A three-minute video pitch judged partly by public voting is two different competitions in one. The video has to satisfy judges assessing a business, and the voting round rewards whoever mobilises the most people. Entrants who prepare for only one of those lose on the other.
Competitions structured this way ask for a short video, open it to public voting, then select a small number of finalists to pitch in person at the main event.
Lead with the problem, in one sentence
Three minutes is roughly four hundred words. A viewer who does not understand what problem you solve within the first fifteen seconds stops paying attention. State the problem, state who has it, then show the product. Background, credentials and vision belong at the end if there is room.
Show the thing working
Footage of the product being used by a real customer does more in twenty seconds than any amount of explanation. Where the product cannot be filmed, film the customer describing the problem. Judges watching many entries remember what they saw, not what they were told.
The public vote is a mobilisation exercise, and plan for it
A voting round measures reach, not quality. Entrants who ask their customers, suppliers, staff and networks directly, with a specific instruction and a deadline, outperform better businesses that posted once and hoped. Decide before entering whether you have a network willing to do this, because without one the voting round is where you exit.
Judged rounds and voted rounds reward opposite things
The video that wins a public vote is often emotive and shareable. The one that convinces a panel is specific about the market and the economics. Where a competition has both, the entry needs to carry both, usually by keeping the emotional opening short and the substance immediately behind it.
The finalists’ event is the actual prize
Five entrants pitching at a global gathering are in front of investors and ecosystem representatives from many countries, which is worth considerably more than the competition outcome. Enter for that room. Similar exposure and support for young founders is available through the National Youth Development Agency without a competition at all.
Frequently asked questions
What should a three-minute pitch video cover?
The problem and who has it within the first fifteen seconds, then the product in use. Background and vision come last if at all.
What is the most effective content?
Footage of the product being used by a real customer, or the customer describing the problem, since judges remember what they saw.
How should the public voting round be approached?
As a mobilisation exercise. Ask customers, suppliers and staff directly with a specific instruction and deadline rather than posting once.
Why do voted and judged rounds need different things?
Public votes reward emotive, shareable entries while panels reward specificity about market and economics, so an entry with both rounds must carry both.
What is actually worth winning?
The place in the finalists’ room, which puts you in front of investors and ecosystem representatives regardless of the final result.
Further reading
Originally published in January 2017. Updated September 2026 into guidance on preparing a video pitch entry, in place of a closed call for entries.
