Nation’s top student teams advance to high-stakes ethics competition in Washington, D.C.
Eighteen teams will compete for a $250,000 prize pool in a live, judge-led semifinal round.
The National Ethics Case Competition (NECC), led by Texas A&M University in a founding partnership with the Daniels Fund, has announced the 18 teams advancing to its 2026 semifinal round, marking a major milestone in a rapidly growing national competition focused on real-world ethical decision-making.
Semifinalists will travel to Washington, D.C., to compete in person at the Bush School of Government and Public Service, where they will present and defend principle-based solutions to complex ethical challenges. Each team will face a panel of judges with experience in business, policy and executive leadership, navigating both a formal presentation and a live question-and-answer session.
“This competition develops future leaders to make sound decisions under pressure when there isn’t a clear right answer,” said Hanna Skandera, President and CEO of the Daniels Fund. “The students advancing to Washington have demonstrated not only strong analytical ability, but the judgment and conviction required to lead ethically.”
“This stage of the competition reflects the broader purpose of NECC,” said Kim Field, associate vice president for Citizenship and Service at Texas A&M University. “It challenges students to move beyond analysis and engage more fully with the complexity of real-world ethical decision-making.”
The semifinal round will narrow the field to five finalist teams, who will advance later that day.
Participants will convene in Washington, D.C., from April 16–18, with programming centered on the competition and leadership engagement opportunities.
The following universities are represented in the semifinal round:
- Bentley University
- Colorado State University
- Cornell University
- New Mexico State University
- Texas A&M University
- University of Colorado Boulder
- University of Connecticut
- University of Denver
- University of New Mexico
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
- University of Notre Dame
- University of Utah
About the National Ethics Case Competition
The National Ethics Case Competition brings together students from across the country to analyze and respond to complex ethical challenges grounded in real-world business and policy scenarios. The competition emphasizes principled decision-making, free-market leadership, and the development of future leaders equipped to navigate difficult ethical questions.
About the Daniels Fund
The Daniels Fund, a private charitable foundation, was established in 2000 with a $1 billion bequest from cable television pioneer Bill Daniels. Throughout its history, the Fund has given more than $1.5 billion, including grants to nearly 6,000 nonprofit partners and higher education scholarships to nearly 5,500 students. Throughout his life, Bill Daniels had a passionate and unwavering commitment to ethics. The Fund’s ethics initiatives, including the 2025 launch of the National Ethics Case Competition, are a key part of that legacy. Visit DanielsFund.org to learn more.
