About this opportunity
The Blue Ocean Student Entrepreneur Competition, run by Blue Ocean Student Entrepreneurs Corporation, a registered nonprofit in Maryland in the United States, is a virtual pitch competition for high school students everywhere. Thousands of students enter each year, pitching original business concepts to experienced entrepreneurs and business people, and there is no travel and no entry fee, which is what makes it genuinely open to a student in Lagos or Kigali on the same terms as anyone else.
The competition teaches a specific idea. A blue ocean business does not try to beat rivals on price or features inside a crowded market. It creates new market space instead, by attracting people who are not currently customers. Every pitch has to use three tools to make that case: the Strategy Canvas to show the industry landscape and how your venture differs from current alternatives, the Three Tiers of Noncustomers to describe your target market, and the Eliminate-Reduce-Raise-Create Grid to set out your strategy. Before you can submit a pitch you must complete the online Blue Ocean Mini-Course, which is where those tools are taught.
The format is a short video. Your pitch must be in English, under 5 minutes, under 1 GB, and presented at normal playback speed. Artificially speeding up the audio or the video to squeeze inside the limit is not allowed and may get you disqualified. Upload it to YouTube with the hashtag #blueoceancompetition, then include the link on the pitch submission form. You can enter on your own or with a team of up to five students, and every team member registers separately, whether or not you all go to the same school.
The 2027 timeline runs from now to a live online finale on 13 May 2027, with Top 500 and Top 100 announced on 5 April 2027, Top 30 on 22 April 2027 and Top 10 on 4 May 2027. First place carries USD 1,000, second USD 750 and third USD 500, the People's Choice award pays USD 750 to the Top 100 pitch with the most likes and comments on YouTube, and each of the six regions, including Africa, gets a USD 500 regional winner. Every student who submits an eligible pitch receives a Certificate of Participation, and the Top 10 pitches receive a Certificate of Outstanding Achievement.
What you receive
- Free to enter, with a virtual format that needs no travel
- Cash prizes of USD 1,000, USD 750 and USD 500 for the top three global placements
- A USD 750 People's Choice award drawn from the Top 100 pitches
- A USD 500 award for one regional winner in each region, including Africa
- A USD 500 award for each of three selected Blue Ocean Teacher Champions
- Certificate of Participation for every student who submits a pitch, and Certificate of Outstanding Achievement for the Top 10 pitches and for selected Teacher Champions
- The online Blue Ocean Mini-Course, provided to registrants as preparation material
- Feedback from multiple judges and international visibility through the competition's YouTube channel
- Practical experience in entrepreneurship, business strategy, communication and pitching
Who can apply
- You must be enrolled in high school or an equivalent pre-university level when you register, such as secondary school, GCSE or IGCSE, O-Level or A-Level study, or the International Baccalaureate
- Students who graduate after registration but before the submission deadline may still submit their pitch
- Homeschooled students aged 14 to 18 can compete
- You may compete individually or as part of a team of a maximum of 5 students
- A team may bring together students from the same high school or from different high schools
- Every participant must register, including every member of a team
- All participants must complete the online Blue Ocean Mini-Course before submitting a pitch
- Confirm your enrollment status before registering and keep any records the organizers may request for verification
Who should not apply
- Pitches received after the submission deadline will not be accepted
- All pitches must be original and not copied from somewhere else
- All pitches must be in English
- Video files must be under 1 GB and under 5 minutes, presented at normal playback speed, and artificially speeding up the audio or video may result in disqualification
- Pitches must not violate laws or trademarks
- No derogatory comments should be made on other pitches once they are up on YouTube
- The organisers reserve the right to eliminate any pitch and to disqualify any individual or team they deem inappropriate or harmful to another team or to the competition
Documents to prepare
- A completed registration for every participant, including each team member
- Proof that you completed the online Blue Ocean Mini-Course before submitting
- A video pitch in English, under 5 minutes and under 1 GB, at normal playback speed
- The video file named after your own product or idea, for example SolarSip.mp4
- A published YouTube link to your pitch, carrying the hashtag #blueoceancompetition
- A submitted pitch entry form with the video link included
How to apply
- Register for the competition at https://blueoceancompetition.org/register/. Everyone entering, including every team member, registers separately
- Complete the Blue Ocean Mini-Course you receive after registering, early enough to apply the tools properly rather than just finishing it
- Identify a pressing problem or an untapped market space, then build a business idea around something the world has not seen before
- Work your idea through the three mandatory tools: Strategy Canvas, Three Tiers of Noncustomers, and the Eliminate-Reduce-Raise-Create Grid
- Check the scoring criteria and use the provided templates to structure your pitch, since using the Blue Ocean tools to describe your business idea is mandatory
- Record your pitch as a video under 5 minutes, name the file after your product or idea, and upload it to YouTube with the hashtag #blueoceancompetition
- Submit your entry on the pitch submission form with the published video link, before the deadline of 21 February 2027
Selection process
- Registration is open now and the deadline to submit your pitch is 21 February 2027
- Experienced entrepreneurs and business people judge the entries, and Top 500 and Top 100 pitches are announced on 5 April 2027
- Top 30 is announced on 22 April 2027 and Top 10 on 4 May 2027
- Winners are announced at the live online finale on 13 May 2027, and awards are sent out afterwards, to be announced in 2027
- The People's Choice award goes to the Top 100 pitch with the most likes and comments on YouTube
- Top 100 pitches are added to the competition's YouTube channel once they are submitted
Sources and verification
- Official source , Discovered by the opportunity automation module.
Questions applicants ask
Is there a fee to enter?
No. The competition is free for students to enter and it is run entirely virtually, so there is no travel cost either.
Can I compete with friends from another school?
Yes. Teams may have up to 5 students and can mix students from the same school or from different schools. Every team member still has to register individually.
I graduate before the pitch deadline, can I still take part?
Yes. You must be enrolled in high school or an equivalent level when you register, and students who graduate before the submission deadline can still submit their pitch.
Do I have to use the Blue Ocean tools?
Yes. Using them is mandatory. Every pitch must work the Strategy Canvas, the Three Tiers of Noncustomers and the Eliminate-Reduce-Raise-Create Grid, integrated into the pitch rather than shown as unrelated diagrams.
How long can my video be?
Under 5 minutes and under 1 GB, presented at normal playback speed. Speeding up the audio or video to fit the limit is not allowed and may result in disqualification.
Important disclaimer
Nextali researches and curates useful opportunities to make discovery easier. Before applying, verify every timeline, requirement, fee and application link on the official provider website. Do your own research into the organisation, its background and the authenticity of the offer. Nextali does not guarantee selection, funding or the conduct of third party providers.
