E+I External Competitions

Coming Up

TCU Neely Values and Ventures

Deadline for applications: January 15, 2027 (12:00pm CST)

Event: TBA

A unique annual competition for undergraduate students around the world to pitch plans for businesses, products or services that make a profit while also benefiting the environment, the community or a specific population. Presented by the Neeley Entrepreneurship Center at Texas Christian University, Fort Worth, TX.

Unique Mission 

The Richards Barrentine Values and Ventures^® Business Plan Competition stands out from other business plan competitions by focusing on for-profit enterprises that specifically impact society in meaningful ways. Plans must demonstrate a societal or environmental need to be filled, as well as the profitability of the business. Check out the TCU Neely Website for more information.

Values-Centered Enterprise Concepts 

A values-centered enterprise assures sustainable prosperity while also supporting the needs of company owners and shareholders, employees and their families, suppliers, customers, communities and the environment. Concepts submitted for this competition should seek to contribute to the health and well-being of specific internal or external stakeholders through its proposed products, services and profits. Examples could include contributions to sustainability, innovations in the health and life sciences, innovations in energy, or opportunities for under-represented groups in business.

Prizes

Huge cash prizes are up for grabs, from a $40,000 grand prize, to $2,500 honorable mentions.

Allegheny College Zingale Big Idea Competition

Deadline:  TBA  

Competition: April 8-10, 2027 

The 2027 Zingale Big Idea Competition is a student-focused seed-funding business pitch presentation competition. The Annual Competition will award a whopping total of $40,000 in prize money among the student winners. This contest emulates the experiences seen on the popular CNBC broadcast, Shark Tank.

To be eligible to compete in the Zingale Big Idea Competition, all contestants must submit an Executive Summary of a business plan to Chris Allison via email.  The Executive Summary must include an overview of the companies financials, including monthly operating costs, startup costs and at least a 1-year income statement.  A three year outlook is preferable.

Please contact Professor Myer before applying at MyerRR@gcc.edu. Please have the following information ready:

1. Student Name(s)

2. Contact information (phone number)

3. Company Name

4. One sentence description of your idea

Tulane Business Model Competition

Registration: Now Open
Deadline:  January 10, 2027 (11:59 PM)

Competition: TBD

College entrepreneurs with promising startup ventures are invited to enter the annual Tulane Business Model Competition for a chance to win their share of a cash prize. In 2026 the cash award totaled $125,000.

Hosted by the Albert Lepage Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation at Tulane’s A. B. Freeman School of Business, this student startup competition is open to teams that include at least one degree-seeking undergraduate or graduate student, in a leadership position, from any college or university. The Tulane Business Model Competition seeks early-stage ventures that can demonstrate how they are adapting to their customers’ needs. The contest rewards those who are creating commercially viable ventures through breaking down an idea into a key business model hypothesis, have tested their assumptions with customers, and applied Customer Development/Lean Startup principles to refine the model for improved success. 

For more information, visit the competition page.

e-Fest

Registration Opens: November 11, 2026
Registration Closes: January 31, 2027

Event: April 22-24, 2027

Undergraduates from around the country are again invited to compete for an appearance at e-Fest®–a 3-day celebration of undergraduate entrepreneurship culminating in the Schulze Entrepreneurship Challenge, where students have the chance to compete for over $215,000 in cash prizes.

For more information, please visit the EIX e-Fest® website

Highlight: 2017 e-Fest

Grove City College Entrepreneurship majors Hannah Vaccaro ’18 and Ross Harrington ’17 earned a spot as finalists with their pitch for PeeWee Packs, a toilet training aid, in the 2017 EIX e-Fest National Business Plan Competition.  Read the press release here.

Duquesne University New Venture Challenge

Registration Opens: September 1, 2026
Deadline:  November 15, 2026
Competition: April 10, 2027 

Duquesne University New Venture Challenge is a three-stage business plan competition open to anyone in the Pittsburgh region and beyond.  Entrants should submit a short description of their business idea along with a one-minute video pitch. $3K in cash prizes.  DNVC Committee selects up to 15 semi-finalist teams to advance to Stage II.  Cash and service prizes valued at over $125,000.

