A female student presents her work
Kurtz Business Impact Prize
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Kurtz Business Impact Prize

In association with the Ohio University Student EXPO, The Center for Entrepreneurship is proud to present the Kurtz Business Impact Award - celebrating student work has the potential to impact the world for customers and society.

Top prize is $4,000. Two runners-up will win $500.

Concepts will be judged based on their ability to articulate:

  • What problem could your work solve? Or what good could it bring to the world?
  • For what customer(s) or beneficiaries?
  • How does it work? Do you have a product or service? Can you show us a prototype? Maybe a mockup?
  • What do you need (i.e. financial and human resources) to advance your work toward impact?
  • What does success look like when you get there? What's your vision for what it could be? If there's a business model (or ways your work generates financial resources and impact), please share.

Judging will happen in Two Rounds:

ROUND ONE - VIDEO SUBMISSION
  • Create and submit a video of up to 8 minutes by 11:59 PM on Friday, March 27, 2026, answering the questions above. Slides or some other form of visual aid are encouraged.

  • We will judge the video submissions to identify up to 5 finalists for the Papay Snyder prize. Finalists will be informed by Wednesday, April 1, 2026.

    Winners from the 2024 Papay Snyder Medical Impact Prize. 2025 is the first year of the Kurtz Business Impact Prize
ROUND TWO - LIVE PRESENTATIONS ON APRIL 7, 2026
  • Finalists will present live in front of a panel of judges on Tuesday afternoon, April 7, 2026. Finalists will have 8 minutes to present, followed by up to 7 minutes of Q&A with the judges. The finals will begin at 3 PM and winners will be announced at approximately 5 PM on April 7.