Playbook
How to apply for startup competitions
Startup competitions award prizes, investment and exposure through rounds of written applications and live pitches. Judges score against published criteria, so the scoring rubric is the best guide to what to write.
How these are won
- Find the judging criteria on the official page and answer each one explicitly, in the order listed.
- Make a deck that works without you speaking: early rounds are often judged from the deck alone.
- Check eligibility early; limits on company age, revenue, nationality or university affiliation are common and strictly applied.
Materials checklist
- Pitch deckUpload yours, or let Onward Scout draft one from your profile for you to edit.
- Business planUpload yours, or let Onward Scout draft one from your profile for you to edit.
A preparation timeline
Counted back from the deadline. Each program guide puts real dates on it.
- 21 days before the deadlineUpdate deck and numbersRefresh the deck, key metrics and the one-sentence description of the company.
- 14 days before the deadlineDraft the answersAnswer every question plainly, with numbers you can verify.
- 7 days before the deadlineRecord and reviewRecord the video if one is asked for, and have someone outside the team read the answers.
- 2 days before the deadlineSubmitSubmit early; some programs review applications as they arrive.
Questions you will meet, answered honestly
What problem are you solving, and for whom?
One specific customer and what the problem costs them, ideally from conversations you have had. Say how you know.
How will you use the prize?
A short plan with amounts that fit the prize. Judges notice when the plan isn't tied to the money on offer.
How Onward Scout helps
Onward Scout maps the official form field by field, fills it from your sourced profile and drafts the written answers; you review and tap to submit. If the form stops at a CAPTCHA, a login or a payment, you get a handoff with every field ready to paste.
Open now
- Apply by 30 November 2026Hello Tomorrow Global Challenge (12th edition)Hello TomorrowGlobal deep-tech startup competition whose finals take place at the Hello Tomorrow Summit in Amsterdam (June 2-3, 2027); selected Deep Tech Pioneers get investor and…€200,000 in prizesAmsterdam, Netherlands · open to applicants worldwideDetails and how to apply
- Apply by 1 December 2026European Prize for Women Innovators 2027European Innovation Council (EIC) and European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT)EU prize for women who founded innovative companies in the EU or a Horizon Europe associated country, in three categories: Women Innovators (up to EUR 100,000), Rising…€100,000 in prizesAustria, Belgium, BulgariaDetails and how to apply
- Apply by 14 January 2027Diamond Challenge 2027Horn Entrepreneurship, University of DelawareA global business and social innovation competition for high-school teams (ages 14–18): submit a concept and pitch deck, advance through a pitching round, and finalists…$100,000 in prizesOpen worldwideDetails and how to apply
- Apply by 31 May 2027Entrepreneurship World Cup (EWC)Global Entrepreneurship Network (GEN) and partnersGlobal startup competition with Idea, Early, Growth and AI tracks; top 250 applicants join a virtual bootcamp and the top 100 compete at the Global Finals in Riyadh for…$1,000,000 in prizesOpen worldwideDetails and how to apply
- See cycle“创客中国”中小企业创新创业大赛 (Maker China SME Innovation Competition)Ministry of Industry and Information Technology of China (MIIT)National innovation and entrepreneurship competition for Chinese SMEs and maker teams with provincial/municipal rounds and national finals, connecting winners with…regional and national finals · investor and enterprise matchmakingChinaAnnual (11th edition in 2026, including the Beijing regional contest).Details and how to apply
- See cycleAfrica's Business HeroesJack Ma FoundationAnnual pan-African entrepreneurship prize where ten finalists from any industry share grant funding after training and pitching rounds, culminating in a televised Grand…$1,500,000 in prizesAnnual competition; applications typically open in the first half of the year.Details and how to apply
Let Onward Scout prepare your startup competitions applications
Drop in the résumé, deck or portfolio you already have. Onward Scout builds a sourced profile, finds opportunities you can win and prepares each application for you to approve with a tap.
Nothing is submitted without your tap. Logins, CAPTCHAs, payments and interviews stay with you.