Launch League

For chambers, economic development & community organizations

Your community's ideas. Your name on the award.

Launch League runs Ontario's free, province-wide pitch competition — entries, judging on a published rubric, and written feedback for every entrant. Your organization names an award on top of it and takes the spotlight when your community's best idea wins. All the recognition, none of the operational burden.

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How it works

One Competition. Your Spotlight.

Your award lives inside the province-wide competition — not beside it. That means no separate deadlines, no separate judging to organize, and no divided attention.

Local awards: Chatham-Kent community awards are confirmed for the 2027 season, because Launch League is based in Chatham-Kent. Community and regional awards anywhere else are not guaranteed. A local award in a category opens only once that area has at least 10 complete entries in that category and a local sponsor has confirmed the prize. Until then, entrants from that area compete for the province-wide awards, which are open to everyone in Ontario.

  • Your people enter free

    Members, students, and residents from your community enter the same competition as everyone in Ontario — no fees, no equity, ages 12+.

  • Your award finds its winner

    Your named award recognizes the strongest entry from your community or chosen focus — scored by independent judges on the published 100-point rubric.

  • They stay in the big race

    Your winner remains fully eligible for every province-wide category prize. Your award adds a hometown win on top — it never takes anything away.

The package

What Your Organization Gets

Your name on the award

  • Your award named your way — e.g., “The [Your Organization] Entrepreneurship Award”
  • Your name and logo on the live award card at launchleague.ca/competitions
  • Recognition in winner announcements and on the site throughout the cycle
  • The presentation moment — your organization hands your winner their award
  • A ready-to-share announcement blurb and graphic for your newsletter and social channels
  • A concrete economic-development story: real founders, real feedback, real prizes in your community

Judging stays fully independent — sponsors and award namers never influence scores, and any organization with a direct relationship to an entrant is excluded from input on that entrant. It's in the published rules, because that independence is what makes your award worth winning.

The case

Why Organizations Do This

  • A visible, concrete win for your economic development mandate
  • Real member and community value — not another ribbon-cutting
  • Youth engagement built in: the competition is open from age 12
  • Your name attached to your community's next generation of founders

The Investment

A community award is the first rung of our one published ladder: $1,000 – $2,500 for the season, depending on scope and prize contribution. The full ladder is below and is the same on every page of this site.

Award sponsorship goes to the prize it names. Running the program is funded separately, through partnerships and general contributions. Entry is always free for participants — no fees, no equity, ever.

Partnership levels

The full ladder

Most community organizations name an award. If you want reach beyond your own community, the higher rungs are here too.

  • Community Award

    $1,000 – $2,500 / season

    One award, one community

    Local businesses, chambers, service clubs and community foundations naming an award in their own town or county

    • Your name on a real competition award
    • Logo on the competition page and award materials
    • Named in the announcement when the award is won
    • Invitation to Awards Night
    • Keeps entry free for every student in Ontario
    Or pay now

  • Regional Partner

    $5,000 / season

    One of 5 Ontario regions

    Employers who want a presence in the schools in their own community

    • Everything in Community Award
    • Named award in your region
    • Classroom visits to schools in your region
    • Employee volunteering: your people can apply to judge or advise through the same independent process as anyone else
    • Logo on school-facing materials for that region
    Or pay now
  • Most partners land here

    Provincial Partner

    $12,000 / season

    Province-wide

    Organizations that operate across Ontario and want reach to match

    • Everything in Regional Partner, in every region we operate
    • Named award carried province-wide
    • Classroom visits across participating school boards
    • Logo on every school-facing material
    • Recognition from the stage at Awards Night
    • Annual impact report on what your funding delivered
  • One partner only

    Presenting Partner

    By conversation / season

    Province-wide, one partner only

    One organization that wants its name on the whole program — priced against what the program is worth at the time, not off a list

    • Everything in Provincial Partner
    • "Launch League, presented by your organization" on every page and material
    • Category exclusivity — no competing organization at any level
    • Named in every press release and media mention
    • Speaking slot at Awards Night
    • First right of renewal for the following season

A named award's prize is paid to the student who wins it. Everything beyond that funds the season it is won in — Awards Night, the platform, the travel to classrooms, and the people who run it. A free program still costs money to run, and we would rather say that than pretend this operates on air. What does not change: entry stays free for every student, every entrant gets written feedback, and sponsors never influence judging.

Get in touch

Let's Name Your Award

Tell us about your organization and we'll follow up within 48 hours with how a named award would work for your community.

Follow-up within 48 hours

A business looking to sponsor? See the sponsorship tiers. A firm or institution exploring a deeper partnership? Visit institutional partners.

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