Official Competition Rules

Last updated: July 2026. These rules apply to all Launch League pitch competitions.

This page is written in plain language to be clear and fair for entrants, parents, and teachers. It's not a substitute for formal legal terms — see our Terms of Service for that. If anything here is unclear, reach out at admin@launchleague.ca.

1. Eligibility

Open to anyone ages 13 and up, residing anywhere in Ontario, Canada.
Some categories carry an additional age range on top of the 13+ minimum (for example, one category is reserved for ages 13-17, another for ages 18-25). Check the specific category on the Competitions page before entering.
You can enter as an individual or as a team. Each person or team may submit one entry per category.
Entrants under 18 must have a parent or guardian consent to the entry. At submission we ask for the parent or guardian's name and email, and for confirmation that they have read these rules and agree to the entry. We may contact them to verify. An entry from someone under 18 without that consent is not accepted.
Launch League staff, judges for the category they are judging, and their immediate family members are not eligible to enter that category.

1a. Consent, Privacy and Use of Your Entry

Entrants under 18 need a parent or guardian's consent before an entry is accepted. We collect the parent or guardian's name and email at submission and may contact them to confirm.
By default, your entry — your written pitch and your three videos — is seen only by the judges assigned to your category and by Launch League staff. It is not published, not posted publicly, and not shared with sponsors.
Permission to show your entry publicly is separate, optional, and entirely up to you. At submission you can opt in to letting us show your videos, your name, and your business name publicly, including at the livestreamed Awards Night and in Launch League material. For entrants under 18, that permission comes from the parent or guardian.
Declining that permission has no effect on judging whatsoever. Judges are not told who has opted in. If you win without giving media permission, we will still announce and award your prize — we simply will not show your video or use your likeness publicly.
You can withdraw either consent at any time before the Awards Night by emailing admin@launchleague.ca. Withdrawing media permission does not withdraw your entry.
You keep all ownership of your idea, your plan, and your videos. Launch League claims no equity, no licence to commercialise your idea, and no ownership of anything you submit.
Schools running this as a class activity: students still enter individually and each entry carries its own consent. We are glad to provide a summary of what we collect for your privacy officer — see the Educators page or email us.

2. How to Enter

Register your interest at /competitions/join, then submit your full entry at /competitions/submit before the deadline.
The current submission deadline is March 31, 2027. Late entries are not guaranteed review — get it in early if you can.
A complete entry includes: your business/idea name, your name and contact info, your chosen category, a written pitch summary, and three pitch videos submitted as viewable links — (1) an elevator pitch of 60 seconds or less, (2) a plan briefing of up to 5 minutes, and (3) a slide walkthrough of up to 10 minutes presenting your deck on screen.
Videos can be hosted anywhere judges can watch them — an unlisted YouTube link, Loom, Vimeo, or a shared Google Drive link all work. Phone recordings are completely acceptable: judges score substance, not production value.
Set each video to unlisted or link-only — anyone with the link can watch, but it does not appear on your channel and does not show up in search. Do not make your videos fully public, and do not post them to a public profile. This matters most for entrants under 18: an unlisted link is the difference between your judges seeing your face and the whole internet seeing it.
You may use Launch League's free 1-page business plan builder, the free Business 101 course, or the paid Elite Business Plan Maker to help prepare your entry — none of these are required to enter.

3. Judging & Scoring Rubric

Entries are reviewed by volunteer judges from the Ontario business and non-profit community.
Every entrant who submits a complete entry receives feedback, whether or not they place.
Every entry is scored on a published 100-point rubric: Problem & Opportunity (20), Solution (20), Customer & Market Understanding (15), Feasibility (15), Business / Sustainability Model (15), Impact & Potential (10), and Communication & Pitch Quality (5). We publish the test because knowing what judges look for makes entries better — there's nothing hidden.
Judging decisions are final. Launch League does not offer a formal appeals process, but you're always welcome to reach out with questions at admin@launchleague.ca.

3a. Competition Timeline (Planned)

Applications are open now through March 31, 2027. Entries are validated and assigned to judges April 1–7, judged April 8–30, finalists announced May 15, winners announced May 31, 2027 at our Awards Night in Chatham-Kent (livestreamed — attendance is optional and never affects results), and written feedback delivered to every entrant by June 15, 2027.
These dates are planned and may shift modestly as the inaugural competition comes together — any change will be posted here and communicated to registered entrants directly.

4. AI Assistance & Fairness

You're welcome to use AI tools — including Launch League's own free and paid business plan tools — to help prepare your entry.
Using a paid tool never affects judging. Judges are not told which entrants used a paid tool, and paying for it provides no scoring advantage of any kind.
You remain responsible for the accuracy of your own submission. AI-assisted writing can still get facts, numbers, or claims wrong — review everything before you submit it.

5. Prizes

Advertised prize amounts (currently up to $9,500 total across all categories) are supported by sponsorship funding. If sponsorship targets aren't fully met by the time winners are announced, Launch League reserves the right to adjust prize amounts for that competition cycle — we'll always communicate this clearly to entrants and winners rather than surprise anyone after the fact.
Winners may be asked to confirm their eligibility and provide basic information needed to receive a prize before it's issued.

6. Your Idea Stays Yours

You keep full ownership of your idea, business, and any intellectual property in your submission. Entering a Launch League competition does not give Launch League, its judges, or its sponsors any ownership or license over your idea.
Submissions are treated as confidential by judges and staff and are not shared outside the judging process without your permission.
If you'd rather not share sensitive details (like an unfiled patent idea or proprietary technical specifics), it's okay to describe your idea at a level you're comfortable with — judges can still evaluate a well-explained concept.

7. Conduct

Entries must be your own original work. Plagiarized submissions, knowingly false information, or harassment of judges, staff, or other entrants may result in disqualification.
Launch League reserves the right to disqualify any entry that violates these rules, at our reasonable discretion.

8. Sponsors & Independence

Sponsors may have their name attached to a specific award, but sponsors do not select winners and have no influence over judging outcomes.
If a sponsor has a direct personal or business relationship with an entrant, that sponsor is excluded from any input on that entrant's category.

9. Publicity

We may ask winners and participants if they're willing to be featured (photo, quote, short write-up) in Launch League promotional materials. This is always optional and asked for directly — never assumed.

10. Changes to These Rules

Launch League may update these rules as the program grows. The version posted here at the time you enter is the one that applies to your entry.

Ready to Enter?

Now that you know the rules, let's get your idea in front of judges.

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