Engineering & IT Case Competition
What is the Engineering & IT Case Competition?
The competition takes place once a year and provides Engineering and Information Technology students with the opportunity to work within a multidisciplinary team and craft responses to a genuine industry challenge.
The Engineering & IT Case Competition provides students with an opportunity to:
- Network with industry representatives
- Be a part of a team
- Contribute ideas to a real life scenario
- Apply what you have learned in the classroom
- Sharpen your professional skills
- Develop your industry experience
- Win some great prizes!
Participate in the 2020 competition
Learn more about the competition and how to register your team.
Why take part?
Who can apply?
The competition is open to multidisciplinary teams that must contain 4 or 5 students who are enrolled in any of these courses:
- Masters of Engineering
- Master of Information Systems
- Master of Information Technology
- Masters of Energy Systems
Each team must be multidisciplinary — that is, it must contain students from at least two disciplines of engineering or computer information systems, eg: structural, geomatics, electrical, chemical, mechanical, software engineering, information technology.
All teams will benefit from having a broad range of disciplines represented in their team. Students undertaking degrees other than a Master of Engineering are encouraged to have students undertaking an engineering degree within their team.
How does it work?
Once your team has registered you will be invited to attend the first workshop (see key dates below) where you will confirm your team and be presented with some invaluable information to prepare you for the case competition. This is where the case study problem will be revealed.
Note: All teams wanting to partake in the competition must participate in this event.
It is expected that all students wanting to participate in the competition make themselves available for the dates listed below. It is compulsory that you attend all workshops.
Teams will submit a two page document in Stage 1 of the competition that addresses the Case Competition problem.
Final teams will progress to Stage 2 of the competition and are required to attend a compulsory preparation workshop. These teams will present their final presentation to a panel of industry judges.
One team will be awarded a prize and certified the winners of the Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology (FEIT) Case Competition!
Prizes
First Prize
The winning team will receive the following:
- A 12-month mentoring experience provided by industry professionals
- A team site visit
- A $100 Coles Myer Gift Card for each student in the winning team
- The team name and individual names of the group members will be engraved in the Engineering & IT perpetual trophy alongside previous competition winners.
- Certificate of acknowledgement
Second prize
The runner-up team will receive the following:
- A team site visit
- A $50 Coles Myer Gift Card for each student in the runner-up team
- Certificate of acknowledgement
Finalists
Each finalist will receive a certificate of acknowledgement.
Industry contribution
This year’s case study and prize has been generously provided by CYP Design & Construction.
Key dates
Date | Activity |
---|---|
Tuesday 18 August 2020 12pm (midday) | Team registrations due |
Tuesday 18 August 2020 6.30–7.30pm | Stage 1: Case competition outline and initial briefing |
Friday 4 September 2020 By 12pm (midday) | Stage 1: Tender bid document due Teams will submit their two page submission. The link to upload your submission will be provided to those students who attend the Stage 1 workshop. |
Friday 18 September 2020 | Finalists announced Finalist teams will be notified, progress to Stage 2 of the competition and invited along to the Stage 2 workshop. |
Wednesday 30 September 2020 6.30–8pm | Stage 2: Presentation skills workshop Teams will be presented an overview of the final stage of the competition and participate in a Presentation Skills Workshop to prepare them for their final oral presentation submission. A representative from CYP Design & Construction will be present to provide teams with industry knowledge and insights to assist with their final presentation. |
Tuesday 13 October 2020 6–7.30pm | Final presentation Finalist teams will present to a panel of industry judges in a virtual Final Showcase event. The winning team will be announced and prizes awarded at the event. |
More information
Questions about the competition can be sent to eng-placements@unimelb.edu.au.
Previous case studies and competition winners
Each competition challenge is developed in collaboration with industry.
The winning team will be awarded the perpetual trophy, take part in an onsite tour at an industry premises, and undertake a mentoring opportunity with an industry professional.
2020 competition
Winning team
The Socially-Distanced Superstars:
Matthew Khowira, Simone Costello, Clive Wang, Alexandra Wigley and Miro Bell
Case summary
Teams participating in the 2020 Case Competition were required to present concept designs for an innovative and forward-thinking discrete renewable energy solution for the Parkville Station precinct, as part of the Metro Tunnel Project – the biggest ever public transport project in the state. The renewable energy design also required a community education component.
The case and prizes were generously provided by CYP Design & Construction, who will deliver the Tunnels and Stations package for the Metro Tunnel Project.-

2019 competition
Winning team
T.T Consulting

Case summary
The 2019 Case Study Competition saw student teams create a bid document that presented a innovative transport link to the Fishermans Bend Employment Precinct. Fishermans Bend is an important area of growth for population, economic, employment and education/research in Victoria. The Employment Precinct will include the new Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology (FEIT) campus and the transport link that the teams created needed to identify a was that guests visiting the area could enter through a impressive Innovation Precinct Gateway whilst seamlessly proceeding to the Employment Precinct.
The 2019 Case Competition was provided by WSP Australia.

2018 competition
Winning team
Loads, Diodes and Cathodes

The 2018 winning team. Left to right: Nathaniel de Bell, Master of Engineering (Mechanical), Dominique Ling, Master of Engineering (Mechatronics), Arthur Masion, Master of Engineering (Chemical), Tony Srour, Master of Engineering (Electrical).
Case summary
The 2018 Case Competition provided student groups with the opportunity to present their ideas for the repurposing and decommission of two ExxonMobil offshore platforms in the Bass Strait. Ideas were judged both on their feasibility and creativity.
The case was delivered by ExxonMobil, who also generously donated a 12 month mentoring experience and site visit to the winning team.
The 2018 Case Competition was provided by ExxonMobil.

2017 competition
Winning team
MEMB Consulting

The 2017 winning team. Left to right: Benjamin Appuhamy, Master of Engineering (Mechanical with Business); Kulaghan Kumaradevan, Master of Engineering (Biomedical); Kevin Ngo, Master of Engineering (Electrical with Business); and Vishwesh Sridhar, Master of Engineering (Mechanical).
Case summary
Student groups participating in the 2017 competition received a project brief providing some background to the FEIT Campus II project. A set of considerations and criteria were delivered by AECOM, a multinational engineering consultancy and construction firm.
Each team provided a bidding document which outlined design concepts for the Campus II project. Six teams then progressed to the finals where they presented their ideas to a panel of industry judges.
The top two teams received a 12 month mentoring experience and site visit, generously donated by AECOM and ExxonMobil.
The 2017 Case Competition challenge was provided by AECOM.

2016 competition
Winning team
Brief-case

Left to right: The 2016 winning team at the ExxonMobil site visit that they won as part of the competition: Rupert Allan, Master of Engineering (Mechatronics); Jason Lam, Master of Engineering (Chemical); Albert Chang, Master of Engineering (Mechanical with Business); Vlad Litvinenko, Master of Engineering (Biomedical with Business); and Irene Chandra, Master of Engineering (Chemical)
Case summary
Groups in the 2016 competition received a project brief asking them to review the use of an under-utilised desalination plant to supply a rural site. Within this simulated case study, a senior engineer assigned each group with the task of presenting the basic material required to bid on a call for tender for a rural water infrastructure project; the intention was to persuade a visiting division head that the team is equipped to bid for the project, and to solicit advice on how to proceed.
The student groups were presented with the case and delivered their bid presentation all on the same day, highlighting the teams adaptability and creativity in pitching their ideas.
The top team received a mentoring experience and site visit generously donated by ExxonMobil.