IdeAction Global Student Pitch Competition

The Leadership & Innovation Lab runs the IdeAction Global Pitch Competition twice a year, giving high school students anywhere in the world a chance to win funding for a business, organisation or other project they have started. Entrants email a completed registration form and a recorded pitch video of 10 minutes or less, and winners receive money directly from the LIL Venture Fund, which says it offers more than $10,000 in funding a year across its two cycles.

What you get:

• Funding for your project from the LIL Venture Fund, amount decided per project (the May 2026 cycle split USD 6,000 across 13 projects)
• Ongoing support and project monitoring after the award
• A complimentary videography service for promotional clips and social media content
• Professional feedback from LVF expert partners on your venture's expansion possibilities and pitfalls
• Winners announced at the biannual Student Research and Innovation Showcase

What you'll do:

• Complete the registration form, describing your project, what it has achieved, its challenges, its six-month plan, and how much funding you need and how you would use it
• Record a pitch video of 10 minutes or less, using any format you like: slides, infographics, photographs, re-enactments or skits
• Email both to mingming.gobert@leadershipinnovationlab.org by 30 September 2026
• Use the free pitch deck template and crash course the organisers provide on the competition page

Key dates:

• Entries due 30 September 2026
• Winners announced at the Fall Student Research and Innovation Showcase
• The funding cycle runs November to April; the competition runs again in spring

More information:

• Questions go to mingming.gobert@leadershipinnovationlab.org
• Winners are judged holistically on the project's current scale (people involved, funds raised, events run) and its growth potential
• Awarded projects submit monthly reports and are monitored by LVF Limited Partners

• Must be a high school student
• Open to students worldwide
• Individuals or teams may enter
• Must have a project, organisation or venture to pitch; judging weighs what it has already achieved
• Submit a completed registration form and a pitch video of 10 minutes or less by email
• Awardees are subject to the LIL Student Participation Agreement