Get a head start on the 2025-2026 competition season with DECA's updates, topics and resources for next year's competitive events program.

Complete guidelines will be posted in the DECA Guide and on deca.org by July 1, 2025.

Business Operations Research (BOR)

The 2025-2026 topic for each career category is for participants to collaborate with a local business or organization to seek and incorporate customer feedback into the company’s corporate social responsibility initiatives and overall business strategies. Using the research findings, participants will develop a CSR strategy to achieve internal/external results.

This means understanding what customers value, what concerns them, and how their opinions can inform a company's CSR actions and practices. Some examples may include:

• ‍Environmental Initiatives: Customers can provide insights into which environmental issues they prioritize, such as reducing carbon emissions, protecting natural resources, or promoting sustainable practices.‍
• Social Impact Programs: Customer feedback can help companies identify social issues they are passionate about, such as poverty reduction, education, or community development.‍
• Ethical Sourcing and Manufacturing: Customers can provide feedback on a company's sourcing practices, labor standards, and manufacturing processes.‍
• Diversity and Inclusion: Customer perspectives can inform a company's efforts to create a more inclusive and diverse workplace and customer base.

Helpful Resources:

• ‍Why Social Responsibility is Important in Business‍
• 2025 Most Innovative Companies Corporate Social Responsibility‍
• Is Corporate Responsibility Good Business‍
• Create Corporate Social Responsibility Strategy‍
• Corporate Social Responsibility Strategy‍
• Customer Feedback‍
• Roth’s Fresh Markets Has Fostered Decades of Deep Community Investment ‍
• Kind Snacks to Test Paper Wrappers ‍
• Inside Amazon’s Sustainability Lab ‍
• Maybelline's Largest AAPI Campaign Wants to Advance Beauty Inclusivity

Financial Consulting (FCE)

For 2025-2026, you will assume the role of a financial consultant who specializes in advising small business owners and entrepreneurs. A potential new client, a local artist who sells paintings, prints, sculptures, etc., has recently turned their passion into a successful online business. The potential new client has scheduled a meeting with you to discuss strategies for managing their rapid growth.

Helpful Resources:

• ‍Tips for Handling Fast Business Growth‍
• Building Financial Security for Rapid Business Growth‍
• How to Handle Rapid Business Growth‍
• Sustainable Fast Business Growth‍
• Five Stages of Small Business Growth

Hospitality and Tourism Professional Selling (HTPS)

For 2025-2026, you will assume the role of director of sales for a company specializing in social media influencer partnership strategy. The vice president of marketing for a local convention and visitors bureau has scheduled a meeting with you to discuss using your services to create an influencer program to drive brand awareness, increase hotel occupancy and create authentic visitor engagement.

Helpful Resources:

• ‍Influencer Marketing in the Hospitality Sector‍
• Keys to Influencer-Driven Hotel Bookings‍
• Influencer Marketing in Hotels‍
• Is Paris Hilton The Perfect Spokesperson for Hilton Hotels?‍
• NFL Legend Jason Kelce Joining Marriott Bonvoy and Courtyard by Marriott as First-Ever ‘Fanbassador,’ Bringing Passionate NFL Fans a Series of Unforgettable Experiences

Professional Selling (PSE)

For 2025-2026, you will assume the role of a sales representative for a company that specializes in subscription-based employee training and development platforms. A local non-profit business owner has scheduled a meeting with you to explore how your platform can help upskill their staff, improve customer service, and increase employee retention. The owner is particularly interested in solutions that are cost-effective, easy to implement, and tailored to the unique challenges of the non-profit industry.

Helpful Resources:

• ‍How Learning and Development Can Retain and Attract Talent
• ‍Creating a Culture of Training and Development in the Workplace‍
• Why Businesses Should Invest in Employee Training‍
• Why are Learning Subscriptions Critical for Employees

DECA does not necessarily endorse content from the above external links.

Competitive Events Changes

The following changes have been made to DECA’s Competitive Events Program effective 2025-2026.

• The broad category known as Written Events will now be referred to as Prepared Events.
• For current 10-page prepared events (Innovation Plan, Start Up Business Plan, Stock Market Game, Integrated Marketing Campaign-Event, Product and Service), the written component will now be a pitch deck. Specifications for the pitch deck will be included in the DECA Guide. The pitch deck will be uploaded prior to ICDC.

The following changes will be made to DECA’s Competitive Events Program effective 2026-2027.

• Full implementation of revised rubrics for all competitive events.