15 Entrepreneurship Innovation Challenges for High School Students
What are Entrepreneurship Innovation Challenges for High School Students?
Innovation challenges are competitions where students work on original ideas that solve real-world problems. You’ll research your topic, develop a plan, and present your solution to a panel of judges, often made up of entrepreneurs, investors, or industry experts. Through this process, you learn how to identify problems, think critically, and build a project from concept to pitch.
How are Entrepreneurship Innovation Challenges for High School Students helpful?
Many of these challenges include mentorship and skill-building workshops. Some offer cash awards, scholarships, or opportunities to turn your idea into an actual startup. Even if you don’t win, you’ll walk away with teamwork experience, a solid project for your resume, and something meaningful to include in college applications.
If you’re also interested in business plan competitions, you can check here!
To get started, here are 15 entrepreneurship and innovation challenges for high school students.
Disclaimer: Not all items below are innovation challenges; some are programs that can help you build the skills for participating in future innovation challenges.
15 Entrepreneurship Innovation Challenges for High School Students
1. Conrad Challenge
Location: Virtual + Power Pitch Summit (in-person, U.S.)
Participation Fee: Free for early stages; $499/team for Innovation Stage (financial aid available based on application strength)
Dates: August – April | Power Pitch Summit: April 22–25
Application Deadline: August – October
Eligibility: Students aged 13–18, working in teams of 2–5 from any country
The Conrad Challenge is a global innovation competition where you and your team develop entrepreneurial solutions to real-world issues. You’ll choose a category like aerospace, energy, health, or cybersecurity and design a product or service using the Lean Canvas model. Each team creates an Innovation Brief, builds a website, and records a pitch video outlining their idea. You’ll receive mentorship and step-by-step guidance to refine your business concept. Finalists are invited to present their projects at the Innovation Summit, where teams compete for recognition as Pete Conrad Scholars and scholarships.
2. Diamond Challenge
Location: Virtual preliminary rounds; finalists attend the Limitless World Summit in Newark, Delaware, U.S.
Participation Fee: Free
Dates: September – April | Summit typically held in late April
Application Deadline: January 15
Eligibility: High school students aged 14–18, in teams of 2–4
The Diamond Challenge is one of the world’s leading entrepreneurship competitions for high school students, giving you the chance to build a business or social venture from scratch. You can compete in either the Business Innovation or Social Innovation track, depending on your interests. You will begin by submitting a written concept and a pitch video, then progress through regional and semi-final rounds. Along the way, you’ll receive access to mentorship, workshops, and feedback from entrepreneurs and educators. Finalists present at the Global Summit in Delaware, where they network with peers from around the world. Winning teams receive cash awards to develop their ventures further or fund educational pursuits.
3. Young Founders Lab
Location: 100% virtual, with live and interactive workshops
Cost: Varies by program; need-based financial aid available
Dates: Multiple cohorts throughout the year (Summer, Fall, Winter, and Spring)
Application Deadline: Varies by cohort
Eligibility: Open to all high school students
The Young Founders Lab is a selective virtual startup incubator that gives high school students hands-on experience in entrepreneurship, business finance, and financial strategy. While this isn’t a contest, it can help you refine key entrepreneurship skills you need to ace the other contents in this list! Over the course of four weeks, you will collaborate with peers to design and launch a functional startup, applying concepts such as budgeting, revenue modeling, and cost analysis in real time. You’ll attend live workshops led by professionals from leading companies like Google and Microsoft and receive personalized mentorship from business and finance experts. The program focuses on financial decision-making, innovation, and teamwork, helping you build both strategic and analytical skills. By the end of the experience, you’ll have developed a working business concept and a deeper understanding of how accounting and finance support sustainable growth.
4. Blue Ocean Student Entrepreneur Competition
Location: Virtual (global competition)
Participation Fee: Free
Dates: Registration open year-round | Submission Deadline: February 22 | Top 100 announced in April | Finals in May
Application Deadline: February 22
Eligibility: High school students (grades 9–12 or equivalent) worldwide; solo or teams of up to 5
The Blue Ocean Student Entrepreneur Competition is a global online challenge that pushes you to create a truly innovative business concept. Using the principles of Blue Ocean Strategy, you’ll design an idea that opens an entirely new market rather than competing in existing ones. You’ll submit a five-minute pitch video outlining your idea, business model, and impact potential. The program offers pitch templates, online training, and examples from past winners to help you prepare. Judges evaluate creativity, feasibility, and differentiation from existing markets. Finalists compete for global recognition, cash prizes, and a People’s Choice Award based on public votes, while all participants receive certificates.
