COMPETITIVE EVENTS BY CAREER CLUSTER

DECA’s competitive events are industry-validated and align with the National Curriculum Standards. Through competition, Washington DECA prepares students to be college and career ready, and also brings recognition and prestige to Washington state as one of the top performing associations in the world. Click below to learn more about each competition.

Prepared Event Rubrics & Guidelines | All prepared events (20-pagers, pitch decks, EIP, ESB), have underwent a rubric and guideline change. The written entry and the presentation are now equally weighted at 50% Written, 50% Presentation. All Presentation Evaluation Forms now include a standardized section on presentation technique (including EIP & ESB). See www.deca.org/compete.

Role-Play Rubrics | All role-play rubrics have changed. In addition to addressing the Performance Indicators, participants will now be evaluated on their ability to provide a solution to the case study. Career Competencies are now being evaluated in place of 21st Century Skills to align with Advance CTE’s Career Ready Practices.

Team Decision Making Role-Plays | TDM scenarios will now only have five performance indicators instead of seven.

School-based Enterprise (SBE) | The 2026-2027 topic is Promotion. The oral presentation should explain how the school-based enterprise achieves the following performance indicators: Explain the nature of a promotional plan, explain the use of visual merchandising in retailing, use cross-merchandising techniques, plan special events, and identify ways to track marketing-communications activities.

Business Operations Research | The 2026-2027 topic for each career category is for participants to collaborate with a local business or organization to research the drivers of customer loyalty and repeat engagement. Using the research findings, participants will develop a strategic plan to strengthen customer retention through loyalty programs, personalized experiences, or relationship-building initiatives.

Financial Consulting | For 2026-2027, students will assume the role of a financial consultant meeting with a small-business owner in their late 50’s who is beginning to think about retirement and succession planning. The client wants to explore options for selling, transferring, or winding down their business while maximizing financial security.

Professional Selling | For 2026-2027, students will assume the role of a sales representative for a company that offers an integrated platform combining AI-powered customer service tools and retail analytics. A regional retail chain owner has scheduled a meeting to learn how your solution can reduce response times, lower staffing costs, optimize inventory, and improve the overall customer experience both in-store and online. Your goal is to explain how your platform can help the business operate more efficiently while increasing customer satisfaction and sales.

Hospitality and Tourism Professional Selling | For 2026-2027, students will assume the role of a sales representative for a company that designs immersive, experience-based group travel packages (culinary tours, cultural immersions, adventure itineraries). A local travel agency is looking to move away from traditional group bus tours and wants to modernize its offerings for younger travelers.