International startup competitions offer high school-aged entrepreneurs incredible ways to validate creativity, gain investment experience, and network on an international scale. These elite platforms allow teenagers to act on innovative ideas, while also learning highly regarded skills when applying to schools such as Harvard, Oxford, and Stanford. In contrast to traditional scholarly competitions, these startup competitions offer business planning, presentation, and market study experience that prepare young business owners for long-term success.
Blue Ocean Student Entrepreneur Competition
Location: Virtual (Global)
Program Dates: Registration opens November 2025
Cost: Free
Eligibility: High school students with ages 14-18 worldwide
Deadline: Midnight of February 16, 2026
The Blue Ocean Student Entrepreneur Competition is the largest virtual pitch competition for high school students. Students create innovative business ideas that create new market spaces, rather than competing in already established ones, learning the blue ocean strategy approach employed at the world's best business schools. Students learn a mini-course in Blue Ocean Strategy and then submit a 5-minute video pitch explaining their innovative solution to a real-world problem. The overall winner gets $1000, with $500 prizes also given to regional winners in six regions around the globe.
Citizen Entrepreneurship Competition
Location: Virtual (Global)
Program Dates: May 12 - August 12, 2025
Cost: Free
Eligibility:Worldwide entrepreneurs of age 13 and above
Deadline: Submissions till July 10, 2025
The Citizen Entrepreneurship Competition encourages youth entrepreneurs to create sustainable solutions to the UN Sustainable Development Goals, via a three-step competition. The first step is the submission of ideas. The second step consists of the entrepreneurial design courses, while the third step is via a public vote followed by an expert jury selection. The participants representing the 141 nations on five continents create robust business models leveraging the state-of-the-art Entrepreneurial Design Canvas, upon completing their courses and being voted into the top ten, from which the experts select their ultimate winners. The competition is based on social impact and sustainability, making it suitable for teen entrepreneurs looking to make a positive impact on the world.
Global Youth Entrepreneurship Challenge (GYEC)
Location: Virtual (Global)
Program Dates: Preliminary Round April 12, 2025 and Final Round on May 17, 2025
Cost: Each team gets 10,000 yen (approximately $67 USD)
Eligibility: High school students with ages 14-18 and teams of 3-8 members
Deadline: March 21, 2025 (Japan Time)
GYEC organizes a challenging 12 hour business idea competition that demands creativity and new ideas from high school students thinking creatively and innovatively under the stress of the competition. The teams are presented with a challenge at 8:00 AM and delivered a complete business plan along with a 3 minute video presentation by 8:00 PM. The unique competition format creates real world entrepreneurial stressors while building aggressive problem solving habits needed in business. Only three teams from each country will present at the world finals, and the competition is exclusive and extremely prestigious for our worthy young entrepreneurs across the world.
European Youth Start-Up Competition (YSC)
Location: Copenhagen, Denmark
Program Dates: Submissions open from September 20, 2025 and Finals between November 10-12, 2025
Cost: Free
Eligibility: Ages 18-25, residents of Europe/associate countries
Deadline: September 20, 2025
The Youth Start-Up Competition from the European Commission offers a great chance for young entrepreneurs to consider their business ideas that address challenges related to sustainability and social inclusion. The finalists must pitch their ideas live at the SME Assembly 2025 in Copenhagen. The winner receives a special guest invitation to the European Innovation Council Summit in 2026. Applicants must prepare a 3-minute video pitch of their start-up idea, and develop a three page description of the business model. The Competition is primarily scored on creativity, originality and communication skills. While there is certainly its own focus and emphasis on European values and principles, the Competition has a focus on European innovation.
Startup Innovation Awards
Location: Rome, Italy
Program Dates: Applications open until April 16, 2025 and Finals on October 15, 2025
Cost: Free, travel support provided
Eligibility: Youth-led startups addressing agricultural food systems
Deadline: May 29, 2025
The Startup Innovation Awards from the World Food Forum offers young entrepreneurs the opportunity to pitch their agricultural food innovations to global leaders and investors. There is over $80,000 available in cash and in-kind contributions for winners, plus travel support to the flagship event held in Rome. The competition categories include food processing systems, Inclusive nutrition access; climate resilience; and digital innovations in agriculture. Semi-finalists will be notified by June 30, and finalists will be announced by July 24, 2023, to prepare for the grand finale on 24 July at FAO headquarters.
