Menu
Log in
Forgot password

   
Log in

National Case Study Competition in Health Education®

What is the National Case Study Competition in Health Education®?

The National Case Study Competition in Health Education® (NCSCHE), Society for Public Health Education (SOPHE), Eta Sigma Gamma (ESG), and the  National Commission for Health Education Credentialing, Inc. (NCHEC) are pleased to continue their partnership to offer the National Case Study Competition again in 2026. All four entities are committed to the tradition of providing students with a top tier professional development experience.

The NCSCHE® brings together student teams from colleges and universities around the country to demonstrate their competence in addressing a real-life challenge. In a nutshell:

  • The first step is for schools wishing to participate to identify students who want to be on the team and register them by the March 1, 2026 deadline. Undergraduate student teams can have either two or three students; graduate student teams have 2 students. Students elect to participate onsite at the SOPHE convention, or online through a Zoom meeting with the judges.
  • Three weeks prior to the competition, students and their advisor will be emailed a community-based public health education case. Students work as a team to develop a resolution to the issue and create a presentation for a panel of judges.
  • Teams will have free reign to address the issue as they see fit, but generally they will show competence in the NCHEC Core Competencies for a Health Education Specialist.
  • Students are given 20 minutes to present their case study resolution.
  • After presenting, teams are awarded a gold, silver, or bronze level designation based on the judges’ review of their case resolution.
  • One undergraduate team and one graduate team to receive the Best Program Design award based on judge feedback and scoring.
  • All teams must read and agree to the complete set of Guidelines for Participation, found here. This important document provides complete details on the process, judging, and presentation requirements for the event.


2026 National Case Study Competition

Registration for the 21st annual competition will open on December 15, 2025, and remain available until March 1, 2026.  Registration is limited to 15 onsite teams and 10 online teams. The registration fee for the case study competition is $300. Teams composed entirely of ESG members from a recognized ESG chapter receive a $50 discount ($250).

This year’s competition will be held at the SOPHE 2026 Annual Conference in Portland, Oregon. Onsite participants who travel to Portland will participate on Tuesday, April 21, 2026. NOTE: this is the day BEFORE the conference begins. Teams electing to present online will present on Wednesday April 22, 2026. The competition cannot assure time accommodation for all individual schedules. Students are responsible for being available on presentation dates.

All teams must read and agree to the complete set of Guidelines for Participation, found here. This important document provides detail on the process, judging, and presentation requirements for the event.

After reviewing the Guidelines for Participation, if you have questions about the competition, contact NCSCHE® Executive Director Karl Larson at ncsche@gmail.com

Become a NCSCHE Judge! 

The NCSCHE® competition cannot happen without the commitment of the judges who work the event every year. For a fully registered competition, the event needs 15-18 judges.

1. Judges are needed for both the undergraduate and graduate student competitions.

2. The competition will be held both onsite at the SOPHE conference in Portland, OR, Tuesday, April 21, 2026 (please note this is the day BEFORE the conference begins) and online April 22, 2026. There are morning and afternoon sessions each day, depending on registration numbers.

3. We anticipate 25 teams to register this year, 15 in Portland and 10 online, generating a need for 15-18 judges. Three judges work each session, reviewing 5 student presentations meaning we’ll need 9-12 judges onsite in Portland on Tuesday April 21st (again, note this is an 8:00am start the day BEFORE the conference begins), and 6 judges available online on April 22th. The competition works best when we have judges from a broad spectrum of settings, including management, programming, government, and academia. Portland area professionals are especially welcome to join us.

4. Each session requires a commitment of 5 hours for the judges. Onsite, the sessions run 8:00am-1:00pm, and 1:00pm-6:00pm local time. The online sessions may shift in start-finish times based on the time zone of registered teams and the judges. The 3-hour east coast/west coast time differential may require a later start and finish time for some judges.

5. Judging is done with a very detailed evaluation rubric that is aligned with the NCHEC competencies. Scores and comments are recorded in Qualtrics. Based on judge feedback, teams will be awarded gold, silver, or bronze status, and one team from each competition will receive Best Program Design.

6. Judges are assigned to only one session and will review 5 teams in their 5-hour block. Each judging group will have at least one experienced judge who will serve as the lead judge to assist those committing to the competition for the first time. Students present for 20 minutes. Judges have 40 minutes to complete the submission of scores and comments into qualtrics.

7. The case study is developed by the NCSCHE team. The case study writers are not judges.

8. The case study and the evaluation rubric will be sent to you at least one week before the competition for you to become familiar. An online meeting of judges and Dr. Larson will occur Monday evening April 13, 2026. The specific time is TBD.

9. Unfortunately, there is no pay for judging. However, judges can request a letter from Dr. Larson stating their commitment for submission to NCHEC for Category II credit, or their workplace for service documentation.

For more information, please contact Dr. Karl Larson at NCSCHE@gmail.com OR to apply to become a NCSCHE judge,


Eta Sigma Gamma National Office

PO Box 3919, Muncie, IN 47307

nationaloffice@etasigmagamma.org

© 2024 Eta Sigma Gamma. All Rights Reserved.

Privacy Policy | Terms of Use

Powered by Wild Apricot Membership Software