Promote Competition

Additional Guidance

Play up scarcity and urgency; “Only eight spots available!” “Signup deadline is February 20!”

Target the groups you think will be most likely to respond; business/DECA club members and juniors (always looking for another bullet point for their college applications) in particular. Also arts, sports, STEM, etc. who may not be thinking about entrepreneurship opportunities

Methods of promotion; Use flyers, morning announcements and individual teachers mentioning the competition in their classes and clubs to drive awareness. Group texts with a digital copy of the flyer and word of mouth are also very effective

Keep a waitlist; to allow for last minute dropouts

Don’t be surprised; if signups are quiet at first and spike near the deadline

Err on advertising more than you think you need to; One weird wrinkle is that participating students may not spread the word since they want to fewer competitors and a better chance of winning!

Seek out local business owners to be the judges; as this creates great community involvement. Faculty advisors and other teachers may have worked with the students on their pitches, so it’s best to exclude them as judges. Aim for 4-5 judges and have a couple of backups in case of last-minute cancellations

Don’t let sponsors be judges; since it can create a potential conflict of interest

A website using Google Sites is free and easy to make; it can be used for advertising, housing participant and judges info, and as a place where teams can submit their presentations