5. Wharton Global High School Investment Competition
Location: Virtual + Global Finale at the Wharton School, Philadelphia
Participation Fee: Free
Dates: Trading Period – September 29 to December 5 | Global Finale – April 24–25
Application Deadline: September 12
Eligibility: High school students (grades 9–12) in teams of 4–7 with a teacher advisor
The Wharton Global High School Investment Competition is a 10-week finance challenge where teams act as consultants for a virtual client. You’ll manage a $250,000 mock portfolio through an online simulator, research companies, and design an investment strategy based on client goals. Performance is judged on analysis and reasoning rather than profit. Teams submit two reports, a midterm and a final, and the top 50 advance to the semi-finals, with the final 10 presenting at Wharton’s campus in Philadelphia. The competition helps you build financial reasoning, teamwork, and strategy skills used in real-world investing.
6. World Series of Innovation (WSI) – Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE)
Location: Virtual
Participation Fee: Free
Dates: Challenges open September 9; submissions due January 12
Application Deadline: January 12
Eligibility: Students aged 13–24 from any country
Hosted by the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship, the World Series of Innovation (WSI) invites you to solve real-world challenges tied to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Each year, you can choose from multiple themed challenges sponsored by global companies and nonprofits, covering topics like climate change, financial literacy, and social equity. Using NFTE’s digital toolkits, you’ll brainstorm, refine, and submit your ideas entirely online. The competition encourages design thinking, creativity, and measurable impact. Winners receive cash prizes and global recognition, with top projects often featured on NFTE’s media platforms.
7. World of 8 Billion Student Video Challenge – Population Connection
Location: Virtual, with international participation and recognition
Participation Fee: Free
Dates: September – March 4 | Winners announced in spring
Application Deadline: March 4
Eligibility: High school (grades 9–12) students worldwide
The World of 8 Billion Student Video Challenge encourages you to explore the link between global population trends and sustainable development through creative storytelling. You’ll create a one-minute video connecting population growth to key global issues such as energy, economics, or wetlands preservation. The competition emphasizes problem-solving and communication skills, asking you to highlight innovative, actionable solutions. It’s beginner-friendly, with resources and topic guides available to help you craft your entry. Winners are recognized at the state, regional, and global levels. Top high school participants can earn up to $1,200 and gain international visibility for their work.
8. Global Youth Entrepreneurship Challenge (GYEC)
Location: Virtual (Preliminary and Global Finals)
Participation Fee: 10,000 yen (fee waivers available)
Dates: Preliminary Round – April 12 | Global Final – May 17
Application Deadline: March 21 (Japan Time)
Eligibility: High school students aged 14–18 in teams of 3–8
The Global Youth Entrepreneurship Challenge is a fast-paced international competition where you and your team design business solutions to global problems in just 12 hours. On competition day, you’ll receive a challenge prompt related to sustainability, technology, or education, and must submit a two-page business summary and a short pitch video in English. The experience tests your teamwork, creativity, and time management while teaching you how to combine technical and business ideas effectively. National winners advance to the global finals, where expert judges assess innovation, feasibility, and communication. Finalists earn certificates and global recognition, with top teams taking home the winner’s trophy.
9. GENIUS Olympiad – Terra Science and Education / Rochester Institute of Technology
Location: Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, New York, U.S.
Participation Fee: $50 per project application; $600 per finalist participant
Dates: Finals – June 9–13
Application Deadline: Application Submission Deadline – March 10 (international) | U.S./EU Fair Deadline – April 16
Eligibility: High school students worldwide
The GENIUS Olympiad is an international competition hosted by the Rochester Institute of Technology that connects innovation with sustainability. You can submit a project in areas such as science, entrepreneurship, robotics, AI, music, or art, as long as it addresses an environmental or social issue. If your project is selected, you’ll attend the GENIUS Finals in New York, where you present your work, join lectures, and take part in cultural exchange events. Finalists also visit places like Washington, D.C., and New York City. The competition gives you a chance to apply creative and research skills while presenting your ideas to a global audience.
