Project and Competition Requirements

Each competing team is required to schedule a pre-audit session with their Program Manager and submit the following reports in order to compete.

Annual Report

Every competing team must produce an annual report summarizing their projects, highlighting the impact made from April 14, 2024 – April 13, 2025. This mandatory document will be shared with judges during your 3-minute set-up period. Your annual report should detail project descriptions, target beneficiaries and actual impacts achieved.

Each team’s Annual Report must be typed in a legible font size and should provide an overview of the team’s efforts, results and achievements. It may also include information on future plans for growth and expansion.

Annual Reports are limited to the dimensions noted below, but can be bound or folded in any manner:

  • Four single sheets of 8 1⁄2” x 11” or A4 size paper with print only on one side of each sheet.
  • Two single sheets of 8 1⁄2” x 11” or A4 size paper with print on both sides of each sheet.

Please Note: Using one of the dimensions above but cutting the paper in a manner which causes a change in the size is NOT permitted.

Important points regarding the annual report:

  • Enactus Canada requires the legal structure and ownership of all projects mentioned during a competition to be disclosed on the team’s annual report if the project is not entirely owned and controlled by the team. For example, if the project is legally registered under a student’s name, that fact must be disclosed.
  • No QR codes to bypass the page limits.
  • If a team uses a cover or back page, it will count as one of the above pages.
  • Teams should not use folders, report covers, etc. in conjunction with their Annual Reports.
  • Only numbers in the final report may be presented.
  • All information included in your report must match the records on the Registration & Reporting Platform.
  • Annual Reports are distributed to every judge during the setup period. Teams will be notified in advance of the number of Annual Reports they are required to bring to the National Exposition.
  • One (1) copy of your Annual Report must be handed in at the registration desk upon arrival at the Enactus Canada Exposition. A digital copy of the report must be emailed to your Program Manager and approved prior to the event.
  • Failure to comply with the guidelines above will result in the Enactus team’s disqualification.
  • Annual Reports are distributed to every judge during the setup period.
  • You will be notified by your Program Manager regarding the number of copies you will need to print prior to the event.

Below are some examples of Annual Reports:

Project Verification Form

Every team must request that their Faculty Advisor, Student Leader and one administrator (e.g. dean, department chair, or institution president) review their Annual Report and sign the Project Verification Form.

Live Presentation Structure

Each competing team will have a 20-minute time block for their live presentation. The League Coordinator will keep the official time. After the League Coordinator has formally introduced the team, the time will be precisely divided as outlined below.

  • 3 minutes – Set-up Period
    • The team will have a maximum of three (3) minutes to distribute the Annual Reports to the judges and set up presentation equipment (e.g., start computers, power up projectors, check sound).
    • Document Distribution: Only the Annual Report may be distributed to the judges during this period. No additional materials (e.g., products, samples) are allowed.
    • Display Restrictions: Once the team has tested the equipment, only a black screen can be shown. That means no images, text, project OR Enactus logos are allowed to be displayed. No music or sound effects are allowed for the rest of the set-up period.
  • 12 minutes – Live Presentation
    • The team will have a maximum of twelve (12) minutes to deliver their live audio/visual presentation.
    • If your presentation is less than 12 minutes, the remaining time will NOT be carried over to your Question-and-Answer period.
    • NOTE: Exceeding this limit will result in being cut off.
  • 5 minutes – Judges’ Question & Answer Period
    • There will be a mandatory five (5) minute Question and Answer period for the judges. Aligning with the Enactus World Cup, the Question and Answer period remains strictly enforced at five (5) minutes; any unused presentation time WILL NOT be added.
    • Presentation Restrictions: Once the team has finished their presentation, only a black screen can be shown. That means no images, text, project OR Enactus logos are allowed to be displayed. No music or sound effects are allowed during the Judges’
    • Question and Answer period.
    • Extended Time for French Interpretation: The Question and Answer period will be doubled to ten (10) minutes if the team requires a French interpreter.

Judging Criterion
National Competition Judging Criteria | Printable Version
Further details on the National Competition, live presentations, and competition policies can be found in the Enactus Canada Team Manual on our Team Resources page.

