1.1 The competition is open to all final-year undergraduate students, postgraduate students, and students who have graduated since 2018, and have pursued a research project while at university in the UK. 

1.2 Applicants must develop and submit a proposal that maximises, improves or provides new solutions to sustainability, innovations, developments in line with the competition theme.

1.3 The winning applicants will be selected at a live ‘Dragon’s Den’ style pitching event, date to be confirmed. A panel (“Panel”) of judges will award prizes to up to 3 applicants at the event. 

1.4 The winning applicants must spend the prize money on progressing the proposal towards bringing it closer to validation or practical application. Such expenditure could be on materials, market research, website development, equipment, processes, potential infrastructure and utilities in relation to the proposed solution.

2.1 The competition will run from 01/11/2022 (“Date of Launch”) to 01/12/2022 (“Closing Date”) inclusive. 

2.2 Applicants must submit a fully completed Application form no later than 12:00 a.m. on 01/12/2022. All competition entries received after this time are automatically disqualified. 

2.3 All applications must be submitted via the online application form available on the competition page. 

2.4 By submitting a competition entry, applicants are agreeing to be bound by the following terms and conditions. It is their responsibility to ensure that their entry complies with any relevant data protection requirements and that they agree to the submission of their contribution to this competition and for the wider and further promotional activities proposed for winners. 

2.5 For help with any entries, please contact the PmD team at pmd@thestudentcoach.co.uk or see the competition website (FAQ’s). 

2.6 The competition entries will be shortlisted by a Review Committee selecting the best 10 entries.

2.7 Shortlisted applicants will be notified by 31 December 2022. Please be informed that your entry will not have been shortlisted if you have not been contacted by this date.

2.8 For the Pitch My Dissertation Africa Competition, shortlisted applicants will be required to provide reference letters on headed paper from their dissertation supervisors.

2.9 Shortlisted applicants will pitch their entries at the live event in January 2023 (date and venue TBC). The Panel will select up to 3 winning entries at the live event based on pre-agreed marking criteria. The live event will be video recorded.

2.10 The decision of the Panel acting reasonably and the selection of the shortlist will be final. Names of the Panel can be viewed on the competition website.

3.1 The competition is open to any and all students who are or were enrolled in any public or private university located in the UK. 

3.2 Applicants should note that international students cannot engage in business activity while on a Student visa. You are allowed to research ideas and theoretically explore venture creation, but you cannot launch or trade while on a Student visa. 

3.3 Entries are limited to one per student. Team entries are not eligible. 

3.4 PmD will not accept entries that are: 

1. untrue or inaccurate 
2. automatically generated by computer; 
3. illegible, have been altered, reconstructed, forged or tampered with; or
4. are not original pieces of work. 

If the following takes place, PmD will have all rights to make decisions in the best interest of the community, UK laws and as required. PmD will also hold the right to disqualify participants if the following takes place.

4.1 Winning applicants will be contacted by PmD within 2 weeks of the live event and prizes will be paid within twenty-eight days (28) days of the live event.

4.2 Applicants will be paid via direct bank transfers, no other payment method will be accepted. It is the Entrant’s responsibility to ensure that the personal payment details provided are correct and up to date.

4.3 Winning applicants will be required to share brief progress reports on the use of prize money and the progress of the Proposal (“Reports”) after 6 months following the prize award. Applicants hereby agree that failure to provide the Reports or to account for the expenditure of the prize money in accordance with clause 1.4 of these terms and conditions shall result in the relevant winning Entrant(s) returning the prize money.

4.4 PmD will publish the winning entry names, relevant schools of study, and the winning entries, including recorded videos of pitches from the live event, on the PmD website.

Insofar as is permitted by law, PmD will not in any circumstances be responsible or liable to compensate any Entrant or accept any liability for any loss, damage, or personal injury occurring as a result of entering the competition or taking up the prize except where it is caused by the negligence of PmD.

6.1 The competition will involve the processing of personal data of applicants, including name, contact details, school of study, year of study, and student number. Personal data will be processed in accordance with the UK data protection legislation and PmD’s Data Protection Policy. See also condition 2.9 with regard to recording shortlisted applicants’ pitches and condition 4.4 with regard to the announcement of winning entries. 

6.2 Applicants agree by entering the competition that PmD may use photos and videos taken at the event, which they may appear in, on PmD‘s website and social media.

9.1 If there is any reason to believe that there has been a breach of these terms and conditions, PmD may, at its sole discretion, exclude an individual or team Entrant from participating in the competition.

9.2 PmD reserves the right to hold void, suspend, cancel, or amend the prize or the competition where it becomes necessary to do so.