What’s an improvement you’d like to see at UC Davis? In your community? In the world?

The Ideas Competition is your chance to be creative, indulge your curiosity, and have fun while tackling real-world challenges. This entry-level competition is open to all UC Davis students and encourages you to share your initial ideas for products, services, or businesses that can solve problems and create positive change.
Whether you're passionate about social impact, self-discovery, or simply want to build your network and explore new possibilities, this is a space to develop a growth mindset and inspire social change.
So think big, be bold, and let your ideas shine!

The competition opens September 8, 2025, so check back at that time to enter. 

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Who can enter?

The competition is designed for all UC Davis students to share their initial ideas for products, services, and businesses that have the potential to solve real problems and create positive change.

How do I prepare for the competition?

• Identify a problem or opportunity that is important to address.
• Develop a unique idea for a potential service, product, or business that would address the identified challenge in an innovative and impactful manner.
• Consider who would most benefit from the implementation of this idea and why that matters.
• Reflect on the passion, capabilities, and commitment you/your team would bring to promoting this solution and moving it forward.

What are the rules for entry?

An idea may be submitted only once by one student or a team with an identified leader. A student or team may submit multiple ideas as long as they are clearly distinct from other entries (duplicative/very similar entries from the same team or individual will be disqualified).

A $250 gift card will be awarded for each winning entry. Up to 10 awards are available. 

The entry must...

• Be submitted by a current student (undergraduate or graduate-level) ​with an original idea. If submitting the idea as a team, all team members must be current UC Davis students and listed with the submission.
• Be at the idea stage of development (i.e., you've identified a potential solution to a problem or have just started developing the idea into a project, area of interest, or business without earning revenue or other funding exceeding $1,000).

How can I enter?

• This competition is run through a website called StartupTree, which is where you can register for all of our competitions, fellowships and events.
• Create a profile on StartupTree and apply as an individual or a team with an identified leader​. You must have a StartupTree account to participate. If you don't already have an account, you will create one when you click “Enter Now."

What are the deadlines?

• The competition opens on September 8 and closes on October 20, 2025
• Winners will be announced on October 29, 2025