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Careers Beyond Academia

Careers Beyond AcademiaOpportunitiesAddress a social problem with your Pitch for the People

Address a social problem with your Pitch for the People

Do you have an idea, research question, or innovation that addresses a social problem?

Teams of 1-5 people must include at least one member studying or conducting research in the humanities or social sciences. The event will be held virtually in August and offers a chance to earn funding up to $2,000. Students, researchers, and staff are encouraged to apply.

Pitch for the People competition deadline: July 25

Applications will be reviewed by a panel of judges who represent expertise in research, humanities and social sciences, entrepreneurship, and investment. Six finalists will be invited to deliver a five-minute pitch before a panel in early August. The pitch must be delivered by a team member in the social sciences or humanities. Pitches must be no longer than five minutes and can take the form of a presentation, video, performance or any other appropriate medium. The judges will ask critical questions and provide feedback to the finalists. Afterwards, judges will allocate awards with

  • $2,000 for 1st place,
  • $1,000 for 2nd place,
  • $500 for 3rd place and
  • $250 for any team that makes it to the final round.

The competition’s funding awards shall be directed towards developing the proposed idea into a real venture or research project. All finalists will be asked to submit a brief report updating the panel six months after the disbursement of funds with the team’s progress, direction, and roadblocks.

How to apply to Pitch for the People

  1. For each team member please list expected year of graduation (if applicable), position (if applicable), college, degree:
  2. To be shared publicly, describe the project context, public purpose and what the project team will be doing. (1000 Characters MAX)
  3. What problem does it solve? (1000 Characters MAX)
  4. Who needs your solution and why? (1000 Characters MAX)
  5. Why did you pick this idea to work on? (1000 Characters MAX)
  6. Who are your competitors? (1000 Characters MAX)
  7. If your project was to win, how would funding leverage its success? (1000 Characters MAX)

Organized by Henry Manley and Aadi Kulkarni (Policy Analysis and Management) and sponsored by the Office of the Vice Provost for Research.