VFA logo with support session text

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 8th 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, 22 February 2024 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 venturefurther@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 on Friday 1st March 2024, by 17:00.

Final Round

Shortlisted finalists will be required to do the following:

1) Re-submit an updated online application after receiving feedback and business support.

(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 venturefurther@manchester.ac.uk. Don’t forget, the refreshed application form must be re-submitted using the “finalize” button on the F6S platform.)


2) Deliver a 10-minute pitch to a panel of judges, followed by a 15-minute Q&A. This will take place the week commencing 8th April 2024. 

Key Dates

The key dates for the Venture Further Awards 2024 are as follows:

ActivityDeadline
Competition opens for entries Monday, 9th October 2023, 09:00
VFA Information Session Thursday, 14th December 2023, 17:00
VFA Applicant Support Session Thursday, 1st February 2024
Social Impact Workshop Saturday, 3rd February and Monday, 5th February 2024
Application deadline THURSDAY, 22nd February 2024, 12:00 MIDDAY
Shortlisted finalists notified Friday, 1st March 2024, by 17:00
Finalist support sessions** w/c 4th March 2024

Deadline for finalist application re-submissions

MONDAY, 11th March 2024, 12:00 MIDDAY

VFA Final Pitching Week Week Commencing 8th April 2024
Venture Further Awards Dinner* Wednesday, 8th May 2024

* Finalists must make themselves available for these dates.

** Finalists should make themselves available for the support sessions this week. There will be workshops about finance and pitching, as well as mentor support. Details will be confirmed ASAP.

Any applications received after the deadlines will not be accepted.