Rules & FAQ

Competition Rules

  • 1

    Teams consist of 1-3 students currently enrolled in a full-time academic undergraduate or graduate program.

  • 2

    All team members must be from the same university.

  • 3

    All students must register and comply to a non-disclosure agreement.

  • 4

    All teams need a faculty mentor who is currently employed by their same university (this includes adjunct professors).

  • 5

    All submissions and presentations must be delivered in English.

  • 6

    Individual countries may require additional conditions to participate - please read Official Rules for more information.

  • 7

    You may consult published works in the field of digital analytics and solicit help from your faculty mentor.

  • 8

    You may not make contact with employees of Adobe or the customer partner during the competition.

  • 9

    You may not consult with or solicit help from Adobe employees or contractors, students who are not on your team, or other outside professionals.

Judging Criteria

35%—Recommend opportunities for business improvement

We expect to see a connection between your analysis findings and the recommendations you make. The more actionable and impactful your recommendations, the better.

15%—Establish key business objectives and success metrics

We want to confirm you understand what the company’s business goals are as well as their KPIs. This information will be shared by the customer partner with all of the teams. We include this criterion to make sure you anchor your analysis and findings on what’s important to the business.

15%—Professionalism and communication skills

We are looking for polished presentations that are rehearsed and presented in a professional manner.

35%—Analyze factors impacting success metrics

We will be evaluating the quality, depth, uniqueness, and potential value of your analysis.

35%—Recommend opportunities for business improvement
35%—Recommend opportunities for business improvement

We expect to see a connection between your analysis findings and the recommendations you make. The more actionable and impactful your recommendations, the better.

15%—Establish key business objectives and success metrics
15%—Establish key business objectives and success metrics

We want to confirm you understand what the company’s business goals are as well as their KPIs. This information will be shared by the customer partner with all of the teams. We include this criterion to make sure you anchor your analysis and findings on what’s important to the business.

15%—Professionalism and communication skills
15%—Professionalism and communication skills

We are looking for polished presentations that are rehearsed and presented in a professional manner.

35%—Analyze factors impacting success metrics
35%—Analyze factors impacting success metrics

We will be evaluating the quality, depth, uniqueness, and potential value of your analysis.

FAQ

Eligibility
Is this competition open to schools outside of North America?

Yes. Students outside of North America may compete. Individual countries may require additional conditions to participate – please read the Official Rules for more information.

Are only certain universities allowed to participate in the competition?

No, this competition is open to students from any accredited university.

Are undergraduate students eligible to compete?

Yes, both undergraduate and graduate students are eligible to participate.

Can I participate in the competition if I am a part-time student?

No, only full-time students are allowed to participate.

Can I participate in the competition if I recently graduated from my university?

No, only current students are allowed to participate.

Am I eligible if I participated in the competition in the past and won a cash prize?

No, you are not eligible to participate if you are a former finalist and won a cash prize.

Am I eligible to participate in the competition if I have worked for Adobe as an employee, intern, or contractor?

No, you may not participate if you have ever been employed by Adobe.

Can I participate in the competition without any team members?

Yes, teams may consist of one, two, or three students.

Can students from different universities be on the same team?

No, all team members must be from the same university.

Faculty Mentors
Is a faculty mentor mandatory?

Yes, each team must have a faculty mentor.

Can a faculty mentor support multiple teams?

Yes, a faculty mentor can be a mentor to more than one team.

Do faculty mentors need to register and agree to the non-disclosure agreement (NDA)?

Yes, each faculty mentor is required to complete the registration process and must agree to the NDA.

When does faculty mentor registration close?

Faculty mentor registration will remain open for the entirety of the competition. However, only teams assigned to faculty mentors will be eligible to advance to the semifinal and final rounds.

Do faculty mentors need to work at the same university as their students?

Yes, faculty mentors must be currently employed by the same university that the students on their team attend.

Can an adjunct professor be a faculty mentor?

Yes, any faculty member currently employed by the university is eligible to be a faculty mentor.

What is the role of a faculty mentor?

Faculty mentors are vital to the success of their teams. They can provide encouragement, answer questions, give advice, and offer feedback as students prepare their submissions. However, faculty mentors are not considered members of the team and are not allowed to run analysis, create slides, or provide any additional help outside their role as mentor.

Why do faculty mentors have access to the data?

Faculty mentors are provided their own login to Customer Journey Analytics and can access the same data as their students. This access is provided to assist in their efforts to advise students during the competition. While they will be able to access the data, faculty mentors are not allowed to run analysis or find insights for their teams. We want to create an even playing field and encourage students to develop the skills needed to derive insights from real-world data.

Registration
Can students from different universities be on the same team?

No, all team members must be from the same university.

Is there a registration fee?

No, there is no registration fee.

How many students can register for one team?

