Entry Process
The Venture Further Awards are open to all current students and recent graduates at The University of Manchester.
The judges will evaluate the credibility, viability, sustainability and innovative nature of an application. The judges will also look for evidence that the team is committed and capable of taking the business proposal forward.
Entrants may submit ONE idea only to the competition.
The competition will take place in two rounds.
First Round
Please submit an application form online using the F6S platform.
You may begin working on an application as soon as the competition opens on the 10 October. The form will save automatically as it is populated and you may reopen it later to continue working on a draft. These drafts will appear as 'In Progress' in the MEC pipeline, so the team will be able to review draft submissions at any stage of the application. Please notify the MEC team to request feedback if desired.
**DEADLINE FOR ENTRIES: Thursday, 23 February 2023 at MIDDAY**
Submission of final applications
To submit your final application, please click on the “Finalize” button. Once this action is taken, an application will be locked and you will no longer be able to make any further edits. Please be sure your application is complete before submitting. For any issues accessing the F6S platform, please contact support@f6s.com.
We recommend you get in touch with the MEC team prior to submitting your final entry. There are many support sessions available to help develop and strengthen applications. Please contact entrepreneurship@manchester.ac.uk.
Up to four entries per category from the first round will be selected to proceed to the final round.
All shortlisted finalists will be notified by 17:00, Friday, 3 March 2023. The Lead Entrant must confirm by 17:00, Saturday, 4 March 2023 that they can present to the final round judging panel and attend any finalist support sessions.
Final Round
Shortlisted finalists will be required to submit the following:
1) Refreshed online application form
Utilising first round feedback (if provided), you must re-submit your application form on the F6S platform.
(NB: The MEC team will mark your previous entry as 'In Progress' again, to allow you to modify your answers and resubmit the application. If you encounter any problems, please email ellie.buckley@manchester.ac.uk. Don’t forget, the refreshed application form must be re-submitted using the “finalize” button on the F6S platform.)
2) Recording of final pitch video (10 minutes)
You must submit your pitch recording as a MP4 or MOV file. The team should be visible during the pitch.
The deadlines to complete these actions are:
MIDDAY, Monday, 20 March 2023 – Updated application form (via F6S platform)
MIDDAY, Friday, 24 March 2023 – Pitch video (via email, DropBox or WeTransfer to ellie.buckley@manchester.ac.uk)
Key Dates
The key dates for the Venture Further Awards 2023 are as follows:
| Activity | Deadline |
|---|---|
| Competition opens for entries | MONDAY, 10 October 2022, 09:00 |
| General competition support sessions | October 2022 to February 2023 |
| Competition deadline (first round) | THURSDAY, 23 February 2023, MIDDAY |
| Shortlisted finalists notified | FRIDAY, 3 March 2023, 17:00 |
|
Deadline for lead entrant of finalist teams to confirm availability for pitching |
SATURDAY, 4 March 2023, 17:00 |
| Finalist support sessions** | MONDAY, 6 March to FRIDAY, 24 March 2023 |
|
Deadline for lead entrant of finalist teams to submit final round materials; |
MONDAY, 20 March 2023, MIDDAY |
| Final round judging panels* | MONDAY, 27 March 2023 to FRIDAY, 31 March 2023 |
| Venture Further Awards Dinner* | WEDNESDAY, 10 May 2023 |
* Finalists must make themselves available for these dates.
** Finalists must make themselves available for these dates. Details will be made available ASAP. A maximum of 20 hours contact time with the MEC team will be required during these three weeks.
Any applications received after the deadlines will not be accepted.