Eligible students are invited to submit a 3-page pre-proposal by Thursday, November 18, 2021, at 1pm (PT) via the website. Approximately 30 teams will be selected to continue to the final round of the contest in the spring. All pre-proposal teams will receive detailed feedback from the judges, regardless of whether or not they are invited to participate in the final round. All applicants will be notified of their status in December.
Teams selected for the final round will submit a short application video (between 60 and 90 seconds) in addition to an 8-page written proposal by Wednesday, April 6, 2022 at 1pm (PT). In this round, teams will expand on the design of their social innovations and incorporate the judges’ feedback. Additionally, to help further these proposals, teams are paired with a Big Ideas mentor (an experienced professional matched to the team based on expertise and background). Award winners will be announced in May with prizes ranging from $5,000 to $20,000. Prizes will be awarded only for high-quality submissions. Decisions are final and not subject to appeal.
The Big Ideas community will gather for its annual Grand Prize Pitch & Awards Celebration to recognize the most outstanding innovations in the 2020-2021 contest (Tentative Date: September 23, 2022). A select group of finalist teams will be invited to participate in the Grand Prize Pitch event for the opportunity to win up to an additional $10,000 for their project.
Applicants with innovative “BIG” ideas, who meet all of the eligibility criteria listed below, are encouraged to apply.