SAGE Global Competitions
Location: Various countries (National competitions feed into World Cup)
Program Dates: National deadlines vary; SAGE World Cup November 2025
Cost: Varies by country
Eligibility: Ages 13-19, teams of 3+ students with adult advisor
Deadline: Varies by country (USA deadline May 2, 2025)
Students for the Advancement of Global Entrepreneurship organizes competitions for teen entrepreneurs specifically for established businesses to showcase and compete for international recognition. The competition has two streams: Socially Responsible Business and Social Enterprise Business, which focus on real impact instead of theoretical ideas. The teams must establish and operate a real business before the competition, and the top performers will qualify for the SAGE World Cup, a renowned competition to progress globally. The program develops business skills as well as international networks crucial for entrepreneurial success in the long term.
The Young Entrepreneurs Challenge
Location: London, UK (Finals)
Program Dates: Applications closed for 2025; Finals held March 2025
Cost: Free
Eligibility: Ages 16-25 and residents of European countries
Deadline: January 17, 2025
We're excited to partner with Verizon and Unlock, presenters of this annual competition, to showcase the best young talent in Europe focused on tech innovation. The overall winner will have £10,000 (€11,750), one-to-one mentoring from enterprise professionals, and an invitation to participate in the One Young World Global Summit. Ignite Prizes of £1,000 will also be distributed to recognize early-stage ideas with potential for future growth. The competition drives technology-led solutions that address industry or social challenges, in order to encourage and promote teen entrepreneurs, interested in tech for good!
Diamond Challenge
Location: Delaware, USA (Limitless World Summit)
Program Dates: Year-long program culminating in April 2025 Summit
Cost: $499 starting at Stage 3 (Innovation Stage)
Eligibility: Ages 14-18 and teams of 2-4 students plus adult advisor
Deadline: Stage 1 & 2 due November 1, 2024 and Innovation Stage January 10, 2025
This platform is presented by the University of Delaware's Horn Entrepreneurship program and for teens from all over the world to learn about the principles of entrepreneurship and compete for $100,000 in awards. The competition has four stages from team formation through lean canvas, innovation briefs and final power pitches at the Innovation Summit. Award amounts are $4,500 for 3rd place and $12,000 for 1st place in business innovation and social innovation tracks!
The Diamond Challenge emphasizes the learning component as much as the competition aspect. Participants receive in-depth entrepreneurial learning experiences during the whole programme, which spans from August to May.
Conrad Challenge
Location: Various (Innovation Summit location varies)
Program Dates:Summit April 22-25, 2025
Cost: $499 entry fee starting at Stage 3
Eligibility: Ages 13-18 and teams of 2-5 students plus adult coach
Deadline: Power Pitch Stage (Summit) on April 22-25, 2025
Conrad Challenge, named after astronaut Pete Conrad, is a yearly innovation and entrepreneurship competition challenging high school students to make the world a better place with creativity and critical thinking. Although not a science fair, the Conrad Challenge addresses entrepreneurial solutions to the problems of the world in aerospace, cyber-technology, energy, environment, and health topics. Teams move through guided stages such as activation, lean canvas, innovation briefs, and power pitch presentations. Winning teams receive the Pete Conrad Scholar designation and significant college scholarships in place of money prizes.
Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE) Challenge
Location: Regional competitions across USA (National Finals in New York)
Program Dates: Regional competitions May-June 2025 and National Finals October 8, 2025
Cost: Free (part of NFTE curriculum programs)
Eligibility: Ages 11-18, NFTE program participants
Deadline: Regional deadlines vary (May 13 - June 16, 2025)
NFTE Youth Entrepreneurship Challenge is a new competition format starting with regional competitions, culminating in national finals. This structured format allows high school students to nurture their business ideas through presentation and feedback exercises. Winners will get seed funding for launching or growing their businesses - first place $1,500.00, second place is $1,000.00 at regionals and the third place is $500.00. This competition will focus on underserved populations and educational equity and provide full-spectrum support for the entire process to develop pitches.
These international competitions give teen entrepreneurs great opportunities to turn new ideas into successful companies and gain university success and career skills. If you are interested in social change, tech innovation, or creative problem-solving, these platforms offer formal channels to demonstrate entrepreneurial talent on the international stage. Any successful entrepreneur had one idea and the need to make it happen. These competitions give you the platform to make that happen.
If you are a high school student pushing yourself to stand out in college applications, RISE Research offers a unique opportunity to work one-on-one with mentors from top universities around the world.
Through personalized guidance and independent research projects that can lead to prestigious publications, RISE Research helps you build a standout academic profile and develop skills that set you apart. With flexible program dates and global accessibility, ambitious students can apply year-round. To learn more about eligibility, costs, and how to get started, visit RISE Research’s official website and take your college preparation to the next level!
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