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Pitch Decks: Your Questions Answered
New for the 2025-26 school year, six competitive events will replace the previously required 10-page written paper with a 20-slide pitch deck. Check out this article for answers to questions about the change to Pitch Decks.
Helping Your DECA Members Avoid Penalty Points: A Guide for Advisors
As DECA advisors, one of our crucial roles is helping student members navigate the technical requirements of written events. Use this article to guide your student members in avoiding common penalty point deductions.
In the Judge's Mind: What Makes You Stand Out in Your DECA Role-play
Go beyond the official rubric to reveal the unwritten expectations of role-play judges to hear from several experienced judges about the details that separate the solid role-plays from the unforgettable ones.
Adobe and DECA Partner to Elevate Integrated Marketing Campaign Instruction
This professional-grade roadmap was built with input from Adobe employees specializing in campaign strategy and design, agency management and marketing technology to ensure a real-world, professional approach.
How to Win Roleplays: The Art of Being Performative
Winning a DECA role-play is not always about who knows the most; it’s about who acts like they do. Welcome to the art of being performative – not in the “acting fake” sense, but in how you bring your ideas to life.
How to Prepare for District Competitions Like a Pro
Districts are your first chance to showcase your skills, gain feedback and set the tone for the rest of the competitive season. Check out these tips to help you get ready to shine.
Get Ready for Round One of the DECA Virtual Business Challenge
You won't want to miss the annual DECA Virtual Business Challenge! DECA VBC is an official competitive event free to high school members. Participate and you could earn a trip to ICDC and a share of over $20,000 in scholarship money.
Would Taylor Swift’s Marketing Score Well on a DECA Rubric?
Taylor Swift has clearly conquered the music industry, but what if she stepped into the world of DECA competition? Let’s look at how she would perform in each section of the Principles of Marketing Event.
Navigating DECA's Competitive Events Page
Choosing the right event can be overwhelming. Check out this directional guide on how to use the DECA Competitive Events page to assist you in making your decision!
2025-2026 District-Level Competitive Event Instructional Areas Announced
Get ready for competition season! Each year DECA provides the primary instructional area(s) assessed in each of the district-level scenarios to help advisors and members prepare for district competitions more effectively.
Finding Your Fit: How to Select Your DECA Competitive Event
DECA’s competitive events program is one of the most exciting parts of being a member. However, with so many options, how do you find your fit? Check out these tips on how to choose your competitive event:
Go Virtual: A Guide to DECA's Online Events
The best part about DECA's online events? You don’t need a stage or a spotlight. With just your computer, you can take on some of DECA’s most dynamic challenges, test your business knowledge and even earn the chance to compete internationally.
Top 5 Tips to Prepare for Case Studies
Are you looking for ways to maximize this year’s competition season? Follow these five tips to learn how you can make this year’s competition your best one yet!
3 Steps to Win DECA Glass in Your Prepared Event
Wining DECA Glass is every competitor’s goal. Here’s how to achieve your goal in a prepared event.
5 Ways to Improve Your Prepared Event
Written events can be difficult to master. What does a winning project look like? What kind of before-hand preparation is required?
How to Best Prepare for Your Next Role-play
With competition season fast approaching, the number one thing on many competitors’ minds is the thought of how they can crush their role-play in front of their judges. Unfortunately, there is no magical hack to make your presentations better but these tips should definitely help!
The Art of Storytelling
Whether we are competing, fundraising, socializing, serving or leading we are constantly telling a story—our DECA story. So, why not make your story the best it can be?!
A Quick Guide to Collegiate DECA Competitive Events
So, you've decided to compete in Collegiate DECA. Now what? What competitive events exist? How do you choose? We'll tackle these questions so that you can become a #NextLevel competitor!
Stress to Success: How to Use "Good Stress" to Succeed in Competition
Stress is often perceived as a negative experience, but the right kind of stress can actually fuel your success in competition and beyond. Read on to learn about "good stress", how to distinguish it from the bad and ways you can harness it to take your competitive edge to the next level!
Beginner’s Guide to the DECA Stock Market Game
The Stock Market Game is an online simulation that helps students develop skills in economics, investing and personal finance. If you are curious about competing in this event, read on to find out more!
Calming Competition Day Nerves
Already thinking ahead to your next DECA competition? Despite all the preparation in the world, it’s hard not to feel nervous when you step into the exam room or begin solving the case study! Here are some tips to enter your next competition with confidence.
The Making of Collegiate DECA's Individual and Team Case Studies
The Individual and Team Case Studies involve real-world industry trends that present a challenge for competitors to solve. The case study scenarios are derived from input from National Advisory Board partners, industry associations and trade journals. Read on for an inside look at how they are created.
Presentation Anxiety and How to Overcome It
You hear the words “presentation” and immediately your heart starts to race. We’ve all been there right? Most of us need a bit more training on calming those fears when presenting to a room of people. You are not alone in this fear and we are here to help ease the presentation anxiety.
Sports and Entertainment Competition Tips from the Pros
DECA offers several sports and entertainment marketing competitive events for members to flex their skills. To help you prepare for your next competition, I gathered some insider knowledge from two previous SEM event competitors.
