Vermont Pitch Challenge 2027

The Vermont Pitch Challenge is a free business pitch competition run by the University of Vermont (UVM) admissions office for high school students in grades 10 to 12. It is open to students from across the globe, and the grand prize is a full four-year UVM scholarship. Second and third place each win US$5,000 (about ₹4.75 lakh). Submissions are open now until 15 February 2027.

Note early: this is a student-only competition for teams of one to three high school students with an adult sponsor aged 21 or older. It is not for adult founders. Indian high school students can enter, but finalists must pitch in person at UVM in Vermont, USA, to be eligible for prizes.

What the program offers

The grand prize is a full four-year scholarship covering tuition and comprehensive fees for each member of the winning team. It applies only if the student is admitted to UVM as a first-time, first-year undergraduate, and winning does not guarantee admission. The page adds that it counts toward financial aid, cannot be combined with other UVM merit scholarships, and has continuing conditions such as a minimum of 12 credits a semester and a 3.0 cumulative GPA.

Second and third place each win US$5,000 (about ₹4.75 lakh) in cash, split evenly among team members. Fourth and fifth place each win US$1,000 (about ₹95,000), also split evenly. UVM also gives each finalist student US$600 (about ₹57,000) towards travel and accommodation, and the team covers any remaining travel, lodging and meals. The page does not mention how taxes on cash prizes work or how and when prizes are paid.

Who can apply

Teams have one to three students in grades 10 to 12 at the submission deadline, enrolled in a high school or secondary programme throughout the challenge. Members can attend different schools, and each student can join only one team. Each team needs one adult sponsor aged 21 or older with a direct academic link to the team, such as a counsellor or teacher, who will attend the final event. Concepts must be original and created by team members, and anyone outside the team who helped must give written permission.

Existing businesses can enter if profits were no more than US$100,000 and outside funding was less than US$150,000 by the deadline, and if they have not taken venture capital. All submissions must be in English.

How to apply

Join the email list, form a team, and find your sponsor. Download the scoring guide to see what judges look for. Then prepare your pitch as a written proposal of 3 to 5 pages, a video of up to 4 minutes or an audio recording of up to 4 minutes, all in English. Each team member completes the Pitch Submission Form, and the team captain uploads the proposal by 15 February 2027. Written entries can be a Word document, a PDF or a public Google Doc. A practical tip: you may adapt a class project, and a link must be viewable by judges.

How applications are judged and what happens next

Judges score submissions using a published scoring guide. Five finalist teams are announced by email in March 2027 and pitch in person at UVM in Burlington, Vermont, on 13 April 2027, with a 7-minute pitch and up to 3 minutes of questions. Slides, display boards, prototypes, images or sound are allowed. Winners are announced at the event.

About the University of Vermont

UVM is a university in Burlington, Vermont, and its undergraduate admissions office runs the challenge. The rules say a rules committee and the leadership team are the final authority and can disqualify entrants who break the rules.

Things to check before you apply

• Finalists must attend the in-person event and take part in planned activities to qualify for prizes. International students should plan for visas and travel; the source gives no visa guidance.
• Entering gives UVM a limited right to use images and references to your concept for promotion.
• Judges and mentors keep submissions confidential, but you decide what to reveal.