Pitch it to Me! NAIT Student Pitch Competition 2025

Helping NAIT Students be Curious

The Mawji Centre is NAIT's business incubator and accelerator program, supporting students in starting and growing businesses. Students can get mentorship and training, compete and win prizes, attend training sessions, and meet with expert mentors to support their entrepreneurial dreams.

Pitch it to Me! Student Competition Rules

Team Composition

Teams can be comprised of 1 to 2 speakers.
1. Only NAIT students or recent alumni may compete. Recent alumni would have graduated within the last 4 months.
2. NAIT students and recent NAIT alumni must hold at least 50% ownership of the competition entry.
3. Teams can include students from any NAIT school or a combination of schools (e.g., JR Shaw School of Business, School of Media and Information Technology, and others).
4. NAIT staff members are not eligible for entry.
5. All team members must be listed on the competition entry form and a ‘designated entrant’ must be indicated. NAIT will not be liable for payment of any prize monies to any group member other than the designated entrant.

Video Production and Submission for Competition Entry

1. Video submissions that exceed 3 minutes or are shorter than 2 minutes will be disqualified.
2. Any videos with content that is offensive, lewd, or in otherwise poor taste will be disqualified.
3. By submitting their videos, teams acknowledge that their videos may be viewed by the public and may be used for promotional purposes by NAIT.
4. Videos must be in MP4 format and smaller than 300 MB.
5. Any participant may only submit one entry per year.
6. Videos submitted to the Mawji Centre as part of the competition become the sole property of NAIT and the Mawji Centre and will not be returned to the Entrant.

Selection of Final Pitch Entries

1. Submissions will be evaluated based on the following criteria.
• Strength of the business idea
• Content of the pitch
• Soft Skills
• Other factors
• The discretion of our judges
2. The top five entrants will be selected by a committee of The Mawji Centre’s choosing.
3. Should any of the top five entrants choose not to present to judges at the Pitch it to Me! Student Competition, the next runner-up will be offered their place. The top five must confirm their participation in the final pitch competition no later than 4 days after being notified of their qualification.
4. Proof of NAIT enrollment may be required to obtain prize money.
5. Finalists will be given one opportunity to receive pitch coaching from an Edmonton business leader. It will be up to the student to utilize this expert.
6. Students who made the top 5 in the previous year's Pitch Competition cannot reapply or compete.

Prizes include:
1st: $4000
2nd: $2500
3rd: $1500

Pitches will be evaluated based on the:
1) Strength of the idea
2) Content in the pitch
3) Soft Skills/ Performance of the student

Questions? Email dschaub@nait.ca or schedule a meeting

Don't know how to pitch or what goes into one? Contact us for a meeting. We are happy to help.

Before entering this competition, make sure you understand the key elements of a successful pitch. Taking the time to prepare will ensure you make the most of this valuable opportunity!