15 Startup Competitions for High School Students
If you're interested in starting your own business, there’s multiple ways to gain practical experience and sharpen your skills without breaking the bank. One such way is to participate in a startup competition!
What is a startup competition? Why should I participate as a high school student?
Startup competitions are events where students pitch original business ideas to a panel of judges—often made up of entrepreneurs, investors, or industry professionals. As a participant, you'll go through the process of developing an idea, researching your market, creating a business plan, and presenting your pitch. Many competitions also include workshops, mentorship, and team collaboration, simulating what it’s like to build a real venture.
Many of these programs also connect you with mentors and other student entrepreneurs. Some offer cash prizes, scholarships, or support to launch your project. Even if you don't win, you come out with a finished pitch, hands-on experience, and something real to talk about in applications or interviews.
Top get started, here are 15 startup competitions for high school students!
15 Startup Competitions for High School Students
Global Youth Entrepreneurship Challenge
Location: Virtual
Cost: $70
Application Deadline: March 21
Dates: Preliminary Round on April 12, and the Final Round on May 17.
Eligibility: All high school students are eligible
The Global Youth Entrepreneurship Challenge is a startup competition for high school students interested in business. You join a team, solve a problem in a short time, and build a full business plan using tools like design thinking, financial planning, and market research. You also attend workshops on topics like entrepreneurship and leadership linked to the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
During the challenge, you work with mentors from Silicon Valley startups and professors from universities like the University of Pennsylvania and UC Santa Barbara. The program ends with a pitch, where your team presents your solution to judges.
The Blue Ocean Competition
Location: Virtual
Cost: Free
Application Deadline: February
Dates: February - April
Eligibility: All high school students are eligible.
The Blue Ocean Competition is a virtual startup pitch contest for high school students. You use the Blue Ocean Strategy to come up with a business idea that targets a market with little or no competition. The focus is on building something new, while keeping it affordable and useful. You also learn how to reduce risk and make your idea stand out.
The competition is open to students from around the world and includes tools and templates to help you shape your idea into a clear business pitch. You don’t need to start with a finished plan. Even if your idea is just starting out, the process helps you organize your thoughts, build a strategy, and present your solution in a way that others can understand.
Conrad Challenge
Location: Virtual (Finalists make their pitch in Space Center Houston, TX)
Cost: Free
Application Deadline: November 3
Ddates: November - April
Eligibility: Students between 13–18
The Conrad Challenge is a team-based competition where high school students work in groups of 2 to 5 with support from an adult coach. It starts with the Activation Stage from August to November. In this phase, your team registers, picks a problem to solve, and begins shaping your idea.
Next is the Lean Canvas Stage. You choose a challenge category and use the Lean Canvas tool to plan your project. This includes defining who your users are, what problem you are solving, and how your business will work. In the Innovation Stage, you create a written brief, a short video, and a project website to present your idea.
If your team is selected as a finalist, you’ll attend the Innovation Summit and present your pitch to judges. Some teams also receive scholarships and mentorship.
Youth Citizen Entrepreneurship Competition
Location: Virtual
Cost: Free
Application Deadline: Unspecified. Currently accepting registrations. More information here.
Dates: May 12 - August 12
Eligibility: Students above 13 years old
The Youth Citizen Entrepreneurship Competition is for high school students who want to solve global problems through business ideas. You can submit a new idea or a project you have already started. Your idea should support at least one of the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals, such as clean energy, education, or health.
The competition has three stages. First, you submit a short pitch explaining your idea. If your pitch is accepted, you complete short courses and use the Entrepreneurial Design Canvas to develop your idea in more detail. Your updated project is then shared online for public voting.
If your project gets enough votes, it moves to the final round, where judges review the entries. Finalists are announced in an online ceremony and their work is shared to highlight student efforts toward sustainable development.
Diamond Challenge
Location: Newark, Delaware
Cost: Free
Application Deadline: January
Dates: January - April
Eligibility: All high school students are eligible
The Diamond Challenge is a global competition where high school students create a business or social venture idea. You choose between two tracks: business innovation or social innovation. Your team works on a pitch that explains your idea, how it could work, and why it matters. You also learn how to show its possible impact and long-term plan.
