Bateman Case Study Competition

First established as the National Case Study in 1973 and later renamed to honor the late J. Carroll Bateman, APR, it challenges teams of students to research, plan, implement and evaluate a public relations campaign for an actual client. More than 75 teams enter the competition each year, giving students real-world experience that can translate to résumé additions, portfolio pieces and even jobs. After an extensive judging process, three finalists are chosen to present their campaigns to the sponsor, who receives the right to ideas presented. If your company is interested in enhancing the educational experience of public relations students while also benefitting from their hard work, knowledge and resources, find out more about becoming a Competition sponsor.

2025 Competition

This year, students are challenged to develop a campaign on behalf of EveryLibrary and the EveryLibrary Institute. EveryLibrary is the only national 504(c)4 political action committee for libraries. Their mission is to support public libraries on Election Days, stabilize school library budgets, guard against book bans, and engage with state legislatures alongside partner organizations. This year's Competition will focus on positioning EveryLibrary as the leading national organization for library activists, donors, and users. 

Competition Results

PRSSA Headquarters received 45 entries for the Bateman Competition. Of these submissions, nine entries received honorable mentions and three were chosen as finalists to present their campaigns to a panel of judges on May 8. The results are below.

Winners

• First Place: Brigham Young University - True Blue Team (summary)
• Second Place: University of Alabama
• Third Place: Syracuse University
  

Honorable Mentions

• California State University, Long Beach
• Chapman University: Team 3
• High Point University
• Louisiana State University
• Montclair State University
  
• Texas State University - CommCats
  
• University of Florida
• University of Oregon
• University of South Carolina

Competition Materials

• 2025 Timeline
• 2025 Rules And Guidelines
• 2025 Bateman Competition Project Brief
• Intent-to-Enter Form
  • Deadline Extended: Nov. 7, 2024 (2 p.m. ET)

   

Client Update

• Client Call: Held on Nov. 7, 2024 (2:30 p.m. ET)
  • Recording
  • Client Brief PowerPoint
• Client Q&A: Jan. 16 (2 p.m. ET)
  • Recording
  • Brand Kit

Whether you are new to the competition or have participated before, review these past campaigns to see the creativity, thoroughness and strategic thinking that go into winning campaigns each year.

• 2024 Culturs The Global Multicultural Magazine
• 2023 News Literacy Project
• 2022 Lymphoma Research Foundation
• 2021 PRSA Civility Task Force
• 2020 U.S. Census Bureau
• 2019 The PRSA Foundation
• 2018 With Purpose
• 2017 Campaign To Change Direction
• 2016 Student Veterans of America (SVA)
• 2015 Home Matters
• 2014 Fiserv
• 2013 Raising Awareness of the Consequences of Youth Bullying

Each year, more than 60 student teams at colleges and universities nationwide compete in the Bateman Case Study Competition. With guidance from advisers, each team researches, plans and executes a public relations campaign in its community for the client, which receives rights to the campaign ideas presented.

Benefits

As the Bateman Competition client and sponsor, you provide an outstanding educational experience for students — but good will certainly isn’t the only benefit of the sponsorship.

• Local Touch; National Reach. As the competition sponsor, your cause is advocated in various locations nationwide through campaigns tailored to fit each community’s unique demographics and values. You also receive the research findings that support these campaigns.
• Social Media Immersion. Students, immersed in new technology, are able to confidently apply social media strategies to support your cause.
• Creativity of Youth. The effective creativity of the student campaigns have been a highlight of the competition every year. As a sponsor, you receive a copy of every entry and rights to use in part or entirety all ideas submitted.
• Insight of Experience. Each student team has at least one Professional and one Faculty Adviser, who help ground each campaign in the principles of strategic public relations.
• Nationwide Media Coverage. As the Bateman competition sponsor, you have multiple public relations teams pitching targeted stories about your cause to their local media.

Become a Sponsor

The first step to sponsoring the Bateman Case Study Competition is to contact Jeneen Garcia at jeneen.garcia@prsa.org to discuss the program.

Sponsors are then asked to complete the sponsor RFP form (Word or PDF), which is reviewed for approval by PRSSA Headquarters.