Environmental Sustainability Challenge Requirements

Teams have the option to reuse, repair, refurbish, and/or recycle as part of their project or any combination of these activities

Desjardins company logo

Youth Empowerment Challenge Requirements

NOTE: For this challenge, youth is defined as individuals under the age of 25. Youth Empowerment is defined as the effective transfer of knowledge and the development of new skills in youth, resulting in an improvement of their livelihoods. These newfound skills and knowledge should fill the gaps identified in the needs assessment and enable youth to lead better lives sustainably.

TD Entrepreneurship Requirements

The TD Entrepreneurship Challenge empowers Enactus teams to identify, create and deliver projects that teach relevant entrepreneurship skills, empowering aspiring and existing entrepreneurs.

Download the Entrepreneurship Challenge – Overview
Download the Entrepreneurship Challenge – Judging Criteria
Download the Entrepreneurship Challenge – Challenge Report Template

Innovation and Impact Challenge Requirements

The TD Entrepreneurship Challenge empowers Enactus teams to identify, create and deliver projects that teach relevant entrepreneurship skills, empowering aspiring and existing entrepreneurs.

Presentation

Challenge Report Format:
Every competing team must produce a challenge report summarizing their projects, highlighting the impact made from February 28, 2024 – February 27, 2025. This mandatory document will be shared with judges during your 3-minute set-up period. Your challenge report should detail project descriptions, target beneficiaries and actual impacts achieved.

Here’s the breakdown of the Challenge Report:

  • You must use the templates provided above to complete the reports.
  • No QR codes to bypass the page limits.
  • You cannot change the size of the provided boxes, margins, or orientation of the template. Your report must remain 1-page single sided.
  • You can use any font and add anything you would like inside the boxes provided (images, logos, etc).
  • One (1) copy of your report for each Challenge your team is competing in must be handed in at the registration desk upon arrival at the Enactus Canada Exposition. A digital copy of the report must be emailed to your Program Manager and approved prior to the event.
  • The challenge report is the only document you are allowed to distribute to judges during the setup period. No additional materials can be distributed (i.e. products, samples, etc.).
  • Failure to comply with guidelines above will result in the Enactus team’s disqualification.
  • Reports are distributed by team members to every judge during the set-up period.
  • You will be notified by your Program Manager regarding the number of copies you will need to print prior to the event.


Project Verification Form

  • Every team must request that their Faculty Advisor, Student Leader, and one administrator (e.g. dean, department chair, or institution president) review their Challenge Report(s) and sign the Project Verification Form.
  • If a team’s Faculty Advisor is also an administrator, the form must be signed by another administrator.
  • The Project Verification Form serves as just one part of an internal audit of projects and activities at all levels of competition.
  • You can find the most up-to-date project verification form here.


Live Presentation

Each competing team will have a 12-minute time block for their live presentation. The League Coordinator will keep the official time. After the League Coordinator has formally introduced the team, the time will be precisely divided as outlined below.

3 minutes – Setup Period

  • NEW THIS YEAR: After testing your audio and visual, please ensure you have the correct sponsor logo hold slide showing for the remainder of your team’s setup period. Link to Sponsor Logo Hold Slides


5 minutes – Live Presentation

  • If your presentation is less than 5 minutes, the remaining time will NOT be carried over to your Question-and-Answer period.


4 minutes – Judges’ Question & Answer Period

  • NEW THIS YEAR: Aligning with the Enactus Global Early Stage Competition, the Question and Answer period remains strictly enforced at four (4) minutes, any unused presentation time WILL NOT be added.
  • After your team has finished presenting, please ensure you have the correct sponsor logo hold slide showing for the reminder of your team’s Q&A period. Link to Sponsor Logo Hold Slides

Additional details in the FAQ tab.

