2026 Eligibility Requirements

2026 Patriot Pitch Competition Eligibility Requirements

The 2026 Patriot Pitch Competition invites innovative thinkers from George Mason University to compete for funding, mentorship, and recognition. Whether you're a student or recent alum, this is your opportunity to showcase your entrepreneurial spirit. Check below to see if you meet the eligibility criteria and take the first step toward launching your venture.

2026 Patriot Pitch Competition Final Pitch Event: Thursday, April 9, 2026

A. GMU Affiliation Requirements

  1. The application must be a “Venture” that is 50% or more controlled by a “College Participant.” “Non-College Participants” can be included in a Venture’s team but cannot control more than 50% of the Venture. 
  2. A Venture that is comprised of both College Participants and Non-College Participants not yet legally organized will be required to provide a binding agreement between the team members showing 50% or more control by the College Participant.

B. Eligibility Requirements for Participants 

“College Participant” is: 

A currently enrolled (full or part-time) student in any George Mason University degree program or an alumnus of any George Mason University degree program who graduated after December 1, 2021 (within the past 5 years). Currently enrolled degree-seeking students include students enrolled in the George Mason University and Northern Virginia Community College’s ADVANCE program, Mason Korea students and students in degree seeking programs on all George Mason University campuses.

“Non-College Participant” is: 

Any individual that does not meet the requirements of a “College Participant” (as defined above).

C. Intended for Early-Stage Ventures 

Open to Ventures that: 

  1. Have raised funding (equity or debt or both) or received grants of less than $50,000 and; 
  2. Have less than $100,000 in annual revenue

D. Eligibility Requirements for Participating Ventures 

  1. A Venture may be organized as a sole proprietorship, a team of individuals with an idea, an organized class project, or an organized legal entity such as a partnership, corporation, etc. 
  2. A Venture cannot be destructive in nature (cannot have malicious intent or be considered illegal by state, federal or local laws).
  3. A Venture cannot have been in business for more than 3 years (as of Pitch Competition Date, must have been legally organized after April 1, 2023, if this milestone has already been achieved).
  4. A Venture cannot have won prize money or have been selected as a semifinalist in a previous Patriot Pitch Competition (name of competition has varied).
  5. The Venture (idea or early-stage business) must be originated by the student or alumni team (cannot be a student or alumni team that is providing consulting services, partnering with or providing market research on behalf of someone else’s venture or business).

E. Eligible Tracks 

The organizers have outlined four tracks for participation:

  1. Future Founders: Meant for idea stage or early-stage ventures (current undergraduate students) that intend on starting a business or have already started their business).
  2. Innovative Ideas: Meant for idea-stage and experiential learning pitches (current undergraduate students not planning to start a business but using this as an opportunity to gain an entrepreneurial mindset and "intrapreneurial" skills in preparation for entering corporate or small business environments).
  3. Social Impact: Meant for ventures that have a social enterprise business model or non-profit organizations that generate positive environmental or societal impact (current undergraduate students).
  4. Graduate Students and Recent Alumni: Meant for idea stage or early-stage aspiring entrepreneurs (current graduate level students and recent alumni, within last 5 years) that intend on starting their business or have already started their business and meet the defined eligibility limitations for revenue, # of years in business, etc.

Eligible Tracks: Additional Information:

  1. Selected semifinalist (current student and recent alumni) teams that do not progress as finalist teams are expected to participate in the Regional Showcase at the April 9 pitch event and will be potentially eligible for separate Cash Awards.
  2. Current students, recent alumni teams participating in the four competition tracks, and Regional Showcase participants are not eligible to participate in the Global Showcase.
  3. Global Showcase participants are not eligible to participate in the Regional Showcase or apply for one of the four tracks listed above. Please see the Patriot Pitch Competition website (link below) for more information on eligibility requirements to participate in the final event’s Regional Showcase or Global Showcase.

F. Cash Prize Award Distribution Rules

  1. Current undergraduate students can opt to receive Cash Prize Awards as checks as an individual(s) or as a legal entity (tax and Financial Aid implications may apply).
  2. Prize amounts for any undergraduate student teams that have more than one person are required to either:
    1. become legally organized and establish a business bank account or
    2. the total Cash Prize Award will be evenly split and distributed amongst student team members
  3. Participants in the Graduate Students and Recent Alumni only) track must become legally organized prior to Cash Prize Amount distribution.
  4. Any Ventures with a team comprised of greater than 49% Graduate students and/or Alumni participants will be eligible to participate in the (Graduate Students and Recent Alumni only).
  5. Any Ventures with various “College Participants” and “Non-College Participants” (any combination of eligible student/ eligible alumni/Non-College participants) would need to become legally organized prior to Cash Prize Amount distribution with binding agreement reflecting “College Participant” has 50% or more control of legal entity
  6. Any “College Participant” not eligible to become legally organized due to visa status will be eligible to receive Cash Prize Amount as an individual (additional approvals required from International Tax Office and Financial Aid Office (OIPS) may apply)

*Applicants should be prepared to show proof of control by a “College Participant(s)” and proof of enrollment or graduation. 

**These eligibility requirements are subject to change at competition organizers' discretion. 

***Please see Cash Prize Award amounts as listed on the 2026 Patriot Pitch Competition webpage.