10. SAGE World Cup – Students for the Advancement of Global Entrepreneurship
Location: Rotates globally (most recent host: Georgia)
Participation Fee: Varies by country and regional qualifier
Dates: World Cup – August (national and regional qualifiers held earlier)
Application Deadline: Varies by national chapter; typically spring
Eligibility: High school students worldwide, working in teams
The SAGE World Cup is a global entrepreneurship competition where students create business or nonprofit ventures that deliver measurable social impact. Teams develop business plans, present their work to judges from business and academic fields, and share ideas with peers from more than 30 countries. Many projects focus on sustainability, poverty reduction, or community development. The event ends with an international gathering hosted in a different country each year, where finalists compete for awards, mentorship, and support to grow their ventures.
11. Citizen Entrepreneurship Competition (CEC) – Entrepreneurship Campus
Location: Virtual (global)
Participation Fee: Free
Dates: May 12 – August 12
Application Deadline: July 10
Eligibility: Students aged 13+ from any country; individuals or teams welcome
The Citizen Entrepreneurship Competition (CEC) invites students worldwide to create business ideas that address the UN Sustainable Development Goals. The process starts with a short pitch, followed by online training where you build a detailed Entrepreneurial Design Canvas. Public votes and jury evaluations decide the top 10 finalists, who move to the final round. You receive mentorship, access to entrepreneurship courses, and global networking opportunities through the Entrepreneurship Campus, helping you strengthen your innovation and business planning skills.
12. SAGE USA National Competition
Location: Virtual (open to U.S.-based teams only)
Participation Fee: Free
Dates: Presentations – May 2–16 | Results announced – May 23
Application Deadline: May 2 (Annual Report submission required)
Eligibility: High school student teams participating in SAGE USA
The SAGE USA National Competition gives you a platform to showcase entrepreneurial ventures that drive social or environmental change. You’ll create a concise four-page annual report detailing your business’s goals, results, and impact. Teams then present their work in a 13-minute video pitch, followed by a Q&A session with a panel of judges. Your project will be evaluated based on innovation, effectiveness, and clarity of communication. Visual slides and product demos are encouraged but optional. Top-performing teams advance to represent the U.S. at the SAGE World Cup, competing against peers from around the globe.
13. DECA Competitive Events
Location: United States (local, state, and national levels) + select international chapters
Participation Fee: Free at competition level (school DECA membership required)
Dates: Qualifiers occur throughout the year | International Career Development Conference (ICDC) held in late April
Application Deadline: Varies by district; submit through your DECA advisor
Eligibility: High school students enrolled at DECA-affiliated schools
DECA’s Competitive Events Program gives you the chance to develop actual business proposals across entrepreneurship and innovation tracks. Events like the Innovation Plan, Start-Up Business Plan, and Entrepreneurship Series allow you to transform an idea into a structured business strategy. You’ll conduct financial forecasting, build marketing campaigns, and refine your execution model before presenting to judges. Competitions begin at the school and state levels, culminating in the ICDC Finals, where students present to industry experts.
14. Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) Business Plan Competition
Location: Local, state, and national levels | Finals held at the FBLA National Leadership Conference
Participation Fee: Free
Dates: Presentations at the National Leadership Conference (late June–early July)
Application Deadline: March 1
Eligibility: High school students who are FBLA members; teams of 1–3 from the same chapter
The FBLA Business Plan Competition gives you the chance to develop a comprehensive business proposal for a new venture and present it to experienced judges. You’ll start by submitting a detailed 17-page written plan that covers market analysis, operations, and financial projections. Qualifying teams then pitch their ideas live at the National Leadership Conference, presenting for seven minutes followed by a brief Q&A. This challenge tests your ability to think strategically, communicate clearly, and defend your ideas under pressure. All work must be student-created, reflecting your independent research and entrepreneurial insight.
Image Source - Wharton logo