apply to compete
The BIG Pitch Comp: April 10-11, 2026 at SMU Cox in Dallas TX
Podium Awards
$20,000 prize pool
First Place
$10,000
Second Place
$6,500
Third Place
$3,500
Partners
Sponsoring Firms
Submission Rules
Everything you must follow
- No late submissions. Applications are due Mar 12 at 11:59pm CT (no exemptions).
- U.S.-listed equity only. No index products. No ETFs.
- Market cap must be > $1B at time of submission.
- Pitch must be Long OR Short (no L/S paired trade; no "L/S").
- Undergraduate-only competition. Cross-school teams allowed. Multiple teams per university allowed.
- 12 content slides max (excluding cover, table of contents, appendices).
- Appendix capped at 5 slides max.
- Submit as a PDF named: TeamName_Pitch.pdf.
- Video submission is required.
- 3 minutes max, thesis-focused (what the market is missing + why you're right).
- Catalysts (what changes, when, and why it matters).
- Differentiation / variant view.
- Defined investment timing (time horizon + what proves you right/wrong).
- Clear understanding of market + business fundamentals.
- Submissions must rely only on public information.
- No MNPI use or sharing.
- No model required for the first submission.
- Finalists must submit an updated deck and a supporting model for resubmissions.
- Finalists: BIG covers Friday night at the Beeman Hotel. Saturday night is optional at your own expense.
One team member must complete this form on behalf of the entire team.
Deadline: March 12 at 11:59pm CT. No late submissions will be accepted