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What is the Mott Million Dollar Challenge?

The Mott Million Dollar Challenge is a national pitch competition for kids and teens in grades K-12.

Kids and teens will compete for prizes throughout the competition, with a total prize pool of $1 million.

You can enter if:

  • You’re in grades K-12 (or the same age range), and
  • You live in one of the 50 U.S. States or Washington D.C.

You can be in public school, private school, charter school, homeschool, online school or a youth program. If you’re learning and growing here, you belong here.

  1. Gather a group or go solo.
    • You can enter alone or as a team of up to 3 students.
    • You’ll compete in one of three grade-level groups: K-4, 5-8 or 9-12.
    • If submitting as a team, pick one teammate to be the primary submitter so that there are no duplicate submissions.
  2. Brainstorm and dream.
    • Unleash your inner inventor.
    • What new idea would make life better at school, at home, in business or in your community?
  3. Pitch your idea.
    • Record a 30-90 second video.
    • Keep it clear, creative and straight from you.
    • Nothing fancy needed — your words matter most.
    • YOU MUST appear on screen.
  4. Submit your entry.
    • Fill out the quick form and upload your video here.
    • Deadline: February 27, 2026
  5. Go bold and win big.
    • Kids and teens throughout the competition will win prizes throughout the competition, with a total prize pool of $1 million.
  6. Celebrate!
    • Finalists will be invited to an epic celebration in June 2026 in Flint, Michigan, packed with learning and a live pitch event.

The best ideas are ones that make life better, in big or small ways.

  • A new product or service
  • A better way to solve an everyday problem
  • A solution that helps your whole community

You’ll choose one of two categories when you submit:

  • Business Challenge: Create an idea for a new business or a better product/service.
  • Social Challenge: Pitch a solution to a social or community issue. Explain the problem, why it matters and how your idea helps.

No experience needed. Nervous? That’s a good thing! It means you care. Take a deep breath and go for it. Your imagination is the limit.

You choose:

  • Solo: just you and your big idea
  • Team: up to 3 students working together on one idea

Everyone on the team should be in the same grade-level group (K-4, 5-8 or 9-12).

Yes — with limits:

  • You may submit one individual pitch (just you).
  • You may also be part of one team pitch (with up to 2 other students).

So you can show up in two submissions total: one as a solo entry and one entry as part of a team, for a total of two entries, if you wish, but you cannot appear in more than one individual entry and one team entry.

Your video must be between:

⏱️ 30 and 90 seconds

That’s enough time to:

  • Name the problem
  • Explain your idea
  • Share why it matters and how it could work

Judging will be conducted by volunteer judge panels comprised of experts and other people not employed by the Mott Foundation or NFTE. Judges may include:

  • Entrepreneurs and innovators
  • Educators and youth leaders
  • Community and business leaders

They’re looking for:

  1. Clarity: Does your idea (and pitch) clearly identify a business or social problem?
  2. Creativity:
    1. Does your idea (and pitch) include an innovative and creative solution?
    2. How creative is the name and pitch video?
  3. Persuasiveness: How well do you sell the judges on your idea?

They don’t expect perfection. They want to see you, your thinking and your courage to share.

If you’re a Round 1 winner:

  • You’ll receive a prize (prizes start around a few hundred dollars). Top video submissions will receive larger prizes for finalists as they advance.
  • There are multiple stages of the competition with opportunities to further develop the ideas submitted.
  • You may be selected as a finalist and invited to Round 2.
  • Finalists will get the chance to grow their ideas and pitch live in Flint, Michigan, in June 2026.
  • Those attending will receive coaching to strengthen their business plans or social solutions and present their pitches before judges and peers during live competitions.

Even if you don’t move on, winning in Round 1 is a big deal — it means your idea stood out.

You’re not alone and you’re exactly who this is for.

You’ll have access to a Pitch Toolkit with:

  • Brainstorming tools to help you find a problem and design a solution
  • Examples of strong pitches from kids and teens
  • Simple planning sheets to organize your thoughts
  • Tips for speaking on camera

You don’t have to be a “business person” to start. If you’re curious and willing to try, you’re ready.

Yes. You keep ownership of your idea.

You can keep working on it, turn it into a real project or business, and use it however you want in the future.

For all the official details about how your idea, name and video may be shared, please see the Competition Terms & Conditions linked on the website.

Supported by funding from the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation and administered by NFTE in collaboration with  VentureLab, YEI, the Afterschool Alliance and Collaborative Communications.

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