Global Social Business Case Competition for Students | Creative Shock Social Business Competition

CREATIVE SHOCK 2025

CREATED BY STUDENTS' ASSOCIATION OF ISM UNIVERSITY

AWARDS

BEST GEW STUDENT EVENT, 2012

"LOGIN" NOMINATION

„One Step Ahead Project 2021“ ISM AWARD

AACSB „Innovations That Inspire“

National Winner of European Entrepreneurship Awards

DELFI & LSS Event of The Year, 2016 & 2020

„BZN start“ Entrepreneurship Project of The Year Award

PARTNERS

INTELLECTUAL PARTNERS

REGISTRATION OPEN!

CLICK TO REGISTER

FAQ

GENERAL INFORMATION

CONTACT US!

LIDIJA RADZEVIČIŪTĖ

PROJECT MANAGER

lidija.radzeviciute@creativeshock.lt

LUKAS SKERSYS

PROJECT MANAGER

lukas.skersys@creativeshock.lt

GEIDĖ ANDRIJŪNAITĖ

EVENT MANAGER

geide.andrijunaite@creativeshock.lt

PATRIKAS SVIRSKAS

EVENT MANAGER

patrikas.svirskas@creativeshock.lt

Have you not heard about Creative Shock yet? Here is some information about the innovative and probably the most outstanding social competition!

Every year, there are extraordinary social businesses; the untouched aspects of business also have to be analyzed and understood.

Therefore, the global social business competition, or in other words Creative Shock, provides unique opportunities to solve real-world business, marketing, and public relations problems for social enterprises and organizations. Professionals then evaluate the teams according to their solved cases and creativity.

By organizing this competition, our team seeks to:

1. To promote social business in the Baltic states and all around the world.
2. To introduce students to real-life global social business models and communicate how all traditional business strategies can be applied to social enterprises and organizations.
3. To improve students' strategic thinking by challenging them with real marketing and management problems.

What is a social business?

A social business is a non-dividend company created to solve a communal issue, and it reinvests its profits to address that issue.

What are the prizes?

First place - 3000 EUR

Second place - 1000 EUR

Third place - 500 EUR

REGISTRATION:

What is the registration price?

Registration and participation in online rounds are free.
Top 10 teams invited to the Final Weekend in Vilnius will have to pay 100 EUR/per person participation fee.

How to register for the competition?

Registration opens on September 1st. Registration closes on September 21st, 20:00 (UTC+03:00, Eastern European Summer Time Zone).

Who can register for the competition?

Bachelor’s, Master’s, and MBA students who will hold a student status by the end of the competition, November 23, 2025. If selected for the Final Weekend, participants will be required to provide a document confirming their student status.

How many people can register? Can I register as an individual?

Participants may apply either individually or in teams of 3-4 (2 students do not make a team). If one registers individually, the participants will be divided into teams of 3-4 before the first round and will manage their work by themselves using any means of communication convenient to the members. If one wishes to find a team, it can be done in a dedicated Facebook group.

Did you get my registration?

After you register, you will receive a confirmation letter from us. If you don’t receive the email within 1 hour of your registration, please refer to info@creativeshock.lt

COMPETITION:

How does the competition look like?

Each registered team is given two preliminary social business case studies to solve, which are later evaluated by a team of experts. The weights of the first and second preliminary cases are 60% and 40%, respectively. Top 10 teams are invited to the Final Weekend in Vilnius, Lithuania, where they will be competing for the Grand Prize, attending a conference, various cultural activities and workshops.

How many stages does the competition have?

There are four main stages: Registration, 1st preliminary case study, 2nd preliminary case study and the Final Weekend.

Key dates of the competition:

Registration: September 1, 2025 – September 21, 2025

First preliminary round: September 22, 2025 – September 28, 2025

Second preliminary round: September 29, 2025 – October 5, 2025

Final weekend: November 20, 2025 – November 23, 2025

How many teams will participate in the finals?

The Top 10 best-performing teams will be invited to compete in the Final Weekend, which will be held here in Vilnius, Lithuania.

We sent the wrong answers before. Can we send the right solutions after the deadline?

We are sorry to say that you are not allowed to send the edited solutions past the deadline, as it would be considered unfair to other participants.
Only the answers that were received first will be assessed.

Who are the judges of the competition (the 1st and the 2nd stages)?

The first preliminary case is evaluated by the jury composed of Creative Shock Intellectual partner representatives and the organising team. For the sake of being objective, it should be noted that the submitted results are graded with the help of a standardized evaluation system. The results of the second preliminary case are assessed by the Lithuanian Marketing Association (LiMA). Our intellectual partners will judge the final cases.

How will you use our case solutions?

Solutions that were provided for the real-life cases will be shared with the businesses or organizations to help them cope with the issue, get inspired, or use the ideas to expand.

How many cases will teams have to solve during the Final Weekend?

There will be two cases – one case will be for the Top 10 teams, which they will have 4 hours to solve. Another one will be for the Top 5 teams. They will have 8 hours to solve the given case.

FINAL WEEKEND:

Where is the final event going to be held?

The final event will be held at the ISM University of Management and Economics in Vilnius, Lithuania.

Do I need a visa? How to get it?

You can check if you need a visa here: http://www.doyouneedvisa.com/. It will also tell what documents are required to get it.

Will you be able to help me with the visa?

Absolutely! We are at your service and ready to help. You can contact us anytime with any questions you might have using our info@creativeshock.It email. If the questions are regarding the visa process, please mention that in the subject line, e.g., “(Team name) visa application”.

Who is paying for the trip?

You have to cover the travel expenses yourself. Many universities are willing to cover such expenses, as this is a possibility for their students to learn, improve and practically apply the skills learned at the university. That is why we strongly advise you to contact your home university and get details about a possible reimbursement.

Who is paying for the accommodation?

Creative Shock will provide both food and accommodation for your stay during the competition (November 20 – November 23). If the finalists decide to stay in Vilnius for a longer period, they will have to cover the extra expenses themselves.

MISCELLANEOUS:

Who are the event organizers?

It is the Students’ Association of ISM University of Management and Economics, with the help of the project’s partners.

Can I get the certificate of participation?

Yes! At the end of the competition, every participant will be able to get a certificate of participation in digital form. Please send us an email at info@creativeshock.It to request it (please include the name of your team). Keep in mind that we will need some time to prepare it for you.

How many people participate in the competition?

The number of participants varies every year – from 500 to 1800.

FAUSTA VISOCKAITĖ

MARKETING MANAGER

fausta.visockaite@creativeshock.lt