Due: Sunday, Feb 15
HIGH SCHOOLHIGH SCHOOLPITCHCOMPETITIONPITCH COMPETITION
Pitch your business idea with a short video for $25,000 in prizes!
Overview
Austin Christian University has partnered with Faith Driven Entrepreneur, Solving The World's Greatest Problems, and more to host an online High School Pitch Competition, activating the next generation of world-changing Christian entrepreneurs.
Students will submit a short video pitching their business idea to compete for $25,000 in prizes. Finalists will be promoted as honorary members of ACU's Accelerator and winners will be announced at the 2026 SWGP Conference at SXSW in Austin, TX.
Exceptional students may even receive free assistance from the Accelerator to build, launch, and scale their ideas. Register to compete today!
Faith Driven Entrepreneur's teen course program empowers the next generation of entrepreneurs to discover their God-given strengths, study high-impact businesses, and find their purpose through guided conversations with parents and mentors.
Solving The World's Greatest Problems is a movement harnessing the power of Christian builders and investors to stand in the gaps of brokenness and create lasting impact through educational content, conferences, and community.
Example Submissions
See what successful pitches look like.
How It Works
Access the official "How to Win" Guide
Give yourself the best shot at winning prizes by gaining access to this interactive guide. It contains an example script, judging criteria, competition deadlines, and more.
"How to Win" Guide →Upload Your ~2-Minute Pitch Video
The sooner you submit your pitch video the better. We may choose to feature your video as an example on our website & social media, increasing your idea's exposure!
Upload video →Build a Pitch Deck with ACU's Help
Seasoned entrepreneurs from ACU's Accelerator will help Finalists from Round 2 build Silicon-Valley-style pitch decks for judges to score for the prizes in Step 4.
See accelerator →Win Prize Money and Nat'l Exposure
In addition to the prizes, winners will be announced as honorary members of ACU's Startup Accelerator and showcased at the SWGP Launch Event in March.
See SWGP event →$25,000 in cash prizes. Spend the money however and wherever you like, no strings attached!
The overall grand prize - to the student whose pitch demonstrates the greatest potential for solving a real-world problem at scale in a novel way
To the student whose pitch showcases the most innovative technical solution, demonstrating creativity and technical excellence
To the student whose pitch is presented most effectively, demonstrating exceptional communication skills, clarity, and persuasiveness
To a student whose pitch shows exceptional promise and innovation
To a student whose pitch shows exceptional promise and innovation
To a student whose pitch shows exceptional promise and innovation
To the student with the most creative overall social media splash; tag @austinchristianuniversity (Instagram) and @acu_startups (TikTok)
To the student whose social media posts of their Round 1 video submission get the most likes total across TikTok and Instagram
To the high school or youth group with the most engaged students
To the youth group, high school, Young Life chapter, etc. of the Grand Prize winner
GET THE "HOW TO WIN" GUIDE:
Submit this form to access the "How to Win" Guide. It contains everything you'll need to win:
Ideal Pitch Video Structure
Example Pitch Video Script
Printable Script Worksheet
Judging Criteria & Rubric
All Competition Deadlines
All Competition Rules
Breakdown of Prizes
Video Upload Form
Ready to upload your pitch video?
Upload Video
MEET YOUR COMPETITION HOST
As ACU's Accelerator Director, Jake Oswald is passionate about activating the entrepreneur in young Christians and is eager to connect students to cutting-edge, Christian-led startups from across the country.
Startup Accelerator
Do you have a passion for building products and fixing problems? Is entrepreneurship in your future? If so, you'll want to check out Austin Christian's unique accelerator program.
ACU students get the opportunity to work on real businesses led by Christian founders for course credit. Some students have even started their own companies as a part of their college experience!
This year's cohort of startups is 25 strong, with more joining by the week. Visit the Accelerator page to learn more.