What does the Conrad Challenge journey look like?
Over the course of the year, you and your teammates will go step-by-step through the entrepreneurial process and design an innovation that solves an important problem. The 2023-2024 competition is comprised of four stages:

1. Activation Stage (Aug - Nov 3, 2023)
   You’ll embark on your journey by assembling your crew of 2-5 students plus a coach and completing registration.

2. Lean Canvas Stage (deadline Nov 3, 2023)
   You’ll plan out your path by brainstorming ideas, selecting your innovation and category and preparing a Lean Canvas.

3. Innovation Stage (deadline Jan 12, 2024)
   You’ll bring your innovation to life by writing an Innovation Brief, recording an Innovation Video and creating a website.

4. Power Pitch Stage (April 23-26, 2024)
   Our top teams from the Innovation Stage are named Finalists and invited to pitch their innovations to a live panel of Judges at the 2024 Conrad Challenge Innovation Summit. At the Summit, Judges, Alumni and other members of the Conrad Community come together for a multi-day event full of dynamic workshops, tours, community sessions and speakers. Finalist teams will compete to earn scholarships, entrepreneurial support and the Challenge’s top honor: the title of Pete Conrad Scholar. Click here to check out the prizes!

Can I join the Challenge?
If you’re a student between the ages of 13 and 18, you are eligible to join. You must participate as a member of a team of 2-5 students. You and your teammates may compete from any corner of the globe. You can form a team with schoolmates, siblings, camp friends or any other eligible students you know. If you’ve competed in a previous year, you may compete again as long as you still meet the age criteria and other requirements.

Want some guidance during your journey?
Check out the Student Resources Library, infused with best practices shared with us by startup industry experts and Conrad alumni alike.

Share with your network!
We want as many young entrepreneurs to participate from around the globe as possible. Share the Conrad Challenge with your friends, family and network.

The Activation Stage is when you embark on your journey to collaborate, to innovate and to change the world!

1. Gather your crew:

• Create a team of 2-5 students. Invite students from other schools, cities, states or even countries to collaborate without borders. Having the right team members is a key ingredient for our successful teams.

• Recruit a coach. This can be a teacher, parent, subject-matter expert or other qualified mentor over the age of 18.

2. Register your team: All of your team members and your coach will register through our Conrad Portal under one account. As part of registration, you and your legal guardian must review the Student Guide, the Rules & Regulations and Terms & Conditions which apply to all participants.

Activation Stage Due: November 3, 2023

The Lean Canvas Stage is when you’ll brainstorm ideas, select your innovation, lay out the details and take an invaluable first step on your entrepreneurial journey.

1. Ideate: Partner with your teammates to brainstorm different challenges to address and explore innovative solutions. You’ll find some great resources on how to come up with viable ideas in our Student Resources Library.

2. Complete your Lean Canvas: A Lean Canvas is a widely adopted tool used by founders to quickly map out the fundamentals of a new venture while in the early stages of the idea. In the Lean Canvas, you’ll share your early thoughts to 12 questions that outline your innovation, your market and your business model. Keep it brief: you’re limited to a maximum of 40 words for most questions.

3. Choose your name and category: You’ll now finalize a name for your innovation and a Challenge category in your Conrad Portal. If your team has changed its name since the Activation Stage, please go back to the “Getting Started” tab and revise it. Your name should be the same in both tabs.

Lean Canvas Stage Due: November 3, 2023

The Innovation Stage is where you will bring it to life and begin designing, creating and telling us your plan for success!

1. Write your Innovation Brief: The Innovation Brief is the most important submission item reviewed by the Judges in the Innovation Stage. You’ll answer 10 essential questions that will tell your story, describe your innovation and its impact, detail your progress, explain your market and propose your business model.

2. Complete your Innovation Video: Your Innovation Video is a 3-5 minute demonstration of your innovation. In the video, you’ll give us a tour of an Innovation Model. You may use sketches, 3D models, storyboards, wireframes, physical prototypes or any other visual artifact to achieve this.

3. Create your website: All teams must create a website that describes your team, innovation and intended impact to the general public.

Innovation Stage Entry Fee: $499

Discounts are offered to teams who have financial constraints. Please email info@conradchallenge.org.

Innovation Stage Due: January 12, 2024

a group of judges will score your submission in the Conrad Portal according to the Scoring Guide and provide your team with feedback for your innovation. We will release judge feedback and announce Conrad Innovator and Finalist teams in February 2024!

The Power Pitch Stage is when you present your innovation on a global stage and compete for Conrad’s top distinction.

1. Join us in Houston: At the Conrad Challenge Innovation Summit, our top teams from the Innovation Stage are named Finalists and invited to pitch their innovations at Summit to our live panels of Judges. In addition, during Summit our Finalists, Judges, alumni and other members of the Conrad Community come together for a multi-day event full of dynamic workshops, tours, community sessions and speakers!

2. Prepare your Power Pitch: You’ll distill your year’s work into a presentation with pitch slides for our Judges as well as an executive briefing deck that will serve as pre-reading.

3. Present your innovation: You’ll pitch your innovation under the bright lights to a live panel of Judges, comprised of top experts across industry, government and academia. You’ll participate in a Q&A with the Judges and answer questions about your technology, your impact, your business model and other topics.

4. Win top honors: If you are on the highest scoring team in your category, you’ll be named a Pete Conrad Scholar and receive prizes such as scholarships, pro-bono legal and consulting services and Dell Latitude Laptops!

The COnrad Challenge Innovation Summit - April 23-26, 2024

Conrad Innovators: Celebrating Excellence!

The Conrad Innovator distinction will be awarded to all individuals on a student team that excelled at all Innovation Stage requirements, as determined by our Judges. This merit of excellence signals that each student team member is among the very top innovators of their generation. Conrad Innovators receive numerous awards, including academic scholarships to esteemed universities and admission to entrepreneurial accelerators.