NPCC 2026 rules and judging rubric.

1. Eligibility

Each participant must be enrolled in Grade 9, 10, 11, or 12 and live in or attend school in Ontario on the competition date. A team contains two to four eligible students. Students may represent one school or form a community team. Each student may participate on one team only.

Every team names one adult advisor who is at least 18 years old. The advisor supports attendance, receives official communication, and helps the team follow school, family, privacy, and youth-safety requirements. The advisor may not perform the team's analysis, write its deck, or answer presentation questions.

2. Registration and attendance

Registration closes November 1, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. ET. A team is registered only after Navio sends confirmation. Team changes require written approval and must preserve eligibility. Confirmed teams must be available online from 10:00 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. ET on November 15 and join the assigned presentation slot.

3. Case materials and outside research

Navio releases the same fictional case and evidence package to confirmed teams on November 9 at 5:00 p.m. ET. Teams may use public sources to understand general context, but must not contact a real organization, client, employee, or person presented in the case. The case facts control where an outside source conflicts with the fictional scenario.

All outside facts, figures, quotations, images, and frameworks must be identified in the deck with a source name and working link. Teams are responsible for checking relevance, date, and accuracy.

4. Original work and technology

The analysis, recommendation, presentation, and answers must reflect the team's own reasoning. Team members may use common research, writing, spreadsheet, presentation, and design tools. If a generative artificial-intelligence tool contributes text, analysis, images, or structure, the final slide must name the tool and describe how it was used.

Disclosure does not replace understanding. Judges may ask any team member to explain a claim, calculation, source, or recommendation. Undisclosed copied material, fabricated evidence, impersonation, or work completed by a non-team member may result in a score adjustment or removal from the competition.

5. Submission

The final deck is due at 12:00 p.m. ET on November 15 through the submission route provided to confirmed advisors. It may contain no more than seven slides total, including the title, sources, and technology disclosure. Speaker notes are not judged. Links to additional slides, videos, appendices, or documents are not considered.

A late deck may be accepted only when Navio confirms a platform or accessibility issue. Teams should keep a local copy and submit before the deadline when possible.

6. Presentation

Each team receives seven uninterrupted minutes to present and five minutes for panel questions. At least two registered students must speak. Only registered students may answer questions. Screen sharing and ordinary presentation visuals are permitted; prerecorded narration and substitute presenters are not.

Judges stop scoring material presented after the time limit. Technical difficulty should be reported immediately through the event contact route. The panel may continue with a verbal presentation or reschedule within the event window when the issue is outside the team's reasonable control.

7. Judging

• Problem analysis — 25 points: identifies the central decision, affected people, causes, and constraints.
• Recommendation and tradeoffs — 25 points: proposes a coherent response and addresses meaningful alternatives and consequences.
• Implementation and feasibility — 20 points: assigns actions, timing, resources, risks, and measures of progress.
• Evidence and assumptions — 15 points: uses the case and relevant sources accurately and distinguishes evidence from assumptions.
• Presentation and questions — 15 points: communicates clearly, uses the time effectively, and demonstrates shared team understanding.

The team with the highest total score is ranked first. A tie is resolved by the higher combined score for problem analysis and recommendation; if still tied, the higher implementation score decides. If those scores also tie, the panel records a shared placement.

8. Conduct and safety

Participants must communicate respectfully and may not harass, discriminate against, threaten, or expose private information about another person. Teams must follow platform instructions and may not record, publish, or redistribute another team's presentation without permission.

Navio may remove a participant or team for serious or repeated rule violations. Safety concerns can be sent to hello@naviopathways.com. Email is not an emergency service.

9. Administration

Navio may correct a clerical error, respond to an accessibility need, or adjust timing when technology or safety requires it. A material change is posted on the competition page and sent to registered advisors. The Founder and President is responsible for final rule interpretation and event administration.

Last reviewed August 14, 2026.