A team of students representing three Polish universities – Kozminski University, SGH Warsaw School of Economics, and the University of Silesia – has secured fourth place in the global finals of The Negotiation Challenge 2025, one of the world’s most prestigious negotiation competitions, held this year in the Republic of South Africa. The event brought together 60 teams from across the globe, including universities from the USA, the UK, Germany, India, Mexico, France, Italy, the Netherlands, South Africa, Iceland, Greece, and New Zealand.
The team, composed of Paweł Urzenitok (PhD student at Kozminski University), Aleksander Łabuć (SGH), and Dominik Zdebik (University of Silesia), and coached by Bartosz Dominikowski, was the only team from Poland to qualify for the final round. The students had spent several months preparing intensively, engaging in dozens of mock negotiations with international teams and studying leading literature on negotiation, strategy, and communication.
Throughout much of the competition, the team maintained first place in the rankings. Ultimately, they missed the global title by just 3 percentage points, placing just off the podium but delivering one of the highest-scoring performances in the competition’s history. In the final ranking, the Polish team outperformed delegations from several renowned institutions, including Yale University, Columbia University, and University College London, whose academic programs include specialized negotiation tracks.
As emphasized by the participants, the result reflects not only rigorous preparation and teamwork, but also the institutional support they received. Representing Kozminski University, Paweł Urzenitok shared: “It is a great honor to represent Kozminski University on the international stage. I’m deeply grateful for the organizational and academic support I received. Thanks to the backing of my university, I was able to compete with the world’s top academic negotiators and gain invaluable experience that will stay with me for life.”
The Negotiation Challenge is recognized as one of the most prestigious academic negotiation competitions globally. It aims to develop future leaders' skills in strategy, persuasion, and managing multi-party interests in complex business environments. Participants engage in realistic negotiation simulations assessed not only by outcome but also by the quality of argumentation, flexibility, ethics, and communication style.
Placing fourth in the global finals marks a historic achievement and a strong signal that young Polish negotiators – representing diverse academic backgrounds – can compete at the highest international level alongside teams from the world’s leading law and business schools.
