The University of Delaware’s Horn Program in Entrepreneurship is seeking UD undergraduate and graduate students to be judges for its 2017 high school competition, the Diamond Challenge. Judges from varying backgrounds are welcome to apply now.

“UD students can help teens and build their resumes by volunteering to judge concepts for business and social ventures,” said Julie Frieswyk, youth initiative lead for the Horn Program. “We are looking for UD students with professional work experience and an understanding of entrepreneurship to judge written concepts and five-minute pitches submitted by high school teams.”

The Diamond Challenge’s competition management system enables remote judging from anywhere in the world. A total time commitment of two to four hours is required. Those who judge the written concepts and videos will review three to five submissions.

“Being a judge of the Diamond Challenge is a great way to support young entrepreneurs and provide them with actionable feedback,” said Katlyn Grasso, founder of GenHERation and final round judge for Diamond Challenge 2016. “I have stayed in touch with several of the participants and look forward to watching them grow as student leaders.”

More than 1,500 students and 155 schools worldwide have participated in the Diamond Challenge since it began in 2012. This year, the program will partner with organizations in the United States from Delaware to California, and around the world from China to Kenya.

Judges are expected to have an understanding of the Diamond Challenge curriculum and what is expected of each team in terms of their submission. To learn more about the competition and its curriculum, visit the website.

Capital One supports this program as part of its Future Edge initiative, a five-year $150 million initiative designed to help people get the skills they need to be competitive in this digital economy.

About the Diamond Challenge

The Diamond Challenge is a competition that allows students to learn about entrepreneurship while putting their ideas into action. Participants pitch their ideas for a new business or social venture to a panel of judges to compete for cash prizes.

The Diamond Challenge is one program of the Paul and Linda McConnell Youth Entrepreneurship Education Initiative.

About the Horn Program in Entrepreneurship

The Horn Program in Entrepreneurship ignites imaginations and empowers world changers through educational offerings that emphasize experiential learning, evidence-based entrepreneurship and active engagement with entrepreneurs and other members of the broader entrepreneurial ecosystem.

Through participation in Horn Program offerings, students gain the knowledge, skills, personal capacities, experiences, connections and access to resources needed to successfully manifest innovation and thrive in the rapidly changing world.