2020 CONFERENCE COMPETITIONS
Our competitions are an annual opportunity to learn from new voices in the field and celebrate the innovation that is being created all around us – by academic researchers, industry practitioners, student teams, and startups alike.
COMPETITIONS
Case Competition
The Case Competition allows undergraduate and graduate students to analyze real data from a non-profit organization to solve a pressing people-related challenge. This year, we are thrilled to partner with UNICEF and UNDP for the competition.
Startup Competition
The Startup Competition showcases the work of cutting-edge startups in the field of people analytics.
Data Visualization Competition
The Data Visualization Competition allows participants to explore and visualize real data from a nonprofit partner organization to address a people-analytics related problem. This year, we are excited to partner with Doctors Without Borders (MSF) for the competition.
Research Paper Competition
The Research Paper Competition showcases the latest original, unpublished research in people analytics.
Sponsored by:
White Paper Competition
The White Paper Competition promotes data-driven, actionable insights from industry practitioners.
Sponsored by:
2020 COMPETITIONS
Case Competition
The Case Competition allows undergraduate and graduate students to analyze real data from a non-profit organization to solve a pressing people-related challenge.
Startup Competition
The Startup Competition showcases the work of cutting-edge startups in the field of people analytics.
Data Visualization Competition
The Data Visualization Competition gives participants an opportunity to analyze real-world data and uncover insights through unique and compelling visualizations.
Research Paper Competition
The Research Paper Competition showcases the latest original, unpublished research in people analytics.
Sponsored by:
White Paper Competition
The White Paper Competition promotes data-driven, actionable insights from industry practitioners.
Sponsored by:
CASE COMPETITION
We are excited to announce United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) as our 2020 Case Competition partners! Students will analyze a joint dataset to determine the relationship between an employee’s professional success and his or her historical mobility at UNICEF and UNDP.
We are no longer accepting submissions for this year’s competition. If you are interested in receiving information about next year’s competition, please join our mailing list here.
Take a look at the winning presentation from last year here. Previous years’ finalists can be found here. For any questions, please feel free to reach out to WPACaseComp@wharton.upenn.edu
Judging Criteria
Methodological coherence and robustness
Actionability of insights
Creativity
Presentation
Finalists & Winners
Finalists will be invited to showcase and present their submissions as part of the conference program on April 2-3, where their findings will be assessed by a panel of judges including representatives from UNICEF and UNDP, academics, and industry experts. Winning submissions will be awarded $5,000 for 1st place, $3,000 for 2nd place, and $2,000 for 3rd place. A travel stipend along with free admission to the conference will be provided for each finalist team to present at the conference. Travel restrictions apply.
Important Dates
January 31, 2020: Registration deadline
Mid-Late January: Competition Data Released
February 21, 2020: Project Submission Deadline
Early March 2020: Finalists Notified of Invitation to Present
April 2-3, 2020: Finalists Present to Conference Attendees
STARTUP COMPETITION
To be eligible, startups must have a customer-ready product that addresses an issue or a need in the space of people analytics. The startup must also be in the pre-IPO stage and have evidence of customer adoption, in the form of either $100,000 in annual revenue or the existence of large-scale customers.
We are no longer accepting submissions for this year’s competition. If you are interested in receiving information about next year’s competition, please join our mailing list here.
Take a look at the winning presentation from last year here. Previous years’ finalists can be found here. For any questions, please feel free to reach out to WPAStartupComp@wharton.upenn.edu.
Judging Criteria
Economic viability of the product
Degree of innovation
Scientific rigor and use of data
Potential impact
Finalists & Winners
Finalists will be invited to showcase their companies as part of the conference program on April 2-3. Each finalist will have an opportunity to present to a panel of judges comprised of representatives from venture capital, industry, and academia, and the winning startup will be featured on the main stage during the program. In addition, each finalist will have dedicated space to highlight their work and gather feedback from conference attendees.
Important Dates
January 20, 2020: Application Deadline
Early March 2020: Finalists Notified of Invitation to Present
April 2-3, 2020: Finalists Present to Conference Attendees
DATA VISUALIZATION COMPETITION
The competition is open to everyone. We are excited to announce Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF) as our 2020 Data Visualization Competition partners! This year, participants will have the opportunity to analyze data on various career paths at MSF and uncover key insights through the power of visualization.
