Rules & Requirements

Eligibility

The competition is open exclusively to students in grade 6-8 who currently attend any Catholic elementary school in Minnesota. Students can participate as individuals or as part of a team. Teams typically consist of two to four members.

Competition Process

Round One: Online submissions (video and Venn diagram) must be received between February 15-29, 2024. Each individual or student team will create a concept for a new business and submit a 3-5 minute recorded pitch and Venn diagram explaining their product or service between February 15 and 11:59 p.m. on February 29, 2024. Submissions will go through a round of preliminary judging. Click here to submit your idea for Genesis 2024.

Round Two: Finalists pitch live on March 23, 2024. Up to six finalists will give a 3-5 minute pitch of their concept live on March 23 to a distinguished panel of judges from the entrepreneurial, business and investment communities. Teams advancing to the finals have the opportunity to receive one of the following prizes:

Winner: $1000
Runner-up: $750
Second Runner-up: $500
A $500 grant to each finalist school

If students compete as part of a team, the prize money will be split evenly between team members.

Judging

For both the preliminary and final rounds of competition, a team of judges from the business and entrepreneurship community will independently review and score each pitch based on the following criteria:

#1: Venn Diagram – (is it complete and thorough?)
#2: Creativity of the idea, business/product/service and name
#3: Quality of pitch (appearance and presentation style)
#4: Realism (Is the idea feasible? If brought to market, could this business be successful? Is there a market for this idea?)
#5: Quality of Presentation (organization, composition, thoroughness)

Scores will be assigned using on a four-point rating system:
1 = weak, 2 = below average, 3 = above average, 4 = excellent.

In the preliminary judging, teams with the highest scores will advance to the finals.

Requirements

Submissions should be new concepts, not existing ideas or companies, and only one submission per person or team. Each student or student team is required to submit two deliverables: 1) a Venn diagram illustrating the need for your business idea and 2) a recorded pitch.

Deliverable #1: A Venn Diagram
Students or student teams must complete and submit the Venn diagram worksheet to illustrate how their idea is a business opportunity. Download, print, and use this template to create your Venn diagram.

Deliverable #2: A 3-5 Minute Recorded Pitch Video
Students or student teams can submit their final pitches and Venn diagrams here.

Click here for a printable copy of the Rules & Requirements.