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Pitch competition · Berkeley, California, United States

Big Ideas Contest

UC Berkeley's year-long contest for student-led social impact projects. Teams send a short pre-proposal in the fall and a full proposal in the spring; winners receive US$2,000 to US$20,000.

Open · closes 2 Dec 2026 Run by University of California, Berkeley

Visit the programme's site

Verified 19 October 2026 · From the programme's own pages

Terms

Funding
not published Prizes from US$2,000 to US$20,000, and selected finalists can win up to US$10,000 more at the Grand Prize Pitch; the 2026 grand prize winner received US$20,000. Separate funding of up to US$10,000 for California climate solutions and up to US$5,000 for fintech ideas.
Instrument
Prize
Equity taken
not published
Programme fee
not published
Duration
not published
Cohort size
not published
Cohorts
not published
Delivery
not published
Stages
Idea, pre-seed
Sectors
Social impact, Health tech, Agrifood, Fintech, Climate, Edtech
Open to founders from
not published
Perks
  • Judge feedback for every pre-proposal team
  • A Big Ideas mentor for final-round teams

Pre-proposals (3 pages) are due at 1:00 pm Pacific on 2 December 2026. 10-20 teams go to the final round and submit full proposals in April 2027; winners are announced in May.

Application dates

Open · closes 2 Dec 2026Big Ideas 2026-27

Who can apply

  • Projects initiated and led by currently matriculated UC Berkeley undergraduate or graduate students
  • Not an extension of faculty-guided research or led by an established organisation
  • Early-stage projects, from new ideas to projects formed within the last two years
  • A clear social impact, in one of eight tracks
  • Stage: idea, pre-seed

What founders should check

  1. The programme does not publish how much equity it takes. Ask before you accept a place.
  2. It does not publish a fee. Ask whether you pay for desks, services or the programme itself.
  3. It does not say whether it runs in person or remotely. Ask before you plan a move.
  4. Applications are open until 2 December 2026.

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