We invite participants to enter as individuals or in teams of up to three. Please note that the final prompt, as well as additional details on the challenge, will only be released to those who register.
For any questions, please feel free to reach out to WPADataVizComp@wharton.upenn.edu.
Finalists & Winners
Finalists will be invited to showcase and present their submissions as part of the conference program on April 2-3, where their findings will be assessed by a panel of judges including representatives from MSF, academics, and industry experts. Winning submissions will be awarded $5,000 for 1st place, $3,000 for 2nd place, and $2,000 for 3rd place. A travel stipend along with free admission to the conference will be provided for each finalist team to present at the conference. Travel restrictions apply.
Important Dates
February 2, 2020: Registration deadline
Late January to Early February: Competition Data Released
February 24, 2020: Project Submission Deadline
Early March 2020: Finalists Notified of Invitation to Present
April 2-3, 2020: Finalists Present to Conference Attendees
RESEARCH PAPER COMPETITION
All academic researchers are welcome to apply! To be eligible, the research must be unpublished, and it must focus on a topic or issue related to people analytics. Please note that as part of this competition, your work will be shared among the Wharton People Analytics team and a limited panel of external judges. Your work will not be shared or published beyond these groups without your explicit permission.
We are no longer accepting submissions for this year’s competition. If you are interested in receiving information about next year’s competition, please join our mailing list here.
The presentation for the winning paper from last year can be found here. The titles of all of last year’s finalists can be found here. For any questions, please feel free to reach out to WPAResearchComp@wharton.upenn.edu.
Sponsored by:
Judging Criteria
Methodologically Coherent and Robust
Original and Creative
Actionable and Practical
Broadly Applicable
Clear and Accessible
Finalists & Winners
Finalists will be invited to showcase their research as part of the conference program on April 2-3. Each finalist will have an opportunity to present to a panel of judges comprised of representatives from academia and industry, and the winning submission will be featured on the main stage during the program. Each finalist submission will also receive one complimentary ticket to the conference. Winning submissions will be awarded $5,000 for 1st place, $3,000 for 2nd place, and $2,000 for 3rd place.
Important Dates
January 11, 2020: Abstract Submission Deadline
Mid-late January, 2020: Request for Full Papers Shared with Participants
February 15, 2020: Full Paper Submissions Due
Early March, 2020: Finalists Notified
April 2-3, 2020: Finalists Present to Conference Attendees
WHITE PAPER COMPETITION
All industry practitioners (for profit, non-profit, and public sector) are welcome to apply! To be eligible, the paper must focus on a topic or issue related to people analytics within your organization. Please note that as part of this competition, your work will be shared among the Wharton People Analytics team and a limited panel of external judges. Your work will not be shared or published beyond these groups without your explicit permission.
We are no longer accepting submissions for this year’s competition. If you are interested in receiving information about next year’s competition, please join our mailing list here.
The presentation for the winning paper from last year can be found here. The titles of all of last year’s finalists can be found here. For any questions, please feel free to reach out to WPAWhitePaperComp@wharton.upenn.edu.
Sponsored by:
Judging Criteria
Grounded In Research
Novel and Thought-Provoking
Actionable and Practical
Broadly Applicable
Clear and Accessible
Finalists & Winners
Finalists will be invited to showcase their research as part of the conference program on April 2-3. Each finalist will have an opportunity to present to a panel of judges comprised of representatives from industry and academia, and the winning submission will be featured on the main stage during the program. Each finalist submission will also receive one complimentary ticket to the conference. Winning submissions will be awarded $5,000 for 1st place, $3,000 for 2nd place, and $2,000 for 3rd place.
Important Dates
January 11, 2020: Abstract Submission Deadline
Mid-late January, 2020: Request for Full Papers Shared with Participants
February 15, 2020: Full Paper Submissions Due
Early March, 2020: Finalists Notified
April 2-3, 2020: Finalists Present to Conference Attendees