Diamond Challenge

About the Diamond Challenge

The Diamond Challenge, founded by the Horn Entrepreneurship at the University of Delaware in 2012, aims to cultivate the entrepreneurial spirit among high school students. The competition offers over 4,000 students from 35 countries a platform to experience the entrepreneurial process, helping them transform ideas into action and learn how to create, capture, and realize value from new ideas, regardless of their future academic paths. The Diamond Challenge provides extensive entrepreneurial education and practical opportunities, demonstrating the potential of entrepreneurship as a career path.

Value of the Diamond Challenge

The Diamond Challenge is a high-value global entrepreneurship competition designed for high school students to foster their entrepreneurial thinking and practical skills. Key advantages of the competition include:

Learning Entrepreneurial Skills

• The competition emphasizes developing entrepreneurial thinking by engaging students in real entrepreneurial activities, enabling them to apply this mindset in any career path.

• Real-World Engagement: Students are encouraged to interact with real potential customers to gather actual market data and communicate with successful entrepreneurs, business professionals, and community leaders for real-world experience and advice.

• College Credit Opportunities: Through partnerships with schools and courses, the Diamond Challenge offers participants the opportunity to earn college credits, aiding their academic progression and providing a pathway to higher education.

• Evidence-Based Entrepreneurship: The competition teaches students how to make decisions based on evidence, using pros and cons to validate their entrepreneurial ideas and ensure their business models are robust.

• International Networking: Participants have the chance to network with young entrepreneurs from around the globe, expanding their perspectives and building valuable international connections.

• These activities provide young entrepreneurs with a unique platform to showcase their creativity, learn skills, and prepare for their future careers.

Registration and Submission Guide for the Diamond Challenge

Step 1: Register Your Team

Visit Diamondchallenge.org and click the “Register” button on the homepage. Note that only the team leader needs to register.

Step 2: Account Setup

Register and appoint a team leader, creating a password with at least 12 characters.

Step 3: Create a Profile

Click “Create a Profile to Get Started” on the homepage.

Step 4: Choose the Event Location

Select the event location that suits your needs; choose “Virtual” if it fits.

Step 5: Choose Your Competition Track

Select either “Business Innovation” or “Social Innovation” as your competition track. Ensure your project concept aligns with your chosen track.

Step 6: Fill in Application Details

Fill in your application details and start participating. You can join the Diamond Challenge’s Facebook support group, access toolkits, and watch useful tutorial videos.

Step 7: Complete All Information

Fill out tabs for “Team Leader,” “Team Members,” “Adult Advisor,” “Concept Questions,” and “Upload.” Enter a unique email address for each team member.

Step 8: Submit Your Project

Carefully review your project concept and submit it once confirmed. Remember, once submitted, the information is considered final.

Winning teams can earn prize money to support their education or further develop their projects. Additionally, the Diamond Challenge is a globally recognized competition, positively impacting students’ college applications and future careers.

Submission Requirements for the Diamond Challenge

General Requirements:

• All materials must be submitted in English.
• Each team member and mentor must register with a unique and different email address.
• To eliminate review bias, each team will receive a submission number (Concept ID) to be listed on the first page of all submitted documents.

Written Statement Requirements:

• Submissions should not exceed 5 pages. If exceeded, only the first 5 pages will be reviewed.

• Maintain 1-inch (2.54 cm) margins, use double spacing, and 12-point font.

Pitch Deck Requirements:

• The pitch deck should not exceed 15 pages, with 10 pages recommended.

• Must be submitted in PDF format.

• Can be uploaded before the competition.

Virtually Competition Requirements:

• Video recordings should not exceed 5 minutes.
• You may use tools like PowerPoint or Keynote for the presentation; the video must feature the participating members, who may choose whether or not to speak.

Live Competition Requirements:

• The actual competition location might not be the chosen venue but will be arranged at a nearby location.
• Live presentations should be limited to 5 minutes, with a 3-minute limit for judges’ questions, answered only by participating members.
• If using video content for the presentation, note that not all venues may support video playback.

These requirements ensure that participants can engage smoothly and fairly in the Diamond Challenge.