Follow these guidelines to register for the winter 2025 Little Bang! Pitch + Poster Competition.

The Little Bang! Pitch + Poster Competition is open to any currently enrolled student at the high school, undergraduate or graduate level in California. The competition is designed to help participants define their business idea and communicate it concisely using a poster and short pitch. Up to six awards available per competition. This is an entry-level competition; no business experience is necessary.

Learn about the competition
 

Participation and Submission Guidelines

• February 6, 1 PM | Deadline to register for the competition. Registration opens soon!
• February 10, 1 PM | Deadline to send poster file to Reprographics for printing. Deadline to upload the PDF of your poster and submit your five customer-call summary document to Startup Tree.
• February 13, 6-8 PM | Present your poster and deliver your 90-second pitch to spectators and judges. 

Notes to Past Competitors:

• If you competed in a Little Bang! competition in the past academic year and your poster did not receive an award, you may refine it and/or register for this upcoming competition with a new poster.
• Any business idea that won a Little Bang! award in a past academic year is not eligible to compete. 

Poster Requirements and Templates

Posters must be presented in a 36” by 48” format (portrait or landscape). Use a logo, pictures and graphics wherever appropriate. You are required to include (but are not limited to) the following information:

Business idea (overview): Describe the business in 1-2 sentences, succinctly summarizing the important information indicated below. 
What (problem and solution): Describe the problem you are solving, and how your business idea will address that problem. Incorporate what you learned from the 5 customer calls you made. 
Who / Where (target market): Describe your target market, including the primary users of the product/service and the intended customers (i.e., purchasing decision makers).
How (differentiation): Describe what sets your business idea apart. If someone is already providing a similar product/service, how is your solution better or different?

Download vertical poster template      Download horizontal poster template

Poster Submission Guidelines

Participants who submit their posters according to the following guidelines and deadlines will have their posters printed free of charge for the competition.

How to submit your poster for printing:

* Submit your poster directly to UC Davis Reprographics by February 10, 1 PM
* Go to UC Davis Reprographics
* Enter Contact Information:
   –  Enter your name and contact information.
   –  Click "GL Account" and enter “Little Bang! Pitch + Poster Competition” into the text field.
   –  Enter “Pickup at Hoagland Hall”
* Enter Project Information:
   –  Title of Project: Little Bang! <enter your team name>
   –  Expected Delivery Date: No later than February 13
   –  Number of Large Format Files: 1
   –  Number of Copies: 1
   –  Poster Size: 36x48
   –  Type of Material: Presentation Bond
   –  Lamination Options: None
   –  Mounting Options: None (poster boards are provided the night of the competition)
   –  Finishing Options: None

Teams will be notified by UC Davis Reprographics when their poster is ready for pick up at the Hoagland Hall UC Davis Reprographics location. Each team is solely responsible for submitting their poster to Reprographics, picking it up and bringing it to Gallagher Hall on February 13.

Pitch Requirement

Prepare a 90-second pitch to deliver to spectators and judges during the competition. Note that props cannot be used during your team's pitch.

Customer Call Requirements and Templates

As you prepare for the Little Bang! Pitch + Poster Competition, use the Customer Call Summary Template provided below. Ask questions of at least five people (potential customers) to test whether you are working on the right problem and making accurate assumptions regarding your business idea. You are required to integrate this information into your poster and submit your completed Customer Call Summary as part of your StartupTree submission.

Download customer call script     Download customer call summary template 

Rules and Regulations

View/Download Competition Guidelines

Questions? 

Email us at aggieinnovators@ucdavis.edu