📌About the Event

The PwC AC India Challenge – 8th Edition is a national-level B-school case study competition designed for aspiring consultants. Participants work in teams to analyse complex business problems, conduct research, develop data-backed strategies and present boardroom-ready recommendations to PwC leaders. This edition focuses on enterprise AI transformation, asking participants to help a major fashion conglomerate improve growth, operational efficiency and customer experience while maintaining a zero-layoff commitment through employee reskilling and redeployment.

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ℹ️ Event Details

• Mode of conduct: Campus-routed, multi-round competition involving case analysis, strategy development and presentations.
• Registration mode: Participants must register through the form shared by their B-school’s placement committee.
• Competition structure: The challenge consists of three progressive rounds testing strategic thinking, research, problem-solving and presentation skills.
• Opening stage: Teams begin by analysing the business problem and developing an initial strategic solution. Detailed Round 1 instructions are shared through the participating institution.
• Pre-finale – Rethink Strategy: Teams must design an enterprise-wide AI transformation strategy for a fashion conglomerate while protecting jobs through workforce reskilling and redeployment.
• Finale – Final Pitch, Real Impact: The top teams present their recommendations directly to PwC leadership in a client-style boardroom setting.

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📅 Important Dates

• Registrations: July 30, 2026
• Webinar: August 3, 2026
• Case launch: August 3, 2026
• Solution submission: August 7, 2026
• Round 1 results: August 18, 2026
• Grand finale: September 18, 2026

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🎯 Eligibility & Rules

• Who can participate:
  • First-year and second-year students studying at participating B-schools.
• Specialization: Students from any academic specialization can participate.
• Team size: Each team must have 3 to 4 members.
• Institution requirement: All team members must belong to the same B-school.
• Mixed-year teams: A team may include both first-year and second-year students.
• Exchange students: A maximum of two outgoing exchange students are permitted in each team.
• Multiple participation: A student can be a member of only one team.
• Registration restriction: Direct public registration is not offered; teams must apply through the form shared by their placement committee.
• Research requirement: Teams should use reliable secondary research and provide proper source citations.
• Calculation requirement: All major calculations should be clearly documented in appendices or reference slides.

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🏆 Benefits for the Participants

• Winner: Cash prize of ₹2,00,000.
• First runner-up: Cash prize of ₹1,50,000.
• Second runner-up: Cash prize of ₹1,00,000.
• Total cash prize pool: ₹4,50,000.
• PwC goodies: Winning and shortlisted teams may receive exclusive PwC merchandise.
• Pre-Placement Interview opportunity: National finalists receive opportunities for Pre-Placement Interviews at PwC.
• Consulting exposure: Participants gain practical experience in solving business challenges and presenting data-driven strategies to PwC leaders.
• Skill development: The competition strengthens business acumen, critical thinking, teamwork, research and professional communication.