Storer Award Application + Pitch Prep Workshop

Thinking about applying for the Hubert E. Storer Engineering Student Entrepreneurial Start-Up Award Competition, but not sure your idea—or your business plan—is ready?

Come anyway. Seriously.

The Storer Award supports promising engineering ideas, including early-stage concepts still being developed. You don’t need to have everything figured out before you apply.

Join us for dinner from Z’Mariks 🍜 and a hands-on workshop to turn what’s in your head, lab, notebook, prototype, or class project into a clear, compelling application—and eventually, a great pitch.

• The problem: What are you solving, and who needs your solution?
• Your innovation: What makes your idea different from existing alternatives?
• Your explanation: How can you make a technical idea understandable to someone outside your field?
• The evidence: What shows that the problem and opportunity are real?
• The business: Who would pay, and what could your business model look like?
• The competition: Who or what are your competitors?
• The funding: What would you do with Storer Award funding?
• The pitch: What do judges need to understand and believe about your idea?

We’ll also walk through the competition criteria so you know what matters to the judges.

That’s exactly why we’re holding this workshop before the application deadline.

You don’t need a polished business plan, a perfect pitch deck, or all the answers. Bring what you know so far. We’ll help you identify what’s strong, what’s missing, and what to do next.

Bring a laptop and whatever you currently have: notes, research, drawings, prototypes, half-finished documents—or just your idea.

And come hungry. We’ll have Z’Mariks waiting.

Your idea doesn’t have to be finished to be worth exploring. Let’s see what you’ve

• Friday, November 20: Applications due.
• Monday, November 23: Finalists announced.
• November 30–December 4: Open coaching hours at The BELL for additional application and pitch preparation support. Specific hours TBD.
• Monday, December 7: Storer Awards competition, tentatively scheduled for the afternoon or early evening; exact time TBD. Location TBD, potentially at The BELL.

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221 E College St, 221 East College Street, Iowa City, United States

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