Pitch for a Purpose

We are asking student teams from the University at Buffalo will develop solutions that will combat the world’s most pressing problems using the 17 Sustainable Development Goals as a lens to their work. 

Prizes:

3rd Place: $500

2nd Place: $1,000

1st Place: $1,500

The winning team will advance (and must be able to attend!) on to the global finals hosted by Western University in London, Ontario, from June 5-9th where they have a chance to win $30,000CA. 

Eligibility and Team Composition:

• Full-time and part-time students completing an undergraduate degree program, Masters or PhD, who are registered at participating partner universities may compete in the World's Challenge Challenge
• Teams must be composed of two to four students, preferably from at least two different disciplines. Applications from teams with more or less participants will not be accepted. All  students must present at the competitions.
• Only students from the same institution will be accepted on a team. Cross-institutional representation is not allowed.
• Teams may not include non-student participants.
• If your team contains international students, you must ensure that, in the possibility of winning the UB competition, they legally travel to Canada. 

Presentation Requirements:

• Each team will have 5 to 7 minutes to talk about the World’s Challenge you wish to address, using a PowerPoint presentation for visual support.
• Your presentation should reflect the concepts and principles being discussed through visuals and a limited amount of text.
• Video and other multimedia files and links are allowed, within the given time allotted.
• Please include all references you used for your presentation in the final slide. You do not need to present these.

Once you have your team and your idea, the UB planning team requires you to submit a video that is no longer than two minutes. This should be of one or more of your team members explaining the gist of your presentation. 

The planning team will then choose the top teams to go forth and compete at the Pitch for A Purpose on April 4th at 4pm at the GRoW Clean Energy Center. There will be opportunities for student teams to attend trainings to hone their presentation skills in preparation for the April 4th event. 

You can book the Video Recording Rooms in the Silverman Library through the online reservation system: https://booking.lib.buffalo.edu.

Thank you to everyone that participated in the WCC on Tuesday, April 6th from 3-5pm! Congrats to Sustaina-BULL for taking 1st place and going on to the finals in June.

February 8 — video application due (see application below)

April 2 — UB World's Challenge Challenge:

• Location: TBD
• Time: 4-6 p.m. 
• Prizes:
  • First Place $3,000
  • Second Place $2,000
  • Third Place $1.000

The winner of UB's World's Challenge Challenge will go on to represent the United States at the Global Final competition held at Western University in London Ontario. All travel and expenses will be paid for, but a valid passport is necessary to compete. 

June 2-6 — Global Final World's Challenge Challenge: 

• Prizes:
  • First Place $30,000 (Canadian Dollars)
  • Second Place $15,000 (Canadian Dollars)
  • Third Place $7,500 (Canadian Dollars)