The Diamond Challenge is an annual global entrepreneurship competition for high-school students run by Horn Entrepreneurship at the University of Delaware. Teams develop an original business or social venture concept and begin through an online submission.
Advancing teams pitch live at partner events or remotely, while finalists must attend the Limitless World Summit in person. The 2027 cycle runs from September 16, 2026 through April 30, 2027.
Benefits & funding
- The competition offers a $100,000 prize pool.
- In each of the business innovation and social innovation tracks, grand prizes are $12,000 for first place, $8,000 for second place, and $4,500 for third place.
- Awards are paid either to a winning team’s registered venture or divided evenly among its registered team members.
- Participants can use free entrepreneurship resources and gain feedback, networking, and collaboration opportunities.
Eligibility
- Each team must include 2–4 high-school students who are 14–18 years old at the submission deadline, plus one official adult advisor aged 21 or older.
- Students may apply from any country; the published rules state no nationality or residency restriction.
- Each student may join only one team and submit one concept in a competition year.
- The concept must be created by the participating team members and must not have generated more than $100,000 in total revenue before the deadline.
- A concept that reached the Summit final round in a previous year may not be resubmitted.
- The written submission must be in English.
Can you apply?
Here's who can apply
Decoded from the official rules. A free account checks them against your passport, degree and age in seconds.
Education required
High School
Age requirement
14–18 yrs
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Application process
- 1From September 16, create the team submission on the online competition platform and select either the business innovation or social innovation track.
- 2Choose a live pitch event or virtual and pre-recorded pitch route; this selection is final when submitted.
- 3Upload a 3–5 page, double-spaced English concept narrative as a PDF and provide a publicly accessible introductory video of no more than 60 seconds.
- 4Teams that advance submit a five-minute pitch and pitch deck through their selected live or virtual route. Finalists attend the Limitless World Summit in person, with at least one team member present.
Program timeline
Submission window opens
September 16, 2026
Application deadline
January 14, 2027, 5:00 p.m. EST
Advancing teams notified
February 10, 2027, 11:59 p.m. EST
Finalists announced
March 9, 2027
Limitless World Summit
April 29–30, 2027