Startup pitch competitions with cash prizes, closing soon (Nov 2026)

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Open for applications (8)

Soonest deadline first. The deadline and the prize are the organizer's own words; each page was read on 12 Nov 2026. Open the program's page before you apply: dates and terms change.

Competition	Type	Closes	Prize	Who can enter	Fee	Link
Canada's Total Mom Pitch	National pitch	15 Nov 2026Applications close November 15th, 2026; the top five pitch live on February 10, 2027	$50,000 in non-dilutive funding and business services for the winner; the page does not split cash from services	Canadian entrepreneurs, per the page; the rules are on a separate eligibility page that was not read.	The page read states no entry fee.	The organizer's page ↗
D-Prize Global Competition	Prize competition	15 Nov 2026Regular submission deadline: 15 November 2026 at midnight PT	Up to $20,000 to launch a new organization, for the top 1% of entrants	Entrepreneurs who propose to launch an organization distributing a proven poverty solution; entry is a written submission followed by phone and email interviews, not a live pitch.	The page states no entry fee.	The organizer's page ↗
>>venture>> Startup Competition (Switzerland)	National pitch	30 Nov 2026Application window October 1 to November 30, 2026	CHF 150'000 grand prize; each vertical winner and each vertical finalist CHF 10'000; audience award CHF 50'000	Early-stage, Swiss-based startups and nonprofits with an innovative idea.	The page states no equity is taken; it states no entry fee.	The organizer's page ↗
European Prize for Women Innovators 2027	Prize	1 Dec 2026Deadline to apply: 1 December 2026, 17.00 CEST	Women Innovators: EUR 100,000, 70,000 and 50,000; Rising Innovators (under 35): EUR 50,000, 30,000 and 20,000	Women founders and co-founders from the EU and countries associated with Horizon Europe.	The page states no entry fee.	The organizer's page ↗
Big Ideas Contest (UC Berkeley)	Student pitch	2 Dec 2026The page says: Deadline for Big Ideas is Dec 2nd	The page says one team took home $20K at the last final; it also names extra funding of up to $10K for climate teams, up to $5K for fintech and a $10K education prize	Student-led teams at UC Berkeley.	The page states no entry fee.	The organizer's page ↗
Philips Innovation Award 2027 (Netherlands)	National pitch	6 Dec 2026Deadline 6 December 2026 at 23:59, per the terms page, which is marked as a draft for review	Innovator Award worth EUR 50.000 (cash, patent registration help, creative services, consulting); Rough Diamond Award worth EUR 10.000	Teams of 1 to 10 full-time equivalents with a team member who owns the idea; at least 75% aged 30 or younger and at least half enrolled at, or recently graduated from, a Dutch university or college.	Participation is free of charge, per the terms page.	The organizer's page ↗
SusHi Tech Challenge 2027 (Tokyo)	Global pitch	18 Dec 2026Registration deadline: December 18, 2026 [23:59 JST]; 20 semifinalists pitch in Tokyo in May 2027	10 million yen in cash for the winning startup, with other prizes to be determined	The page read does not state eligibility rules; check the challenge page.	The page states no entry fee.	The organizer's page ↗
Penn Venture Lab Startup Challenge	Student pitch	10 Jan 2027Round One application deadline: Sunday, January 10, 2027; semifinals are a virtual pitch on March 19, 2027	Teams can win awards from more than $200,000 in cash prizes, in-kind support and other resources	Penn students.	The page states no entry fee.	The organizer's page ↗

Questions founders ask

Which startup pitch competitions with cash prizes are open for applications now?

On 15 Nov 2026, 8 startup pitch competitions with a cash prize are open in this list, and 2 of them are for students only. The nearest two deadlines are 15 Nov 2026 (Canada's Total Mom Pitch and D-Prize Global Competition) and 30 Nov 2026 (>>venture>> Startup Competition). Each row below links to the organizer's own page and shows the prize as the page words it and the date the page was read (12 Nov 2026).

Which pitch competitions for startups close in December 2026?

4 competitions in this list close in December 2026: European Prize for Women Innovators 2027 on 1 Dec 2026, Big Ideas Contest on 2 Dec 2026, Philips Innovation Award 2027 on 6 Dec 2026 and SusHi Tech Challenge 2027 on 18 Dec 2026.

Can I enter a startup pitch competition if I am not a student?

6 competitions in this list are not limited to students, but rows can still limit entry by place, age, sector or gender, so read the "Who can enter" cell of each row before you apply. 2 rows are marked as a student pitch.

What this list does not tell you

It does not say whether you are eligible or whether your company fits a given row: the place, age, student status and sector rules differ, and the organizer's page is the rule. It is not a ranking and does not say which competition is best for you or how likely you are to win. A prize is shown as the page words it; where a page counts services or an investment inside the headline figure, the cell says so. The list does not cover competitions whose organizer's page could not be read today. It is not legal or tax advice, and it does not replace the organizer's own terms or an adviser who has read them.

Left out: Hello Tomorrow Global Challenge (closes 30 Nov 2026; its grand prize is a EUR 200,000 equity investment, not a cash prize), SXSW Pitch (closes 13 Nov 2026; the page names no prize and a $225 non-refundable entry fee), Georgia Tech InVenture Prize (registration closes 13 Jan 2027, after the 60-day window), Harvard President's Innovation Challenge, start2grow, Kirby Prize and MIT Climate & Energy Prize (the organizers' own pages could not be opened on 12 Nov 2026). Competitions whose deadline has passed are not listed.

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