Earlham Epic Grand Challenge

Eligibility for Participation

  • Individuals and teams comprising up to five members can participate in the Epic Grand Challenge. The CEIC encourages team participation, as one of the criteria for judging is interdisciplinary academics. Current students from Earlham College, Earlham School of Religion, or the Earlham Master of Arts in Teaching program are eligible.
  • Due to the benefits, taxes, and paperwork associated with awards from the Epic Grand Challenge, an Earlham College student must be designated as the team leader.

Requirements for Entries

The following requirements serve to inform all participants and stakeholders of what constitutes an acceptable entry for the Epic Grand Challenge. Each entry is vetted by the Epic Grand Challenge Competition Committee, which makes the final determination of whether an entry meets the requirements. The Senior Executive Director of the Center for Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Creativity and the Competition Committee reserve the right to disqualify entries that fail to adhere to competition requirements or are inconsistent with the values and mission of Earlham College.

  • All project plans must be the original work of the entrants. Plans that constitute academic dishonesty will be disqualified, even if academic dishonesty is discovered after the competition is officially ended.
  • If the project plan involves an existing venture, sales or revenue-generating activity must not have occurred for more than 30 months at the time of the competition’s launch. Please contact Gene Hambrick, Senior Executive Director of the CEIC, at hambrle@earlham.edu for clarification of whether a plan meets this requirement.

Terms of Competition

  • By entering the Epic Grand Challenge, participants acknowledge that they must conform to the technical specifications for the submission of competition materials (e.g., PowerPoint, other documents). While Earlham College will strive to ensure that technology functions throughout the competition, interruptions may occur.
  • By entering the Epic Grand Challenge, participants acknowledge that awards from the competition are intended for funding the project plans entered.
  • All awards for each stage of the Epic Grand Challenge will be designated and distributed to Earlham College team leaders.
  • All awards for each stage of the Epic Grand Challenge are subject to any applicable tax laws. Earlham College team leaders are responsible for the payment of any taxes associated with awards distribution.

The following are prohibited:

  • Project plans that involve breaking the law
  • Project plans that conflict with Earlham College’s values, including liquor, illegal drugs, gambling, pornography, and events or activities that feature violence
  • Project plans involving pyramid schemes
  • Project plans that involve purchasing a current venture, including franchises

Evaluation Criteria—What Judges Are Looking For

Elevator Pitch

  • A two-minute presentation accompanied by a single PowerPoint slide.
  • Saturday, February 19th, 2022 – 10am-1pm, Loose Lecture Hall (LBC 105)

Judges Prep

  • Draft presentation of final round to judges for feedback
  • Saturday, April 2nd, 2022 – 10am-1pm, CoLab

Final Round

  • Comprehensive project plan and 20-minute presentation
  • Saturday, May 7th, 2022 10am-1pm, virtual
By Eboni Dixon
Eboni Dixon Asst. Director of Epic Communications and Career Coach