For more information, please visit the Duquesne University New Venture Challenge website. 

Rice Business Plan Competition  

Registration Opens: November 9, 2026 
Deadline: January 29, 2027 at 11:59 PM 
Competition: April 8-10, 2027 

With access to mentors, real-world experience and investment opportunities, the Rice Business Plan Competition helps student founders stay on target and realize their potential. Since inception in 2001, it has grown from nine teams competing for $10,000 in prize money to 42 teams from around the world competing for more than $1.5 million in cash and prizes. The competition, now entering 27th year, is designed to give collegiate entrepreneurs the real-world opportunity to present their startups to investors, receive mentoring, network within the entrepreneurial ecosystem, enhance their business strategy, and learn what it takes to launch a successful company. 

We provide an intense, educational experience over the three-day event for student startup founders as well as significant time designated for interaction with our judges and prize sponsors, the majority of whom are from the investment community.

For more information, please visit the Rice Alliance for Technology and Entrepreneurship website. 

Fast Company’s World Changing Ideas Awards

Application Deadline: December 11, 2026 at 11:59 PM
Finalists and Winners Announced in Summer 2027 on fastcompany.com  

Fast Company’s World Changing Ideas Awards honor products, concepts, companies, and policies that are designed to make the world safer, cleaner, more sustainable, and more equitable. For this contest, we’re looking for creative, surprising projects that have launched in the past year and are committed to tackling the most pressing issues of our time. Entries will be judged by a group of Fast Company editors and reporters on their impact, sustainability, design, creativity, and scalability.

In an effort to recognize even more worthy ideas, we’ll be naming hundreds of winners, finalists and honorable mentions to the 2027 list. We’ll be considering every application and creating a list of the most compelling entries—along with a few categories offering chances for additional recognition for companies excelling in specific locations, sectors, and years in business.

For more information, please visit the Fast Company website.

The EF Hult Prize Challenge

Register to Compete Deadline: February 28, 2027 

EF Hult Prize is a global startup program that challenges young people to build for-profit businesses that create measurable social and environmental impact. Since 2010, it has grown into one of the world’s largest student movements for social entrepreneurship, engaging millions of participants in more than 130 countries. Whether you’re building a business from scratch or growing an early-stage venture, you’re welcome in our community. All you need to start, is a team and an idea. Connect with 2-3 other eligible students and register your team. Thenm develop a for-profit, for-good business idea using design thinking. Build your business plan, submit your application and start pitching!

For more information, please visit the EF Hult Prize website. 

Deadlines Have Passed

Baylor New Venture

Registration Opens: April 1, 2026
Registration Closes: October 1, 2026 11:59 p.m. (CST)

A Transformative Experience

The John F. Baugh Center for Entrepreneurship and Free Enterprise will host the 14th annual Baylor New Venture Competition on April 16-17, 2027 at Baylor University’s Foster Campus for Business and Innovation. This business plan and elevator pitch competition showcases collegiate student created, managed and led ventures from across the globe. The competition provides participants with personal and professional development through:

• industry-specific mentorship towards sustainable business plans,
• exclusive access to accomplished experts and fellow innovators,
• and a chance to compete for more than $200,000 in cash prizes and vital resources.

Registration for this event is open from April 1 – October 1, 2026.

Ben Franklin Technology Partners Big Idea Content

Registration Opens: August 17, 2026
Registration Closes: October 16, 2026 11:59 p.m. 

We’re looking for scalable, tech-enabled ideas that solve real problems, including:

• A tech-enabled innovation
• A scalable business concept
• A solution to a real-world challenge
• A clear vision for growth

 Whether you’re an entrepreneur, inventor, researcher, or startup founder, this is your chance to bring your idea to life. Win up to $50,000 in cash to take your business idea to the next level. Winners also receive a guaranteed spot in the TechCelerator business accelerator program and receive one-on-one personalized mentorship from one of the Ben Franklin portfolio managers and market experts to refine your business model and pitch. 

For more information, please visit the Ben Franklin Big Idea Content website.