You present your idea to judges during the competition. Prizes go to the top three teams in each track. First place teams receive $12,000, second place $8,000, and third place $4,500. You also connect with students from different countries and get feedback on your idea. Past projects have included inventions like wrist prosthetics designed to support movement. You can read more about the contest here!
GENIUS Olympiad Business
Location: RIT University, Rochester NY
Cost: $475
Application Deadline: March 10
Dates: June 9-13
Eligibility: All high school students are eligible
The GENIUS Olympiad Business Competition asks high school students to build a business plan that focuses on environmental or social problems. You can compete alone or with one partner. Your project can be a new product or service that supports sustainability, or a plan to help an existing business improve its impact.
You will submit a full business plan and a 10-minute pitch presentation, followed by a question and answer session with judges. Your plan must explain what your product or service is, who it is for, how you will price it, how you will promote it, and how you will handle operations and finances.
DECA
Location: Conferences vary in location (different cities around the US)
Cost: Fees vary per conference
Application Deadline: November 15
Dates: Varies with most conferences in April
Eligibility: All high schools are eligible to join their schools’ chapters
DECA competitions give high school students interested in startups a way to practice key business skills. In the Principles of Business Administration Events, you learn basic concepts like marketing, finance, and management. In the Individual Series Events, you work through business problems on your own, similar to what early-stage founders deal with.
In the Team Decision Making Events, you and a partner solve case studies together, which builds teamwork and planning. The Business Operations Research Events involve research and presenting new ideas to improve business operations. Project Management Events focus on taking a project from start to finish, helping you build skills useful for running your own startup.
Students for the Advancement of Global Entrepreneurship Competition
Location: Virtual
Cost: Free
Application Deadline: August
Dates: August 1–15
Eligibility: All students between 13 and 19
The Students for the Advancement of Global Entrepreneurship (SAGE) competition challenges high school and undergraduate students to solve global issues with entrepreneurial ideas. You’ll team up with others to find a pressing problem and create a social enterprise to address it. If your team is shortlisted, you’ll pitch your idea to a panel of judges at an international event.
Founded in 2002, SAGE has grown into a global network with participants from 21 countries and multiple U.S. states. Each year, over 12,000 students from 1,200 schools compete. The competition includes regional and national rounds, where teams submit a written annual report and present their idea to a panel of judges from business and community sectors.
Tim Draper High School Utah Entrepreneur Challenge
Location: Salt Lake City, UT
Cost: None
Application Deadline: January 15
Dates: January - March
Eligibility: Utah high school students, ages 14–18, can apply.
The Tim Draper High School Utah Entrepreneur Challenge (HSUEC) invites high school students in Utah, ages 14–18, to develop original business ideas. You’ll work in teams to create a business proposal that outlines a clear problem, your solution, the target audience, and a physical prototype.
After submitting your proposal, the first round of judging happens online. Finalists will be invited to present their ideas in person to a panel of judges. There’s no limit to the number of teams per school or community, and each team can submit multiple ideas. Teams can include up to five students. Winners earn cash prizes and scholarships.
National Youth Entrepreneurship Challenge
Location: Various locations throughout the U.S. More information here.
Cost: Variable based on the event.
Application Deadline: Local, regional and national competitions have separate deadlines. Check here for updates.
Dates: Local, regional and national competitions have separate dates. Check here for details.
Eligibility: Open to high school students.
The National Youth Entrepreneurship Challenge offers a great opportunity for students interested in startups. Over eight months, you’ll develop and pitch your business ideas at local, regional, and national levels, gaining experience in creating and refining a startup.
Each round is judged by business experts who provide feedback and insights, helping you improve your idea. Throughout the competition, you’ll build the skills necessary to launch and grow a startup, from crafting a business plan to pitching your concept in front of industry leaders.
tecBRIDGE High School Business Plan Competition
Location: Scranton, PA
Cost: None
Application Deadline: Not specified. Check for updates here.
Dates: Not specified. Check for updates here.
