Rules and FAQs

Anyone in the world over the age of 18.

No, the competition is for individuals only.

When you enter the competition, you will automatically be given advanced membership of The Negotiation Society.

No, as part of our pilot we are not charging an entry fee. All we ask is that you commit to providing candid and timely feedback throughout and at the end of the competition to help us to optimize the experience ahead of our global launch next year.

As this is the pilot we are not charging entry to the competition, but we do ask that you provide candid and timely feedback throughout so that we can optimize the experience ahead of our global launch later in 2022.

Entry into the competition in subject to The Negotiation Society website terms and conditions.

The Gap Partnership’s decisions relating to those terms and conditions, including the removal of any participant, are at The Gap Partnership’s absolute discretion.

The leaderboard is available for anyone in the world to view if they go onto The Negotiation Society website.

No, you may choose any name to compete under, but please keep it professional!

Not unless you choose to tell them. The only details we will automatically provide to other contestants are your chosen competition name and the country you are based in.

All cases are assigned at random.

No, the cases have been written so that previous sector knowledge will be of no advantage.

Yes, as the competition progresses the cases get increasingly complex and will require collaborative and creative thinking to reach a deal.

Yes, all the cases and instructions are provided in English. All negotiations will be conducted in English.

All negotiations are recorded.

Following round 1, the recordings will be used in the event of a tie or no-deal whereupon they will be viewed by an independent judge from The Gap Partnership who will determine the winner based on the stated criteria in the case instructions.

Recordings may also be retained for training purposes within The Gap Partnership following the competition.

Recordings will not be used for external marketing without prior consent and will be deleted following completion of the competition or once the internal training as stated above has taken place.

For more information about your rights please visit our Privacy Policy

In round one the negotiations and preparation time take no more than 35 minutes. For the remaining rounds, the total time for preparation and negotiation is as follows:

Round 2: 55 minutes

Round 3: 75 minutes

Quarter Finals: 105 minutes

Semi Finals: 150 minutes

Final: 210 minutes

By entering The Negotiators you also gain access to all the learning resources found within The Knowledge Bank of The Negotiation Society. This includes our Negotiation Shorts which distill key negotiation principles into 2 - 3 minute videos. We would strongly recommend that you take some time to prepare. 

Round one takes place over three weeks from 10th January 2022 up to and including 30th January 2022. Contestants need to ensure they make themselves available to negotiate at least four times.

Round two - Wednesday 2nd February

Round three - Friday 4th February

Quarterfinals - Tuesday 8th February

Semifinals - Friday 11th February, 12pm GMT 

Finals - Friday 18th February, 12pm GMT

In the early rounds we will do our best to accommodate a request for a date or time change. However, if none can be found, the competitor forfeits the round. The date of the semifinal and final cannot be changed.

We understand that sometimes, even the best plans go wrong. If you are unable to join the live negotiation after being paired with another competitor, then the negotiation will time out and both competitors will be given the opportunity to re-schedule again with no penalty.

Round 1 starts on January 10th 2022 and runs up to, and including, January 30th 2022.

In round 1 you need to complete a minimum of four negotiations. However, you can complete up to eight negotiations if you wish. The scores from your top four negotiations are taken through to the leaderboard. So, you can keep going to improve your performance and increase your overall score.

In round 1 you will need approximately 35 minutes to prepare and conduct your negotiations.

In round 1 the negotiations are based on real-world scenarios and are usually centered around one or two variables.

If, after the allocated negotiation time, you do not agree and submit a result then you will be awarded a no-deal and both parties will receive zero points. Should this happen, you will still be able to complete an extra negotiation (up to a maximum of eight) to ensure you have four sets of points on the leaderboard.

During round 1 we will have four open negotiation spots every day. You simply click on the scheduling button and choose the day and time slot that would like. Then, at the time you have chosen, return to your scheduling page and click to join. You will automatically enter a virtual waiting room. The computer will pair you at random with another competitor who has also chosen the same time slot. Once matched, you will both enter the preparation room where you will find your case notes and instructions. If there is no one available to match with, you will need to reschedule another time slot.