Teams may consist of one, two, or three students.

Where do I go to register for the competition?

Visit adobeanalyticschallenge.com/registration to complete the registration form.

What do I need to do before I register for the competition?

Before completing your registration, your team will need to decide which team member will act as the team leader, choose a team name, and select a team password. You will also need to upload your own personal resume in PDF format, as well as read and agree to adhere to the Official Rules and non-disclosure agreement.

Which email address should I use to register for the competition?

When completing your registration, only provide an email address that you can easily and quickly access. This email address will be used to give you access to the data in Customer Journey Analytics and provide all updates and important reminders about the competition.

What is a team leader?

The team leader is the first student to register on their team. They will provide the team name, the team email address, and the team password.

When can I register for the competition?

See calendar for registration time period.

What if I missed the deadline to register?

To ensure an even playing field, no students will be allowed to register after registration has closed.

Is submitting my resumé mandatory? Do the resumes impact judging criteria?

Yes, submitting a resumé is mandatory, but does not impact judging criteria in any of the rounds. Over the years, Adobe has hired more than 52 students from this program, and it has been a valuable recruiting pool for other companies and agencies looking for data-driven talent.

Analysis & Submission Process
How can I learn more about Customer Journey Analytics if I’m new to the solution and want to prepare for the Challenge?

Customer Journey Analytics has developed a new curriculum program to help educators and students learn the basics of Customer Journey Analytics. To register and access the learning materials, please visit the registration page here and the education exchange course here where you will receive a badge of completion from Credly.

Is it mandatory to attend the live training session?

While not mandatory, it is highly encouraged that you attend the live training session, as well as the open office hours. Each of these will be recorded and available for on-demand viewing for those unable to attend.

When will I gain access to the data?

Data access will be provided to students via Customer Journey Analytics. Only those students who have completed registration and approved the NDA will be given access. See calendar for specific date.

How do I receive access to the data?

You will receive an email from Customer Journey Analytics guiding you to log in and access the data.

What if I didn’t receive my login credentials from Customer Journey Analytics?

Only those students who have completed registration and agreed to the NDA will receive access to the data. If you have already registered and approved the NDA, please be patient and wait for your login to arrive. Make sure to check your spam folder just in case.

What should I do if I’m experiencing errors while logging into Customer Journey Analytics?

If you are experiencing login errors, go to experiencecloud.adobe.com and either create an account with the email you used to register or login with an existing account (with that email). Several students were able to resolve their login issues by selecting “Personal Account ID” instead of “Enterprise Account ID” when logging in. If you are still having issues, please try to use a different browser, clear your cache, or use private/incognito mode. For all other login errors, leverage our troubleshooting online resource here.

How many of the business questions should I answer?

You can choose to answer as many of the questions as you would like. Some teams choose to answer all questions, some answer a few, and others address only one question. It completely depends on your analysis and the insights you want to present.

Which tools can teams use during the competition? Can teams use tools other than Customer Journey Analytics?

While teams may choose to use tools like Tableau, Excel, etc. to augment their presentations, please keep in mind that each team will be required to spend three minutes showcasing their projects in Analysis Workspace. Their ability to walk through Customer Journey Analytics will be factored into the judging process.

How many slides should be in my final presentation?

Remember that you will only have 10 minutes to present all your slides during the semifinal round. Therefore, we highly recommend that your presentation only has between 10 and 20 slides.

Where do I submit my final presentation for first-round judging?

Log into your team profile page to submit your final presentation. All files must be in PPTX format.

What if I missed the deadline to submit my presentation?

To ensure an even playing field, no teams will be allowed to submit presentations following the deadline. See calendar for specific deadline date.

Are teams allowed to make changes to their PPTX file between different rounds?

Finalist teams will have the opportunity to modify their slides prior to the final round of judging. Teams will not be allowed to make changes to their slides prior to the semifinal round.

Semifinal & Final Rounds
How long will teams have to present in the semifinal round?

Each of the semifinalist teams will be scheduled for a 20-minute presentation via web conference. Each team will have 10 minutes to present the slides they submitted to a panel of judges, three minutes to do a live walkthrough in Analysis Workspace, and then time for Q&A. For this round, the judges will be comprised of experienced analytics consultants.

How long will teams have to present in the final round?

The finalists will have the opportunity to modify their slides, and they will now have 15 minutes to present their findings and recommendations (12 minutes using slides and three minutes live in Analysis Workspace). The teams will have approximately five minutes at the end to answer questions. For this round, the group of judges will include representatives from the customer-partner, as well as other industry experts.

When will the final event take place?

The final event will take place in Las Vegas and will have a live stream announcing the winners on adobeanalyticschallenge.com. See calendar for specific date.

Who can watch the final event?

The final event live stream will be open for anyone to view. No NDA approval will be required to view the event.