AWEsome Business Competition Rules & Timeline
Summary
The AWEsome Business Competition organizers recognize that no set of criteria can apply to every circumstance, therefore potential participants who feel they fit the spirit of the competition, but may be in minor violation of the eligibility criteria, may submit a petition to the AWEsome Business Competition organizers. Similarly, the organizers reserve the right to disqualify any team that it determines to be in violation of the spirit of the competition.
All decisions will be made by the AWEsome Business Competition organizers and are final.
Basic Rules
- Location
Teams must be in far Northern California. For this competition, far Northern California refers to Del Norte, Humboldt, Lassen, Mendocino, Modoc, Shasta, Siskiyou, and Trinity counties and adjacent tribal lands. Feel free to reach out if you want to apply, but your location is not represented.
- Team Size
Competing teams should consist of no more than five people.
- Idea Direction
Ventures should be focused on Agriculture, Water, Energy, and (for the first time) something else!
- Idea Impact
Ventures should consider their environmental and social impacts.
- Rounds
The contest consists of two rounds. Preliminary round and final round.
Additional Rules
- Ownership
If the company has allocated equity, then the participating team members must collectively own 20% or more of it.
- Control
The team must control a minimum of 51% of the venture’s voting rights.
- Nature of venture
Ventures cannot be a buyout, a real estate syndication, a tax shelter, a franchise, a licensing agreement for distribution in a different geographical area, or a spinout from an existing corporation. Licensing technologies from universities or research labs are encouraged, assuming they have not been commercialized previously. Ventures can be any scale from the idea stage to an existing company as long as the prize money would have a significant positive impact on the growth of the venture.
- Language
English must be used in all competition submissions and presentations. However, all languages are encouraged for customer discovery, teamwork, etc. The AWEsome Business Competition would love to help find mentors in your preferred language.
Important Dates & Timeline
All dates are subject to change. Workshops, Q&A sessions, speakers, and other events are shared via our social media and mailing list.
2025-2026 Timeline
Frequently Asked Questions
See our FAQ for answers and feel free to contact us with any questions!