Pitch Competitions
Pitching isn't just about winning money, it's one of the fastest ways to sharpen your business model, get honest feedback from investors, and build visibility in the ecosystem. Nebraska has a strong roster of competitions at every stage, from quick three-minute pitches at the university level to statewide competitions with $20,000+ in prizes. This page covers what's available, who's eligible, and what to expect.
A pitch competition gives founders a structured opportunity to present their business idea to a panel of judges — typically investors, entrepreneurs, and community leaders — in exchange for feedback, prize money, and exposure. Most competitions have specific eligibility requirements around business stage, geography, or student status. The prizes are non-dilutive, meaning you keep your equity.
What is a pitch competition?
Silicon Prairie Startup Week Pitch Competition Nebraska's largest public pitch competition, held annually during Silicon Prairie Startup Week each fall across Lincoln and Omaha. Sponsored by Open Range, the competition spotlights promising Nebraska startups competing for a $10,000 cash grand prize and a $2,500 people's choice prize. One of the best opportunities in the state for early-stage companies to get in front of investors and earn statewide visibility.
Open to Nebraska-based startups operating for no more than five years with a minimum viable product; open to both pre-revenue and revenue-generating companies
Apply via a 2-minute video pitch or short written submission
Top 20 selected as semi-finalists; five advance to live finals before an audience and panel of three judges
Winner also receives free legal consultation from Baird Holm and one year of co-working space at Catalyst
Annual event; typically held in October during Silicon Prairie Startup Week
💰 $10,000 grand prize + $2,500 people's choice
Open to all Nebraska founders
Nebraska Governor's New Venture Competition The state's most prestigious student entrepreneurship competition, designed to celebrate and encourage student-led entrepreneurship and innovation in Nebraska, providing a meaningful learning experience for undergraduate and graduate students at Nebraska post-secondary institutions. Winners are announced at the Nebraska State Chamber Annual Meeting with Governor Pillen presenting the awards.
Open to undergraduate and graduate students enrolled at any Nebraska post-secondary institution, including community colleges, state colleges, and universities
Must designate one of nine industry tracks: Agtech, Bioeconomy, Fintech/Insurtech, Cleantech, Advanced Manufacturing, Bio/Healthtech, Emerging Media Arts, Sportstech, or general
Teams only — no individual submissions; max $1M in seed capital raised at time of application
Virtual semi-finals followed by live finals at the Cornhusker Hotel
Top three finalists receive $20,000, $15,000, and $10,000 prizes
Annual cycle; applications typically due in December
Judged by investors from Nebraska Angels, Nelnet Ventures, MOVE Venture Capital, and others
💰 $45,000 total prize pool
Student Pitch Competitions
UNL Engineering Pitch Competition Hosted by the UNL College of Engineering and NUtech Ventures, this competition is open to UNL graduate and undergraduate students focused on solving an engineering problem. Teams of 1–5 participants are judged on their ability to identify an important problem, formulate a value proposition, estimate market size, and describe a business model — not technical depth.
At least one team member must be from the UNL College of Engineering; interdisciplinary teams encouraged
No more than one entry per person; no competing on multiple teams
Prizes for top three finalists; 2025 grand prize was $3,000
Annual event held in spring (typically March–April) at Kiewit Hall
All prize money must be used to support further development of the student venture
💰 Top three finalists receive cash prizes
UNL New Venture Competition The flagship entrepreneurship competition at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, open to undergraduate students, graduate students, and recent alumni, offering a bracket-style format where teams pitch to panels of founders, investors, and community leaders. Now in its 39th year — one of the longest-running student pitch competitions in the region.
Two tracks: Traditional Bracket (first-time competitors or teams without a top-four finish) and Advanced Traction (revenue-generating ventures with demonstrated traction)
64 teams compete in bracket-style rounds; prize pool includes up to $15,000 in Traditional Bracket prizes and $15,000 in Advanced Traction prizes
Potential additional investment of up to $25,000 from the Husker Venture Fund
Annual event held in April; finals at Hudl Headquarters in Lincoln
Open to UNL undergrads, grad students, and recent alumni (within one year of graduation)
Prep workshops offered in March — highly recommended
💰 Up to $30,000 in prizes + potential Husker Venture Fund investment
UNL 3-2-1 Quick Pitch An annual event where UNL students have 3 minutes to pitch 1 idea to a panel of entrepreneurial-minded experts who provide feedback and award cash prizes. The lowest barrier to entry of any competition on this list — no deck, no team required, just you and your idea. A great first step for students who have never pitched before.
Open to all UNL undergraduate and graduate students; any business type or stage
No pitch decks, visual aids, prototypes, or props permitted — verbal pitch only
Winners from each room earn cash prizes and receive a guaranteed spot in the New Venture Competition
In 2025, a record 141 students competed across 13 groups for a share of $13,000 in prizes
Annual event held in November at Hawks Hall
💰 $10,000–$13,000 total prize pool
JumpStart Challenge Lincoln's reverse pitch competition — run by LPED and held annually during Silicon Prairie Startup Week. Instead of pitching your startup, you solve a real problem pitched by a Nebraska company or organization. Entrepreneurs, developers, designers, and creatives form teams and build solutions in a hackathon-style format across AI, AgTech, and Civic Tech categories. The JumpStart Challenge began in 2013 and is designed with the goal of sparking further innovations and collaborations in Nebraska.
Open to anyone — founders, developers, students, designers, domain experts; no team required to show up
Three-phase format: 10-Hour Challenge (build day), Build & Innovate (continued development), and Pitch & Celebrate (final judging)
Two industry challenge prizes of $2,500 each, plus a $1,000 wild card category for participants who bring their own idea
Past challenge sponsors have included INEDA (AgTech Sales & Service) and Olsson (AI for Municipal Services)
Winning teams may also receive industry partnerships, co-working space, and potential access to LaunchLNK grant funding
Held annually in late September/early October at Don't Panic Labs in Lincoln's Telegraph District
Part of Silicon Prairie Startup Week programming
💰 $6,000 total prize pool across industry and wild card categories
📍 Lincoln