Team Requirements

• Teams must consist of two to four students.
• Participants must be at least 18 years of age and enrolled as a part-time or full-time student at the time the round one paper entry is submitted (or have graduated no earlier than Oct. 1, 2024).
• Teams must have a faculty or educator adviser.

Important Dates

• Registration opens Dec. 1, 2024.
• Registrations must be submitted no later than Jan. 31, 2025.
• Papers can be submitted between Dec. 15, 2024, and Feb. 21, 2025.
  • Up to 15 teams will be selected for round two and notified on or around March 5, 2025.

• Video presentations for round two participants are due by March 26, 2025.
  • The top two teams (winner and runner-up) in each of the three domains will be announced around April 16, 2025.

Competition Guidelines

Teams can choose their own SAS learning software, data and analytical question(s) for the competition.

• SAS software allowed:
  • SAS OnDemand for Academics.
  • SAS^® Viya^® for Learners.
  • SAS Viya Workbench for Learners.*
  • University-licensed SAS software.

• Data and analytical question(s):
  • Student teams may choose their own data set and pose their own analytical question(s).
  • Data sets must be publicly available, and entries must include a link to the data.

* SAS Viya Workbench for Learners is a development environment that supports SAS and Python. Curiosity Cup participants who use Viya Workbench for Learners may use Python but are encouraged to also show how SAS code or SAS Viya were used to advance their analysis or to visualize their results.

Judging

Teams have two rounds to highlight their skills:

• Round 1: Teams submit a two-to-five-page paper that conducts a data analysis using SAS technology and describes results to a general audience.
  • Judging is based on data preparation, data analysis, data presentation and overall paper structure.
  • Up to 15 teams will be chosen to compete as finalists in round 2.
  • All papers must be submitted using the approved paper template. Only papers using that template will be accepted.

• Round 2: Teams submit a video presentation describing their data analysis as if given to an audience of analytical stakeholders.
  • Judging is based on presentation organization, demonstrated subject knowledge, use of visuals, presentation mechanics and message.

• Complete judging information will be available in the terms and conditions and the FAQs.
  

Awards

All finalist teams will receive a SAS digital badge acknowledging finalist status.

• A winning and runner-up team will be declared in each of the three domains:
  • Data preparation.
  • Data analysis.
  • Data presentation.

• Each student member of the top team in each domain may select one of the following prizes: See the terms and conditions and FAQs for more details.
  
  • Apple iPad (approximate MSRP: US$499).
  • Beats Studio Pro Wireless Headphones (approximate MSRP: $349).
  • Meta Quest 3 – 128GB Breakthrough Mixed Reality Headset (approximate MSRP: $499).
     

  * Prizes are subject to availability. In the event of a supply shortage, a comparable prize option of similar value will be offered. Only one first-place prize will be given to an individual winner regardless of the number of domains in which their respective team places first.

• Additionally, each student from a winning team will receive:  
  • Twelve months of access to the SAS content subscription of their choice.
  • SAS digital badge acknowledging winner status.
• Each student member of the runner-up teams in each domain will receive:
  • Twelve months of access to the SAS content subscription of their choice.
  • SAS digital badge acknowledging finalist status.

• Complete judging information will be available in the terms and conditions and the FAQs.