The Burton D. Morgan Center's Moonshot Pitch Challenge is an ideation-focused pitch challenge that asks students to think big –beyond the classroom– and pitch an idea that solves a real-world problem in 2 minutes or less!

The top 10 semi-finalists will pitch their idea at a live, in-person event on October 13th in MRGN 121 from 5-7pm. Join us for pitches, pizza, and prizes!

Who is eligible to participate in the challenge?

Any active (part-time or full-time) Purdue undergraduate or graduate student from any college/department is eligible to participate.

What ideas are eligible within the challenge?

Any idea can be submitted for the challenge! Your team, however, will have to decide which category your idea falls within:

     Earth (Social Ideas): Ideas primarily focused on addressing socio-economic needs & challenges.

     Orbit (Business Ideas): Ideas primarily focused on launching a company

     Moonshot (Dent in the Universe): Ideas primarily focused on solving a seemingly impossible problem.

How do I participate?

You or your team will create a video describing your idea in 2 minutes (firm limit) or less. Your video submission should describe the problem you are solving, who you are solving the problem for, and how your idea solves that problem.

How do I submit?

Each participant will need to complete this submission form, additionally, the team lead will also need to provide the team’s official idea description and video link within their submission form.

When is the submission period?

Submissions are accepted beginning September 11th at 12:00am EST, through September 27th at 11:59pm EST. The submission form will close on September 27th at 11:59pm EST. No late submissions will be accepted.

What will the final round consist of?

The top 10 finalists will each have 2 minutes to pitch their idea to a panel of judges, followed by 3 minutes of Q&A. The top 3 winners, and 2 additional awards will be announced that same evening.

What are the prizes?

The top 3 winners and 2 additional awards will share a prize pool of $5,500. The prize breakdown is as follows:

     1st place: Earth Category– $1,500
     1st place: Orbit Category – $1,500
     1st place: Moonshot Category – $1,500
     Crowd Favorite – $500
     Best Undergraduate Team – $500

Need more information? View our FAQ Sheet.

If you have any questions, contact the Burton D. Morgan Center's undergraduate program coordinator, Vanessa Santana, at vsantana@purdue.edu.