Eligibility: Open to high school and homeschool students living in the following Northeastern Pennsylvania counties.
tecBridge’s High School Business Plan Competition (HSBPC) is for high school and homeschool teams interested in creating a STEAM-based business. You’ll have the chance to research key areas of building a business, such as market analysis, product development, and financial planning. Your final submission will include a formal written business plan and a presentation.
This competition provides a practical way to develop the skills needed to launch a startup. It helps you transform an idea into a structured business plan, giving you experience in market research, problem-solving, and pitching. These are critical components of starting a successful business.
Cooper Hewitt Design Competition
Location: Virtual
Cost: None
Application Deadline: Applications close in February (tentatively, based on previous years)
Dates: April to June (tentatively, based on previous years)
Eligibility: Students aged 13–19 can register individually or in teams of up to 3 students
The Cooper Hewitt Design Competition focuses on using design thinking to solve real-world problems through a research-based entrepreneurial challenge. After registering, you’ll receive guidance on using data visualization to address issues, incorporating both secondary and primary data.
Submissions go through a two-stage screening process, with finalists receiving mentorship from experts in data design and presenting their projects virtually during the Virtual Judging Weekend at Cooper Hewitt. For those interested in startups, this competition provides hands-on experience in data-driven problem solving, a crucial skill for developing innovative products or services.
You’ll learn how to analyze and communicate data effectively, which is essential for launching and scaling a startup. Prizes include certificates, a $500 gift package from SHOP Cooper Hewitt, and a Family membership to Cooper Hewitt.
Wisconsin High School Business Model Competition
Location: Oshkosh, WI
Cost: None
Application Deadline: Not specified. Check here for updates.
Dates: Not specified. Check here for updates.
Eligibility: High school sophomores, juniors, and seniors throughout Wisconsin are encouraged to apply.
The Wisconsin High School Business Model Competition, hosted by the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh’s Alta Resources Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, is open to sophomore, junior, and senior high school students. In this competition, you’ll present an idea or solution for a problem that could lead to a business.
Finalists will pitch their ideas to a panel of judges in a four-minute presentation. You can participate individually or as part of a team of up to three people. This competition is particularly beneficial for those interested in startups, as it gives you the chance to develop and pitch a business concept while refining your idea and presentation skills.
Pirates Pitch Competition
Location: South Orange, NJ
Cost: None
Application deadlines: October 23 (tentatively, based on previous year’s dates)
Contest dates: November 22 (tentatively, based on previous year’s dates)
Eligibility: Current high school sophomores, juniors and seniors with a GPA of 3.0 or higher can apply.
The Pirates Pitch Competition for High School Students allows you to submit an original business idea or an existing business you’ve already launched. You’ll describe your product or service in 350 words, answering questions such as what problem it solves, how it will make money, who the target customers are, and how you’ll compete in the market.
Alternatively, you can submit a video pitch up to three minutes long via an unlisted YouTube link. You’ll receive feedback from a panel of judges, which includes alumni entrepreneurs, corporate leaders, and business faculty from Seton Hall University. If selected as a finalist, you’ll present your pitch at Seton Hall University.
The BUILD Design Challenge
The BUILD Design Challenge helps teens develop leadership skills by guiding them through the Design Thinking process to solve real-world problems. Using a digital platform, you'll work through steps like empathizing with the issue, defining the problem, brainstorming ideas, creating prototypes, and testing solutions for feedback. The program ends with a pitch where you present your solution for cash prizes.
The challenge can be completed in as little as 10 hours or stretched over a semester, depending on your school’s schedule. You’ll need basic technology: a computer or mobile device with internet access and platforms like Google Docs and Vimeo. Educator training takes about an hour to ensure full engagement and understanding of the process.
Location: Various locations based on participating schools.
Cost: None
Application Deadline: Based on individual school schedules.
Dates: Based on individual school schedules.
Eligibility: Current high school students can apply.
Bonus - Young Founders Lab
If you’re interested in refining/working on your startup before gaining competitive experience, consider the Young Founders Lab!
The Young Founders Lab is a start-up bootcamp founded and run by Harvard entrepreneurs. In this program, you will work towards building a revenue-generating start-up that addresses a real-world problem. You will also have the opportunity to be mentored by established entrepreneurs and professionals from Google, Microsoft, and X.
You can access the application link here!