PRIZE AMOUNT (UP TO):
A total of $1 million in cash prizes
DESCRIPTION:
Is your high-potential small business innovating and working to shape the future in your industry?
SBA is hosting a nationwide pitch competition that will bring together entrepreneurs from across the country who are building and scaling businesses within their communities.
Selected businesses will be invited to participate in a live pitch competition in Washington, DC, which will culminate in a $1 million prize pool to celebrate the innovation and ambition that has driven American ingenuity for the past 250 years.
ELIGIBILITY:
The competition is open to:
- U.S. citizens who are at least 18 years of age at the time of submission (or teams of such individuals)
- Private entities or teams that meet SBA’s definition of a small business
- Individuals submitting on behalf of corporations, nonprofits, or other organizations or groups of individuals (such as an academic class or other team) must meet the eligibility requirements for individual contestants.
- An individual cannot belong to more than one team submitting an entry in this competition.
Your business must:
- Have a minimum of 3 years in business operation
- Have a gross revenue production of at least $100,000 annually
- Have benefited from one or more of the following SBA capital products:
- 7(a) loans (including Paycheck Protection Program loans)
- 504 loans
- Microloan Intermediary loans
- SBIR / STTR funded entities
- SBIC financed small business concerns
- Note: participants who received COVID-19 EIDL loans or SBA Disaster loans are not eligible based on those loans but may be eligible if they received the capital products listed above.
- Be current and in good standing on any federal obligations. Businesses that have, at any time, defaulted on a federal loan or federally-guaranteed financing that has resulted in the federal government or any of its agencies or departments sustaining a loss in any of its programs and businesses owned or controlled a person who previously owned, operated, or controlled a business which defaulted on a federal loan or guaranteed financing and caused the federal government or any of its agencies or departments to sustain a loss in any of its programs are ineligible to apply for the competition. For purposes of the competition, a compromise agreement as described at 31 C.F.R. 3711 shall also be considered a loss.
- Be headquartered and operated in the United States and/or its territories
- Be 100% owned by U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents
- Actively drive innovation in your sector, leveraging new technologies or strategies to modernize operations or strengthen your competitive edge
Finalists must be available to travel for the national pitch competition, which will occur on one day between September 8th – 18th (to be finalized at a later time), at their own expense.
Eligible participants must agree to assume risks of personal injury/property damage arising from their participation in the competition and waive such claims against the government or competition judges to enter the competition.
Additional eligibility requirements
The competition is not open to:
- SBA employees and contractors
- Federal entities
- Non-SBA federal employees acting within the scope of their employment
- Individuals or organizations that are currently suspended or debarred by the federal government
Deadline:
- 06/10/2026