Competition Info
About Us
Sponsored by the Equality Collective, the Rise Higher Challenge is a global innovation challenge empowering young entrepreneurs aged 13-18 to design bold, actionable solutions to real-world problems in their communities and across the globe. Join a team of up to 4 students, or submit as an individual! The only required submission is a video up to 3 minutes long showcasing your innovative idea. More info below.
Competition Timeline
March 3 - Registration Opens
April 26 – Submission deadline (11:59 PM Your Local Time)
April 27–May 5 – Judges review submissions
May 10 – Finalists announced
May 16 – Live Showcase and Announcement of Winners
Who Can Submit?
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Students aged 13-18 at the time of submission
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Individuals
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Teams of up to 4 students
Why Submit?
Winners Receive:
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Prize money
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Global recognition
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Digital badge & certificate
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Media promotion
Team
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Daniel Persky - USA
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Matthew Persky - USA
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Althea Sanchez - Philippines
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Laurent Irakarama - Rwanda
We are Grand Prize Winners, 2nd Place Winners (out of 9,800+ competitors), and Top 10 Global Finalists for multiple international entrepreneurship competitions. We have a passion for expanding entrepreneurial opportunities to younger students.
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Judges
Our judges have decades of experience in entrepreneurship and youth empowerment initiatives in Silicon Valley. They are company founders and experts in the entrepreneurship sphere, holding degrees from schools such as:
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Harvard
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MIT
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Stanford
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Princeton
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University College London
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UC Berkeley
Judging Criteria
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Problem Identification & Relevance
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Solution & Innovation
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Feasibility & Execution Plan
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Impact & Scalability
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Communication & Clarity (Video)
FAQs
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Who can apply?
Young entrepreneurs aged 13-18 can participate. You can apply alone or with up to 3 teammates.
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What do we submit?
One team member submits a 3 minute pitch video.
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Do we need a finished product?
No. A strong idea with a clear plan is enough.
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Is there a fee?
No. It’s completely free.
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What kinds of ideas are allowed?
Anything that solves a real problem in your school, community, or the world.
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How are projects judged?
Clarity, creativity, feasibility, and real impact.
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When is it due?
April 26 at 11:59 PM Your Local Time.
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What do winners get?
Recognition, prize money, and a platform to share their idea.
Rules and Regulations
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Rules and Regulations
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All participants in the competition must be ages 13-18 at the time of submission.
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Participants can compete individually or as part of a team (max 4 students per team).
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The team leader will submit the video link to our website. Winning teams will be contacted through their team leader.
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All pitches must be original and not plagiarized.
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All team members must appear in the video at least once. All AI use must be disclosed.
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All pitches must be in English or have subtitles added.
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Pitches should be uploaded to YouTube and must be 3 minutes or under in length. (Students can upload as public or unlisted to YouTube).
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Include a link to your video on YouTube that everyone can access in your submission.
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Top 10 pitches will be added to our website.
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Pitches must not violate laws or trademarks.
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We reserve the right to disqualify pitches that are deemed inappropriate or harmful.
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We encourage you to be creative in your video design.
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Each pitch will be evaluated by judges who will watch randomly assigned pitches. We will combine the scores and then rank all pitches based on the rubric above.
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Judges will use the Scoring Criteria above, with each category counting for 10 points. The final score is rated out of 50 points maximum.
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If you’re working with a team, only the team leader should submit the form on our website.
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Violation of any rule will result in immediate disqualification.
Submit Your Video Today