BU School of Hospitality’s Two Innovation Competitions with $62.5K in Total Prizes
The Boston University School of Hospitality Administration (SHA) has announced the details for two exciting, annual competitions that showcase the intersection of hospitality, innovation, and student wellbeing. With a combined prize pool of $62,500, these competitions offer BU students and recent graduates the opportunity to transform their innovative ideas into reality.
The $50K Hospitality Innovation Competition
The flagship $50K Hospitality Innovation Competition welcomes ventures that aim to revolutionize the hospitality industry. With a top prize of $25,000, followed by $15,000 for second place and $10,000 for third place, this competition encourages participants to think broadly about hospitality innovation.
While hospitality is rooted in hotels, restaurants, travel, and tourism, its principles can be applied to any organization seeking to build lasting relationships with its stakeholders.
The competition unfolds in three stages: an initial written application due February 3, 2025, followed by semi-finals in late February, and finals in March. Finalists will also present at the SHA Hospitality Leadership Summit on April 3, 2025, where winners will be announced.
The $12.5K Student Wellbeing Competition
Running parallel to the hospitality innovation track is a competition focused on enhancing social wellbeing within the BU community. This track offers prizes of $6,000, $4,000, and $2,500 for the top three ventures respectively.
The Student Wellbeing Competition specifically seeks non-clinical, action-oriented initiatives that support BU students’ social wellbeing. A successful example is BU Meetup, a student-created program that has connected hundreds of graduate students across departments through small group meetups since its launch in 2022.
Who Can Participate?
Both competitions require teams to include at least one current BU degree-seeking student or Class of 2024 alumni as a co-founder in a key management role. Teams can include non-BU members and may have up to five participants. Importantly, teams don’t need an operating venture or complete business plan to apply – great ideas at any stage are welcome.
Judges will evaluate entries based on four key criteria: problem identification, product/service alignment, business model viability, and potential impact. Teams retain full intellectual property rights to their ideas and ventures.
Whether you’re dreaming up the next big innovation in hospitality or designing a program to enhance student community life at BU, these competitions offer both the funding and platform to bring your vision to life.
For questions about eligibility or concept alignment, contact [email protected].
See all Hospitality Competitions
