Frequently Asked Questions
When does the program begin?
The program is available year-round for learning. Sign-up from the top-menu to register for your password, then click Learn on the top-menu to begin. When you are finished with our curriculum and practice exercises, click Pitch on the top-menu to enter our competition area. You may upload your video pitch between October 1st and March 4th - 11:59PM EST.
How will I be able to vote on other presentations?
Beginning on March 5th you may begin to vote on presentation submissions. Click Pitch on our top-menu to travel to the competition area. Click the "Gallery" link at the top of the competition area and review the submissions in your applicable category (filters are on the left). Next, click a video which interests you. Beneath the video you will find a voting interaction. In order to be eligible for prizes, we ask that you vote on three (and only three) businesses from a competing school. We monitor for fraudulent and duplicate voting. The number of votes for each pitch are represented by this icon: ❤️️ in the galleries.
Must all students on the team present?
Not all students must present, but this is a great learning opportunity for all students. Please introduce the team, as part of your presentation.
What video format is required for the pitch?
Videos cannot be greater than 500MB in size or over 5 minutes in length.
Acceptable File Formats:
Who uploads the presentations?
Teachers should upload their presentation in most cases. For privacy purposes, please ensure that no information (especially identifying information) is added to the submission beyond what has been outlined.
What schools and students can participate?
This program is for all public, private and home school students.
Who may participate?
This is only for any student, in any school 5th to 12th grade.
What are the two divisions?
There are two divisions - high school and middle school.
Must students work on a team?
While teams up to four students are suggested, you do not need to work on a team. This is an exceptional opportunity to showcase individual talent and ideas too.
Can I be on more than one team?
You can support and help other teams, but for submissions and potential prizes, you can only be on one team per year.
How long should the pitch be?
No presentations over five minutes will be accepted.
Is there judging criteria or a rubric?
Real life experiences don’t come with a rubric, but we have general guidelines for judging criteria that can be shared upon request. In general, the judges will be looking for viable ideas (will someone buy that product) that are feasible - is it possible for the student(s) to bring that product to market and will it potentially make money. It’s the students’ job to convince the judges that these things are possible.
Tell me more about the prizes?
At this time, we provide all prizes in the form of Amazon E-Gift Cards. These e-gift cards will be emailed directly to the winners and we will confirm all information after the competition to make sure we properly send them to you.
May I submit a plan for a not-for-profit?
Nonprofit pitches are welcome.
May I submit more than one plan?
Students may participate every year from 5th grade to 12th grade, but only one pitch per year.
May I submit the same business idea more than one year?
As long as you continue to improve your idea, create a new pitch, and haven’t won one of the top three statewide prizes in a division previously, you may continue to submit your business idea annually. The improvement of an existing idea could lead you to a more viable and feasible future business.
May I submit the written portion of my business plan?
Not as a contest submission, but we do include two practice activities and templates (Business Plan & Elevator Speech) that can be used as a written requirement in your own curriculum. Your written business plan and elevator speech will provide you the base to write and create a fantastic pitch. So that work will be very valuable.
Can you provide me with information about the Virtual Pitch Competition for the selected finalist on April 14th at Innovation Park, Penn State University?
Because of the pandemic, this year will be different. We’re expecting that it will be held live onsite with the judges at PSU but remotely for all students. If you are selected to present virtually, we will provide you a checklist and the guidelines at the time of the announcement. Please don’t expect that we will have any major changes from our normal video pitch guidelines. The biggest difference is that this will be a live performance.
The program is available year-round for learning. Sign-up from the top-menu to register for your password, then click Learn on the top-menu to begin. When you are finished with our curriculum and practice exercises, click Pitch on the top-menu to enter our competition area. You may upload your video pitch between October 1st and March 4th - 11:59PM EST.
How will I be able to vote on other presentations?
Beginning on March 5th you may begin to vote on presentation submissions. Click Pitch on our top-menu to travel to the competition area. Click the "Gallery" link at the top of the competition area and review the submissions in your applicable category (filters are on the left). Next, click a video which interests you. Beneath the video you will find a voting interaction. In order to be eligible for prizes, we ask that you vote on three (and only three) businesses from a competing school. We monitor for fraudulent and duplicate voting. The number of votes for each pitch are represented by this icon: ❤️️ in the galleries.
Must all students on the team present?
Not all students must present, but this is a great learning opportunity for all students. Please introduce the team, as part of your presentation.
What video format is required for the pitch?
Videos cannot be greater than 500MB in size or over 5 minutes in length.
Acceptable File Formats:
- .mov,
- .mp4,
- .m4v,
- .m2v,
- .avi,
- .mpg,
- .flv,
- .wmv,
- .mkv,
- .webm,
- .ogv,
- .mxf,
- .asf,
- .vob,
- .mts
Who uploads the presentations?
Teachers should upload their presentation in most cases. For privacy purposes, please ensure that no information (especially identifying information) is added to the submission beyond what has been outlined.
What schools and students can participate?
This program is for all public, private and home school students.
Who may participate?
This is only for any student, in any school 5th to 12th grade.
What are the two divisions?
There are two divisions - high school and middle school.
- The high school division is well defined as 9th – 12th grade.
- The middle school is for 5th – 8th grade.
- However, should a teacher want younger students to participate against the older students, we have seen 4th gifted graders compete and win in the middle school division in the past. We will make exceptions for younger students, as long as they have adult support.
Must students work on a team?
While teams up to four students are suggested, you do not need to work on a team. This is an exceptional opportunity to showcase individual talent and ideas too.
Can I be on more than one team?
You can support and help other teams, but for submissions and potential prizes, you can only be on one team per year.
How long should the pitch be?
No presentations over five minutes will be accepted.
Is there judging criteria or a rubric?
Real life experiences don’t come with a rubric, but we have general guidelines for judging criteria that can be shared upon request. In general, the judges will be looking for viable ideas (will someone buy that product) that are feasible - is it possible for the student(s) to bring that product to market and will it potentially make money. It’s the students’ job to convince the judges that these things are possible.
Tell me more about the prizes?
At this time, we provide all prizes in the form of Amazon E-Gift Cards. These e-gift cards will be emailed directly to the winners and we will confirm all information after the competition to make sure we properly send them to you.
May I submit a plan for a not-for-profit?
Nonprofit pitches are welcome.
May I submit more than one plan?
Students may participate every year from 5th grade to 12th grade, but only one pitch per year.
May I submit the same business idea more than one year?
As long as you continue to improve your idea, create a new pitch, and haven’t won one of the top three statewide prizes in a division previously, you may continue to submit your business idea annually. The improvement of an existing idea could lead you to a more viable and feasible future business.
May I submit the written portion of my business plan?
Not as a contest submission, but we do include two practice activities and templates (Business Plan & Elevator Speech) that can be used as a written requirement in your own curriculum. Your written business plan and elevator speech will provide you the base to write and create a fantastic pitch. So that work will be very valuable.
Can you provide me with information about the Virtual Pitch Competition for the selected finalist on April 14th at Innovation Park, Penn State University?
Because of the pandemic, this year will be different. We’re expecting that it will be held live onsite with the judges at PSU but remotely for all students. If you are selected to present virtually, we will provide you a checklist and the guidelines at the time of the announcement. Please don’t expect that we will have any major changes from our normal video pitch guidelines. The biggest difference is that this will be a live performance.
