Project Pitch

• Open to all continuing VIU students.
• Project must be at the initial stage of development.
• Student requires a VIU employee as a supervisor or mentor.
• Project must be fulfilling a curricular component of the student’s credential.
• Applicants invited to advance from Round One to Round Two must attend a Pitch Workshop between March 27-28 at a time convenient for Pitch Coach and student(s).

• Round One deadline is Monday, March 25 at 8am (PST)
• Round Two deadline is Tuesday, April 9 at TBD time (PST).
  • Final slide deck must be submitted by Monday, April 8 at 8am (PST). Students will not be able to login into a third-party site to access slides at the competition.
• Deadlines and conditions are not negotiable.
• Recipients will provide an interim report no later than December 1, 2024. A template will be provided.
• Recipients are expected to present results at CREATE 2025. Preferred method of presentation is an oral presentation but may be negotiated if another communication artifact is more appropriate.

• Phase one projects will be evaluated based on provided rubric.
• Phase two projects will be evaluated based on provided rubric.
• Decisions of the judges are final.
• Feedback from judges will be provided to students.
• A minimum of two awards will be awarded to undergraduate level student projects. A maximum of two awards will be awarded to graduate level student projects. A maximum of one award will be awarded to a group project. Groups may be any combination of VIU students.
• The top five pitches will each receive $3,000 delivered in one installment. If a group entry is in the top five, an extra $1,000 will be awarded.
• Prizes and awards are not negotiable.

Applications must address the following four items.

1. Project idea (10 pts)
   • What is it?
   • Why is it important?
2. How the project is innovative (10 pts)
3. How the funding will help the project (10 pts)
   • $1,000 may be used as a a direct reimbursement to the student if it serves as enabling the project. (e.g., it allows the student to work less hours in a PT job and dedicate more time to the project)
4. How well the project aligns with at least one of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (5pts)

Applications must follow one of the following submission types:

Written submission with the following presentation standards:

• Maximum 500-word count not including reference page. In text citations count towards word count.
• Single spaced, Calibri 11pt font
• Citation style is open, but must be consistently used
• References are presented on a separate page
• Student’s name, number, anticipated degree, contact info, and VIU supervisor/mentor’s name on a separate page. This page does not count towards word count.

Or

Video submission with the following presentation standards:

• 90 seconds maximum
• Sent as a link to a video hosting site (e.g., YouTube or VIUTube)
• References can be sent as a separate file in written format or presented at the end of the video. Not considered part of the 90 seconds.
• Student’s name, number, anticipated degree, contact info, and VIU supervisor/mentor’s name sent as a separate file in written format.

For both written and video submissions. If AI is used in anyway include a transparency statement disclosing which program was used and how it was used. This is in addition to the above requirements and can be submitted on a separate piece of paper. Student applicant is responsible for all content submitted during both rounds of the application process.

Submit completed applications to CREATE@viu.ca by deadline.

Applicants will expand the items addressed in Round One, but in the following format.

Oral presentation – ‘The Project Pitch’

• 5 minutes total. Time will start when the student starts speaking. Student will receive a visual reminder when 1 minute remains and a STOP sign at 5 minutes.
• Pitch must be made live. No pre-recorded or virtual submissions.
• May use a maximum of 5 PowerPoint slides. Slide advancer will be available.
• External props may not be used.
• A microphone will be available.

Continuing Student: Any student who will be continuing their studies at VIU from May 2024-April 2025.

Innovative Project: Innovative projects are determined by creative ideas that foster excellence with the aim to achieve better results and to have a greater impact. They can be transformational, such as a brand-new solution or an approach to a problem. Or they can be incremental, such as an adjustment to an existing solution to make it more effective and efficient.

Adapted from Canadian Centre for Innovation[1] and Government of Canada[2] language.

Initial Stage of Development: The phase of the project lifecycle when the project is defined, evaluated (including compliance), planned and resourced. If data has been collected (or is being collected), or if data is being analyzed (or is being analyzed), the project is beyond the initial stage. Further, if project deliverables are being modeled, created, or constructed the project is beyond the initial stage.