📌About the Event

The Imperial Entrepreneurship Competition 2026 is a global startup-pitch competition for middle and high school students. It encourages young innovators to develop entrepreneurial solutions for real-world challenges across space technology, HealthTech and MedTech, and AI-driven consumer innovation. Participants do not need an existing startup or technical background; the competition focuses on creativity, entrepreneurial thinking, clarity of vision, and the ability to present a viable venture idea.

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ℹ️ Event Details

• Mode of conduct: Fully online.
• Participation format: Team-based participation.
• Team size: 2–5 students.
• Team composition: All members should ordinarily belong to the same school.
• Multi-school teams: Students unable to find teammates at their school may request an exception from the organisers.
• Preliminary round: Written pitch-deck submission.
• Final round: Live presentation and question-and-answer session conducted through Zoom.
• Competition categories:
  • Middle School: Grades 6–8 or Years 7–9.
  • High School: Grades 9–12 or Years 10–13.
• Challenge tracks:
  • Space
  • HealthTech/MedTech
  • AI and Consumer Innovation
• Finalists: The top eight teams from each age category will advance to the global final.

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📅 Important Dates

• Registration deadline: October 30, 2026.
• Preliminary-round submission deadline: October 31, 2026.
• Global final round: November 21, 2026.

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🎯 Eligibility & Rules

• Who can participate:
• Middle and high school students from around the world.
• Middle School category: Students in Grades 6–8 or Years 7–9.
• High School category: Students in Grades 9–12 or Years 10–13.
• Team requirement: Each team must consist of 2–5 students.
• School requirement: Team members must generally study at the same school, unless an exception for a multi-school team is approved.
• Technical experience: No technical background is required to participate.
• Preliminary-round task: Teams must select one of the three challenge prompts and develop an original venture solution.
• Submission format: A written pitch deck.
• Pitch-deck requirements: Teams should:
  • Explain the proposed product, service or venture.
  • Describe how the underlying technology or solution works.
  • Identify the target customers.
  • Estimate the potential market size.
  • Explain how the venture would generate revenue.
• Space track: Teams may propose ventures using satellite data, space infrastructure, mission-support technologies or solutions for astronauts.
• HealthTech/MedTech track: Teams may develop an app, service, device, wearable or diagnostic solution that prevents, monitors, diagnoses or treats a health problem.
• AI and Consumer track: Teams may propose an AI tool, technology-based service or product that addresses an everyday problem in a school, city or community.
• Shortlisting process: Pitch decks will be reviewed during the preliminary stage, after which the top eight teams in each age group will qualify for the final.

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🏆 Benefits for the Participants

• Global awards:
  • Global Champion
  • Global First Runner-Up
  • Global Second Runner-Up
• Individual recognition:
  • Honour Award for participants ranked in the top 25%.
  • Merit Award for participants ranked in the top 50%.
• Participation certificate: Every participant will receive a certificate of participation.
• Finalist opportunity: Selected teams will present their ideas to entrepreneurs and investors during the live global final.
• Profile-building benefit: Participants can gain startup-development, business-modelling and pitching experience that may strengthen future university and internship applications.