Community Innovation Challenge

The Washburn University School of Business Community Innovation Challenge (CIC) is a student competition that encourages students to explore and develop business ideas that focus on helping solve social issues facing our community, region or the world. 

“Social entrepreneurship” is becoming popular as it allows people to have an impact on their communities or the world by thinking of new ways to create profitable and sustainable businesses that provide social good.  It encourages innovative ways to solve social challenges or “doing good by doing well.” 

Student ideas can be a for-profit business that helps a social cause or a non-profit business that focuses solely on an issue, or anything in-between.  However, your business idea must have an end goal to help society or the local community in some way.

The competition is open to all current Washburn University undergraduate and graduate students and Washburn Institute of Technology students.  You can compete alone or in teams of up to three (3) students.

The first preliminary stage involves writing a 1-3 page written summary of your idea.  Judges will decide the top 10 ideas from these entries to determine our semi-finalists.  The semi-finalists will then pitch their ideas in a short presentation to a panel of community judges to qualify for the Grand Finals.

The Topeka Community Foundation is providing $25,000 in cash prizes.

Prize Money

1st Place: $7,000

2nd Place: $5,000

3rd Place:4,000

4th Place: $3,000

5th – 10th Place Semi-Finalists: $1,000 each (to each of the losing six semi-finalists)

How The Competition Works

There are three stages to the competition.

Registration and Entry Submission Deadline: Thursday, February 29, 2024.

To Register:

Entries must be accompanied by completed registration form with relevant student information.  To complete this form, students will need to download the form, complete it entirely, save it to your computer/device and then email it as an attachment.  You may also scan and email a printed form.  Email your completed form to: hailey.handy@washburn.edu.

Preliminary Round: Written Proposal Specifics

Each entry must include a written outline or summary of the proposal.  It should explain a description of your idea, its social impact and the business solution to implement the idea.  

Each written proposal should meet the following guidelines:

  • Must be submitted as a Word document
  • Must be a minimum of one (1) page in length and cannot be longer than three (3) pages
  • Specifics:
    • 12-point font
    • 1.5 spacing
    • Normal margins (1-inch top, bottom, left, right)
    • Page numbers included
  • Include a single heading with the name of your idea at the top of the first page.  For example, “Proposal for Homeless Shelter”
  • DO NOT INCLUDE YOUR NAME OR ANY OTHER IDENTIFYING INFORMATION ON OR WITHIN THE WRITTEN PROPOSAL.  All entries will be decided blind by judges, and they will not know who wrote the proposal.  Any identifying information will be redacted before the judges review it.  Your name will be combined with your entry through the registration form and only seen by administration.

The top 10 proposals will be decided by outside judges from the Topeka community and will be our semi-finalists.  They will use the following criteria:

Judging Criteria:

Idea/Concept (30%) – The concept reflects the innovation you are proposing and a clear understanding of the issue you want to address.  Describe why this issue is important, the recipients of the product or service and how they might benefit.  It is also important to explain the proximity of the product/service to our community.  Does it benefit our local community specifically or is it designed to have a global impact?  If global, how will it begin locally?

Social Impact (30%) – The social or environmental issue the business seeks to address is clear.  What is the contribution to the issue and how does your idea solve the problem?  Can this impact be sustained for a period of time to have substantial impact?  Can the business and its impact grow in the future?

Implementation (30%) – What is your plan to execute your idea?  What resources and funding will you require and how do you intend to get them?  What are your skill sets, what team members or partners will you need?  What are your first steps to find the resources you need in our local community?

Presentation (10%) – Is your proposal well written and explained clearly?  Is it presented in a professional manner that would encourage investment and partners?  Did you conduct enough research into your idea? 

The top ten entries as determined by our judging panel will qualify for the Semi-Final stage of the competition, and are all eligible for cash prizes. 

Students must attend one workshop and pitch their idea to a panel of judges to qualify for their cash prize.  The top four semi-finalists will qualify as finalists for the Grand Finals.

Semi Final Workshop: Monday, March 18, 6-8 p.m., Location TBD

The second stage of the competition is the Semi-Finals Week.  During this week, students will learn about social entrepreneurship in more detail and receive training from community leaders and faculty to refine and improve their ideas.  They will also receive information on developing effective PowerPoint and pitch presentations.

Semi Final Pitch Round:  Friday, March 22, 2024 from 1-3 p.m., Location TBD

All 10 of the semi-finalists will make a pitch presentation with a PowerPoint slideshow of their final ideas.  Pitches will be a maximum of five minutes to a panel of judges from the Topeka Community Foundation.  The top four entries as decided by the judges will qualify for the Grand Finals round and will be announced that afternoon.

The top four entries or Grand Finalists will compete approximately two weeks later in a pitch presentation.  Students will be required to expand on their ideas and include more details on their proposed venture in a maximum of 10 minutes that includes an additional Q&A session with the judges following their presentation.  A PowerPoint presentation is expected.  The Grand Finals event will be held on Thursday, April 4, 2024 from 6:00-8:30 p.m., Washburn Room A, Memorial Union.

Questions or want to join a team?

Contact: Dr. David Price 

All current undergraduate, graduate and Washburn Institute of Technology students are eligible to participate.  Each student must include a completed registration form with their written entry to compete.  Download the form, complete it and either scan or save the form.  Send the attachment with your written entry (Word doc) by email to hailey.handy@washburn.edu by 11:59pm on February 29, 2024.  You may also bring your printed and completed form to the School of Business office in Henderson 114 (if you wish to drop off your printed form, you must do so before 5 pm).

Preliminary Round: Written Proposal Specifics

Each written proposal should meet the following guidelines:

  • Must be submitted as a Word document
  • Must be a minimum of one (1) page in length and cannot be longer than three (3) pages
  • Specifics:
    • 12-point font
    • 1.5 spacing
    • Normal margins (1-inch top, bottom, left, right)
    • Page numbers included
  • Include a single heading with the name of your idea at the top of the first page.  For example, “Proposal for Homeless Shelter”
  • DO NOT INCLUDE YOUR NAME OR ANY OTHER IDENTIFYING INFORMATION ON OR WITHIN THE WRITTEN PROPOSAL.  All entries will be decided blind by judges, and they will not know who wrote the proposal.  Any identifying information will be redacted before the judges review it.  Your name will be combined with your entry through the registration form and only seen by administration.
  • Registration form completed, saved as an attachment
  • Written proposal completed, saved as a Word document (no personal information or identifying information included)
  • Send completed registration form and your written proposal via email to Hailey Handy: hailey.handy@washburn.edu.
    • Submitted by 11:59 pm on February 29, 2024
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