Big Idea Nebraska

1. Prepare a video describing or demonstrating your business idea, in 2 minutes or less.
2. Upload it to YouTube.com
3.  Choose your account & video settings carefully. Ensure your video is posted as "public" or "unlisted", but NOT "private".
   1. For Additional Help:
      1.  Contact Aliese Hoffman (hoffmanal2@unk.edu or 308-865-8199)
      2. Often the videos you upload are public by default. Posting as public means your video can be viewed by a vast anonymous audience. Posting as unlisted allows only viewers who have the link to your video the ability to access it.
4. Complete the Qualtrics Survey (one submission per idea)
5. Make sure to include your YouTube URL  Example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=azTTdkkJ8Tk 
6.  Failure to complete this survey prior to the deadline will automatically disqualify you from this event.
7.  All videos submitted by the deadline will be evaluated, scored and ranked by a panel of judges with entrepreneurial experience.

Deadline to Submit Video: March 1 at 11:59 pm

• All videos submitted by the deadline will be evaluated, scored and ranked by a panel of judges with entrepreneurial experience.

Big Idea Livestreamed Event: Wednesday, March 30 beginning at 9:30 am

• The top ten contestants must be present at the livestreamed event to win. This event is open to the public and you are invited to view the pitches whether or not you submitted a business idea. Popular vote determines the top prize winners. Voters must be present for the entirety of the event.
• Ten contestants will be selected to present in the final livestreamed pitch event. Each participant will answer questions from the judges during the livestreamed event.

• Although this event is a great way to get your business idea out there and reviewed by experts, the purpose is not purely for monetary gain. This event was created to provide educational value, the opportunity to network with professionals, and connect students to resources. 

• Our judges are experienced professionals and we encourage them to evaluate ideas based on feasibility (likelihood for success/market demand/speed to sales, etc.) and innovation (new/interesting).

• No. The idea is more important than the video presentation quality. If you need help feel free to contact Aliese Hoffman at hoffmanal2@unk.edu.

• Special equipment is not needed and this can be done from a cell phone camera. The CERD office is available to help you record your video pitch.

• Contestants under the age of 19 must have parental consent to participate.
• To make sure you're uploading legally, you should take the time to read through YouTube's terms of service.

• Yes! Your idea does not have to be a fully-thought-out business model, just a description of the product or service, what need it serves, who your customers might be and how you would make it available to those customers.

• Each video will be judged by experts with experience in entrepreneurship. The judges will vote on each business idea and the top 10 business ideas will be invited to present and answer questions during the livestreamed event on March 30, 2022.

• The top ten will present to judges and an audience of voters for two minutes with a timed three-minute question and answer session. Once all contestants have presented their business ideas, the judges will select the top five candidates.
• The audience members at the livestreamed event will enter their votes and the contestants with the most votes wins the prize money.

• The top ten Big Idea contestants must attend the virtual event. Fellow students, teachers, friends, and family of the contestants are encouraged to attend.

First Place: $1000
Second Place: $500
Third Place: $250

The prizes will be handed out to the winners after the Big Idea contest. Each winner will need to fill out the appropriate paperwork in order to receive their payment. Payment can take up to 14 days to receive once the process is sent to the University of Nebraska at Kearney Accounts Payable Department.

1st Place - $1,000

2nd Place - $500

3rd Place - $250

Honorable Mention

Matching Scholarships to UNK for the top 3 award winners.

A video must be uploaded onto YouTube in the following formats: .MOV, .MPEG4, MP4, .AVI, .WMV, .MPEGPS, .FLV, 3GPP, or WebM and must be no more than 2 minutes long. All copyrighted material must be removed. When uploading the video please select "UNLISTED" as the submission type.

Submission must be in English or subtitled in English.

• The top ten contestants will be selected by a judging process from a designated panel of judges. The decision of the judges will be final and binding in all matters; no entrant will have the right to challenge the verdict and the judges will not engage in any conversation or explanation regarding their decision.
• The top five contestants will be selected by an additional judging process, which will be completed at the Big Idea livestreamed event on March 30, 2022. The judges will consist of persons selected by the Center for Entrepreneurship and Rural Development.
• The winners will be selected by majority vote.

Contestants will be notified first by email and then by telephone. If attempted notification is returned as undeliverable, if a contestant cannot be verified, or if a contestant is otherwise unable to take part in the Big Idea event on March 30, 2022 beginning at 9:30 am through the entirety of the event, the contestant will forfeit their top ten spot and it will be given to an alternate contestant.

The University of Nebraska at Kearney and the Center for Entrepreneurship and Rural Development considers all submitted business ideas as confidential. However, we cannot guarantee complete confidentiality.

The University of Nebraska at Kearney and the Center for Entrepreneurship and Rural Development are not liable for exposure you may receive from and beyond this event. It is the responsibility of the owner(s) of the intellectual property (idea) to decide what information should and should not be included in deliverables. If you are planning to "sell" your product/service, we recommend that you contact the University's Technology Transfer Center - NUTech Ventures - or a patent attorney for guidance/direction before you submit your idea.