Crain's New York Business Perfect Pitch Competition

The Third Annual Crain's New York Business Perfect Pitch Competition will take place on November 2, 2012 at 2PM. Register now to watch the event live on campus. Read about this year's winner below.

The Competition:
Participate to pitch directly to Crain's New York Business reporters! The Annual Crain’s New York Perfect Pitch Competition was designed to empower entrepreneurs in our community to hone their media pitch skills through skills training and experience while competing to receive a Best Media Pitch Award. The competition will be open to attendance by the broader Columbia community and will provide an engaging opportunity to learn about effective media pitching and see entrepreneurs and journalists in action.  The competition’s finalists will be interviewed live by the competition’s judging panel comprised of staff from Crain’s New York Business. Details are below.

Congratulations to Lauren Allen, The First Prize Winner for the Third Annual Crain’s New York Business Perfect Pitch Competition.

Watch Laura Allen's Winning Pitch.

Watch the complete November 16th 2012 Crain's Perfect Pitch Competition.

Entrant Benefits:

•  Special two hour workshop on crafting their media pitch - watch Part I and Part II of the workshop now!
•  Opportunity to compete for “Best Media Pitch” awards
•  Winners covered in upcoming Crain’s New York Business story
•  Complimentary six-month subscription to Crain’s NY
•  Finalists of the competition will be profiled in a follow up piece in Crains New York Business

Competition Audience Benefits:
•  Opportunity to learn about effective media pitches
•  Ability to vote for audience favorite award
•  Peer networking at post-competition reception

The Rules:
The competition is open to ventures led by Columbia Business School students, alumni, and Columbia Community Business Participants who meet the following qualifications:
1.  At least $250,000 in revenues
2.  At least one full-time employee and at least one part-time or contract employee
3.  Business headquartered in New York City

*Application questions are below. (The deadline has passed to enter the 2012 competition.)

Key Dates:
The deadline has passed to enter the competition.
The first 25 qualified applicants will be accepted on a rolling basis.

Accepted entrants must be available and attend the following required events:
1.  Media Pitch Workshop with strategic communications specialist Sally Sherry '06, Friday, October 12th, 6:00-8:00pm Uris Hall - watch Part I and Part II of the workshop now!
2.   90 Second Pitch Videotaping, Thursday October 20th, Warren Hall elevators
3.  Perfect Pitch Competition, Friday, November 2, 2:00-5:00pm, Uris Hall. A reception will follow from 5:00-6:30pm.

Application:
The deadline has passed to enter the 2012 Crain's Perfect Pitch Competition. Please check back in September 2013 to access the online application for this competition. Please note that all applications will be considered on a rolling basis and the competition is capped at 25 entrants.

Revenue information will be kept strictly confidential.

Name:
Email Address:
Phone Number:
Columbia Business School Affiliation (please specify student, alumni, or CCBP):
Graduation Year:

Company Name:
Title:
Company Description (one paragraph):
Media coverage to date, if any (publication and date):
Company Revenues:

Is your company currently profitable? Y/N
Total Number of Company Employees:

Please describe in one paragraph your most critical media message and target audience:

Revenue information will be kept strictly confidential.

The Lang Center wishes to thank Jill Kaplan, Elizabeth MacBride, and Elaine Pofeldt of Crain's New York Business for serving as judges to the 2011 competition.

Watch the Crain's Perfect Pitch Competition LIVE

The competition will take place on November 2nd, 2012 from 2:00-5:00 P.M. at Columbia Business School, Room 301. Register now to reserve your seat in the audience and watch the pitch event live!

Reserve my seat

Discover the Secrets of Pitching to the Media

Media pitching and public communications expert, Sally Sherry '06, shares her tips and tricks for how to have a strong interview and get your story in the press. She recently spoke to the competitors of the Crain's Perfect Pitch Competition to help them prepare for the live event.
Get a lesson in pitching to the media from Sally Sherry.