About the NGM Case Competition

Nevada Gold Mines (NGM) is a joint venture between Barrick and Newmont to create the single largest gold-producing complex in the world. Their mission is to be the world's most valued gold mining business by finding, developing, and owning the best assets, with the best people, to deliver sustainable returns for their owners and partners. NGM has teamed with the Lee Business School and the Department of Accounting in presenting a case competition to provide needed financial assistance to business students at UNLV, enhance public awareness and perceptions of the mining industry in Nevada, and increase students' understanding of career opportunities in the mining industry and with NGM.

Case Overview

Each team forms part of the Business Development group for a mid-tier gold mining company with operations in Nevada, USA. The Head of Business Development has asked each team to review two hypothetical acquisition opportunities and to present an indicative investment recommendation to the group at the weekly meeting. The teams will evaluate Projects A and B based on financial and nonfinancial factors to determine which project should be selected.

Teams will be provided:

General Rules

Teams will consist of four Lee Business School students. All participants must be admitted to a major or graduate program in the LBS. Teams can have no more than 2 graduate student members. All team members must be available to present at the finals on April 14th. Students who participated in the 2024 NGM Case Competition are not eligible to participate. Although faculty members are encouraged to promote this competition on campus, NO faculty or other professional assistance is allowed in solving the case.

Guidelines for Use of AI in the Student Case Competition

  • Original Work: Submissions should mainly reflect students’ own analysis and creativity. AI should serve as a supplementary tool rather than a replacement for student effort.
  • Disclosure: Participants must state whether and how they used Gen AI tools (e.g., ChatGPT, Bing Chat) in their projects, including which tool, its contributions, and how content was verified by the team.
  • No Plagiarism: Verbatim quotes from AI outputs must be cited (e.g., “OpenAI’s ChatGPT, 2025-01-07”). Contributions in data or frameworks should also be referenced. Using AI as a “ghostwriter” for major components is forbidden. AI can assist with brainstorming or editing but should not replace student engagement in the writing process.
  • Accountability: Students are responsible for the accuracy of the content and must verify all information before submission. Be prepared to explain AI's role in the project to judges.

Teams must apply for registration to the competition by responding to the following Qualtrics survey before Friday, February 6th at 3 pm. The survey will request the complete names of all team members, along with their NSHE numbers, academic major and graduate or undergraduate status. When teams are approved they will receive an email with the required forms and case details. All teams who apply before the deadline will be notified if their team is approved by Monday, February 9th at 5 pm.

Each team will present their solutions and responses to this year’s case. In the first round, students will prepare a video and post the video to YouTube. The video must be more than 12 minutes and less than 15 minutes and should include the teams’ analyses and responses to the requirements described in the 2026 NGM Case Competition materials. The video must be unlisted on YouTube. Assistance from the UNLV video department is permitted. Teams may practice their presentations with live audiences but cannot receive technical feedback or guidance related to the case solution from faculty or other professionals.

Entries must be submitted to unlvaccounting@unlv.edu no later than 9:00 a.m. on Friday, March 13, 2026. Each entry must include:

  1. A signed Ethics Compliance Form for each team member.
  2. A signed Photo/Video Release Form for each team member.
  3. A link to the YouTube video that contains your case analysis.

The top four teams will be announced on Friday, March 20th. The four finalist teams will have virtual coaching sessions with Nevada Gold Mines representatives sometime between March 23rd and April 10th and will present their case analysis live to judges from NGM, industry representatives or UNLV representatives at 3pm on April 14th. Finalist teams will receive more details on the format of the finals on March 20th.

Multiple criteria will be used in evaluating the first-round videos and the live presentations in the finals. Judging criteria include technical content, presentation skills, presentation organization, real-world application of ideas, and strength of recommendations and conclusions.

  • Key financial and technical metrics
  • Fraser Institute Jurisdiction Attractiveness Index
  • Glossary of Key terms
  • Analyst reports for A and B

Prizes

The winners of the NGM Case Competition will receive a scholarship in the following amounts:

  • $12,000 to the 1st place team ($3,000 each team member)
  • $8,000 to the 2nd place team ($2,000 each team member)
  • $6,000 to the 3rd place team ($1,500 each team member)
  • $4,000 to the 4th place team ($1,000 each team member)

All scholarships will be posted to student accounts.

Sponsors

Nevada Gold Mines logo