challenges or Online Competitions.
 
  • Certificates will be emailed to Participants using their registered email addresses within a reasonable time following the end of the current season. Notification will be provided on the MECC website when the Certificates have been emailed.
 
  • Participants who did not receive a Certificate and believe they qualified will have 1 month after the issue date to dispute their eligibility with the MECC by emailing info@mecc.college. The initial dispute email must include a registered email address. After confirmation, the MECC may request the following information to confirm eligibility:
    • List of specific Monthly Challenges or Online Competitions they completed to meet eligibility requirements
    • Dates these were completed on
    • Related files
 
  • If the Participant is unable to confirm the requested information, the MECC maintains the right to deny a Certificate.
 

13. Changes in the Rules

  • The Organizers have the right to change these Rules at their sole discretion. Updated rules will be provided on the MECC website.

Keep In Touch

Linkedin-in Instagram Youtube Facebook-f Twitter

© 2022-2023 Microsoft Excel Collegiate Challenge. All rights reserved.