FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
The AKB Business Champions is an arena for the best European business schools.
Every year, teams representing their universities go head-to-head in two intense days of Challenges to claim and defend their place among the business champions of Europe. The teams face four business cases on finance, strategy, innovation and sustainability, each provided by our corporate partners.
The sixth edition of AKB Business Champions will take place from the 7th of October 2026 until the 9th of October 2026 in Mannheim.
The AKB Business Champions was founded in 2021 as an initiative of the student association Arbeitskreis Börse (AKB). The AKB is one of Germany’s oldest and largest student associations with a focus on banking and consulting. The organisation is based in the University of Mannheim, Germany’s No. 1. Business School by QS, THE and other rankings.
To be eligible to participate in the AKB Business Champions, you must be a team of 6 students currently enrolled at the same university or business school.
Each team must have at least two female members.
To apply, please fill out our application form and submit the CVs of all team members.
Only if your team has successfully been chosen for the championship, a participation fee will be charged per person.
Every university or business school from Europe is eligible for participation. We want to have a fair and diverse competition. That is why we have a few hard requirements that your team needs to meet:
1 – Your team needs to consist of 6 members, all enrolled at your university
2 – Your team needs to consist of at least two female members
3 – Each participant must be at least in the second year of study (at least in the 3rd semester)
Each team must apply via the application form on our website.
You will need to upload the contact information and CVs of all participants.
No fees incur upon application.
To support organization efforts, a participation fee will be applied, payable upon receipt of a confirmation of acceptance.
Unfortunately, it is not possible for individuals to participate in AKB Business Champions.
To be eligible, please set up a team of 6 students at your University.
Yes. All Universities and Business Schools in Europe may apply to AKB Business Champions.
The deadline is the 7th of September 2026.
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The teams will be selected based on two main criteria: the university the team represents and the profile of the team members
Yes. After the end of the application period, we will get in touch with you to inform you about the rank of your team on the waiting list.
Please inform your team so that a substitute team member can be arranged in time.
Should all team members be unable to attend, please reach out to us as soon as possible.
Prior preparation is not required.
Yet, please note that solving the challenges provided by our corporate partners may call for a sound understanding of business-related concepts.
How are winners selected?
The teams‘ solutions will be evaluated by a board of jurors, comprising experienced professionals from the corporate partners. After each presentation, the teams will recieve an average score of all Juror’s points.
For each challenge, the best-performing team will be nominated. Based on the overall ranking of all teams, the next Business Champion of Europe will be announced.
The updated ranking of participating business schools in the individual challenges and in the entire competition is accessible on our website under „Rankings“.
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