INSEAD Negotiation Cup - Negotiation and Conflict Management Collaborative

INSEAD Negotiation Team wins 1st place at Warsaw Negotiation Round 2026 and 2nd place at The Negotiation Challenge

The inaugural INSEAD Negotiation Cup (IN.Cup) has already made a global impact. Selected through IN.Cup 2025 and coached by the Negotiation and Conflict Management Collaborative (NCMC), the INSEAD Negotiation Team (IN.Team) achieved 1st place at the Warsaw Negotiation Round 2026 and 2nd place at The Negotiation Challenge (Paris), in INSEAD’s first-ever participation in both competitions.

The team, comprising Lucien Merhej, Laure Savant-Ros, Jean-Philippe Serhal, and Clay Lin, was widely recognised for their competence, collegiality, and integrity throughout the competitions.

Could you be part of the next IN.Team? 

IN.Cup 2026 will open for registration soon. Join a growing community of negotiators, challenge yourself through real-world negotiation simulations, and potentially represent INSEAD on the international stage.

📝Registration opens soon. In the meantime, explore the IN.Cup 2026 Rules & Regulations and start building your team.

IN.Cup 2026 Rules and Regulations

🏆The journey began with the inaugural IN.Cup 2025, where students from across the INSEAD community competed in a series of negotiation challenges. Several outstanding participants were subsequently selected to form INSEAD Negotiation Team (IN.Team) and represent INSEAD internationally.🏆

Competition Categories

1. Student: Currently enrolled INSEAD MBA, MIM, MFin, PhD, GEMBA, TIEMBA, EMC, and other eligible degree programmes approved by the IN.Cup Committee.

2. Open: INSEAD EMBA, EMC, DP/EDP alumni, staff, and faculty. Students eligible for the Student Category may opt into the Open Category but may not participate in both.

   Teams of three may comprise participants from different INSEAD programmes, provided all members belong to the same competition category.

    

Competition Structure

Round 1 – Qualifiers (Online)

The Online Qualifiers serve as the first stage of the competition, with the top teams advancing to the Finals.

• Conducted online via Zoom in English.
• Open to eligible INSEAD students, alumni, faculty, and staff.
• Teams of three compete within their respective category.
• Three online qualification rounds over three weeks, with one negotiation per round against randomly assigned teams.
• Team pairings and negotiation roles are randomly assigned before each round.
• Teams must submit negotiation transcripts, agreed outcomes, and relationship scores via the IN.Cup platform.
• Scoring: 70% Outcome + 30% Relationship.
• The top teams in each category advance to the Finals.
• Zoom transcripts may be used for scoring verification, research, and educational purposes.

Round 2 – Finals 

The Finals will be held in person at INSEAD Abu Dhabi on 23–24 November 2026.

• Live negotiations before a panel of judges.
• Each finalist team negotiates three new cases.
• Team pairings and negotiation roles are randomly assigned.
• Judges comprising academics and senior professionals evaluate each negotiation.
• Scoring: 1/3 Outcome + 1/3 Relationship + 1/3 Judges' Evaluation.
• Finalist teams must attend the Finals in person.
• Finalist teams are responsible for arranging and funding their own travel, accommodation, visas, meals, and other related expenses.
• NCMC will provide visa invitation letters and general travel information to Abu Dhabi for finalist teams.

Through a series of team-based negotiation rounds, the IN.Cup offers participants a meaningful opportunity to:

• Compete, learn, and grow in a dynamic academic environment.

• Be identified and coached as high-potential negotiators to represent INSEAD at international competitions.

• Strengthen INSEAD’s global leadership in negotiation and conflict management.

• Build deeper connections across the INSEAD community.Inspire future research, teaching innovation, and case development.

Modelled on best practices from The Negotiation Challenge (TNC)—one of the world’s premier negotiation competitions—the IN.Cup equips participants with invaluable skills while highlighting INSEAD’s commitment to excellence and innovation.

Awards

Best Overall Team (Gold, Silver, Bronze) per category

Beyond the competition, IN.Cup serves as the primary pathway to IN.Team, INSEAD's representative negotiation team for international competitions. Outstanding individual negotiators will be considered for selection based on overall performance, professionalism, teamwork, coachability, commitment, and potential for international representation. 

IN.Cup Organising Committee

Who can participate?
Any INSEAD student, alumni, staff, or faculty member.

Do I need prior negotiation experience?
No. The IN.Cup is designed to be both educational and competitive.

Is English required?
Yes, all negotiations must be conducted in English.

Can we use AI tools in prep?
Yes, external sources (including GenAI) are allowed during preparation phases, but not during the negotiation.

What happens if I miss a round?
Teams that miss sessions or fail to submit results face automatic penalties.

What costs are involved?
Round 1 is online (no costs). Finalists are expected to arrange and fund their own travel and accommodation unless otherwise communicated by the IN.Cup Committee.

When are final results published?
Winners will be announced during the closing event, and the final results will be published shortly after the event. 

Get Involved

Join the Next Challenge
Whether you’re a participant, coach, judge, or industry partner, the IN.Cup welcomes everyone passionate about advancing negotiation excellence.

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Become a Partner or Sponsor
Support the development of negotiation capabilities worldwide.

Stay Connected & Get Involved
For partnership or sponsorship opportunities, or for any additional queries or clarifications, please contact the NCMC team at:

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