During round 1 we will have four open negotiation spots every day. You simply click on the scheduling button and choose the day and time slot that would like. Then, at the time you have chosen, return to your scheduling page and click to join. You will automatically enter a virtual waiting room. The computer will pair you at random with another contestant who has also chosen the same time slot. Once matched, you will both enter the preparation room where you will find your case notes and instructions. If there is no one available to match with, you will need to reschedule another time slot.

The cases have all been written and tested. Once the case is unlocked there is no opportunity to ask any clarifying questions.

At the end of round 1, the top 32 negotiators proceed to the knock-out stage of the competition. For everyone else, this is the end of their journey, however you are still invited to remain a member of The Negotiation Society and also to join us to watch the live final.

In the event of a tie, we will take the scores from the top five negotiations each contestant has completed. If there is still a tie we will look at the top six scores achieved... then the top seven...then the top eight. (It is statistically highly unlikely there will be a tie for places once we look at the top five scores). However, this does mean that it is in the negotiator's best interest to try to complete more than four negotiations. If there is still a tie after looking at the top eight scores then the computer will chose one competitor at random to proceed.

A knock-out round is where contestants conduct one negotiation and the winner of that negotiation (the person securing the most points for their deal) proceeds to the next round and the loser (the person with the least points in that deal) is knocked out of the competition.

The cases have been constructed to make a tie almost impossible, however if a tie does take place or contestants reach a no-deal, then the negotiation will be judged by a negotiation expert from The Gap Partnership who will determine the winner. The judge's decision will be final and judging criteria will be available in the instructions for each case.  

We will order the 32 contestants entering round 2 in the first instance by geographic territory and thereafter at random. The reason for this is to make the initial knock-out rounds easier to schedule and less likely to result in someone having to negotiate with someone on the other side of the world in the middle of the night!

The top 32 competitors from Round 1 proceed to round 2. At this point they enter the knock-out stage of the competition where negotiators are paired at random and the competitor securing the most points from their agreed deal proceeds to the next round. The negotiator securing the least points gets knocked out. 

Round 2 will take place on Wednesday 2nd February 2022. We will work with you to schedule a time that works for both parties.

Round 2 is scheduled to take 55 minutes from the start of preparation to the end of the negotiation.

In the event of a tie or no-deal, the recording of the negotiation will be viewed by a negotiation consultant from The Gap Partnership who will decide the winner based on the criteria provided in the instructions. The judge's decision is final.

The top 16 competitors from round 2 will proceed to round 3. All competitors will be able to see who they are negotiating with on the competition knock-out table that will be live on The Negotiation Society website and available to track the competition as it unfolds.

Round 3 takes place on Friday 4th February 2022, and we will work with you to schedule a time that works with you both.

Please allow 75 minutes for the preparation and negotiation.

In the event of a tie or no-deal, the recording of the negotiation will be viewed by a negotiation consultant who will decide the winner based on the criteria provided in the instructions. The judge's decision is final.

The top 8 contestants from round 3 will proceed to the quarterfinals. All negotiators will be able to see their progress, and that of their competitors, on the competition knock-out table live on The Negotiation Society website from the start of round 2. 

The quarterfinals are on Tuesday 8th February 2022. We will work with you to schedule a time that works for both parties.

Please allow 105 minutes for the preparation and negotiation of the quarterfinals.

In the event of a tie or no-deal, the recording of the negotiation will be viewed by a negotiation consultant from The Gap Partnership who will decide the winner based on the criteria provided in the instructions. The judge's decision is final.

The semifinal will be judged live by two negotiation consultants from The Gap Partnership. Judging criteria will be provided to the semifinalists as part of their instructions. 

The semifinals take place on Friday 11th February 2022 at 12 noon GMT (unless geographic time zones of both competitors are such that a more practical time can be agreed).

Please allow 150 minutes for the preparation and negotiation.

The final will be streamed live so that anyone in the world with a desire to watch it can do so. Like the semifinals, the final will be judged live by three negotiation consultants from The Gap Partnership. Judging criteria will be provided to the finalists as part of their instructions. 

The final will take place on Friday 18th February 2022 at 12 noon GMT. 

Please allow 210 minutes for the preparation and negotiation.

As this is a pilot, and we are not charging for participation, the prize will be the glory afforded to the winner as World Negotiation Champion...rather than a monetary cash award!