Prize Structure
The regional round of competition for Impact Challenges will take place with teams competing in one of the leagues per region. The first-place teams from each league will move on to compete in the Impact Challenge Final Round of Competition during the Enactus Canada National Exposition. The award structure for each Impact Challenge is as follows:

Regional Round of Competition

  • Regional Champion: $1,500
  • Runner-Up: $1,000
  • Second Runner-Up: $500


Final Round of Competition

  • National Champion: $3,000
  • Runner-Up: $2,000
  • Second Runner-Up: $1,000


Impact Challenge Final Rounds (at National Exposition)

  • Regional Champions from each league will compete in the Final Round for the respective Impact Challenge National Champion. The competition follows the same rules and guidelines as the Regional Expositions, with the option to choose between the regional reporting deadline (February 28, 2024 – February 27, 2025) or the national reporting deadline (April 14, 2024 – April 13, 2025).

Further details on Impact Challenges, live presentations, and competition policies can be found in the Enactus Canada Team Manual on our Team Resources page.

alterna savings company logo

Alterna Savings SDG Project Accelerator

NOTE: 75% of the project grant will be disbursed in November 2024. The final 25% will be disbursed in May 2025 upon completion of a final impact report that is deemed acceptable by the review committee.

 

CWB company logo

The CWB Indigenous Inclusion Project Accelerator

NOTE: 75% of the project grant will be disbursed in November 2024. The final 25% will be disbursed in May 2025 upon completion of a Final Impact Report that is deemed acceptable by the review committee, participation in the CWB Indigenous Inclusion Project Accelerator Final Round of Competition, and confirmation that at least two students from the Enactus team completed the Indigenous Awareness Training course.

Sauve-Foundation-Logo

The Jeanne Sauvé Global Project Accelerator

NOTE: 75% of the project grant will be disbursed in November 2024. The final 25% will be disbursed in May 2025, upon completion of a final impact report that is deemed acceptable by the review committee.

PC financial company logo

The PC Financial Resilience Project Accelerator

NOTE: 75% of the project grant will be disbursed in November 2024. The final 25% will be disbursed in May 2025, upon completion of a final impact report that is deemed acceptable by the review committee.

Deadline to Apply: January 5, 2025 at 11:59PM ET
Eligible students can still submit an application once the nomination period has passed.
If you have any questions, please reach out to programs@enactus.ca.

To be eligible for the award, students and their businesses must meet the following criteria:

  • Be a full-time undergraduate and/or graduate student at a Canadian university or college for the current academic year. Students must be enrolled full-time in at least two of three semesters between May 2024 and April 2025 to be eligible for the competition.
  • Be a founder and have at least 25% ownership of the company with no other individual or group with greater ownership, and must be the individual primarily responsible for the business’ operation.
  • Have not been a previous National Champion of this competition or competed in the Final Round of the Student Entrepreneur National Competition in the previous school year.

Nomination and Application Process:

  • For all competition details, please reference our 2024-2025 Student Entrepreneur Handbook.
  • In the Fall of every year, nominations for the Student Entrepreneur National Competition are accepted through an online nomination process. The nomination deadline is December 5, 2024 by 11:59PM ET.
  • Upon nomination, nominees receive an application via email
  • Nominees have until January 5, 2025 by 11:59PM ET to submit their completed application to Enactus Canada
  • Eligible students can still submit an application even once the nomination period has passed.


Finalist Selection Process:

  • Nominees are asked to submit a written application outlining their company and their experience as an entrepreneur.
  • Judges review applications and independently rank their top thirty (30) applications.
  • A separate panel of judges will independently select their top twelve (12) applicants to be named finalists in the Student Entrepreneur National Competition.

Digital Round of Competition:

  • These twelve (12) finalists will then compete in a digital round of competition where they will have a recorded video pitch, up to 5 minutes in length, about their business to supplement their application form.
  • Judges will independently rank according to the judging criteria and will select three finalists who will move on to the live in-person Final Round of Competition.


Final Round of Competition:

  • The three (3) finalists will present their ventures to a panel of top executives and industry leaders at the Enactus Canada National Exposition taking place May 6-8, 2025 in Calgary, Alberta.
  • Judges will determine the Student Entrepreneur National Champion

Additional details can be found in the 2024-2025 Student Entrepreneur Handbook.

Three (3) finalists will receive complimentary lodging and travel (from within Canada) to attend the Enactus Canada National Exposition

  • The Student Entrepreneur National Champion (1st) will receive a $10,000 cash prize
  • The Student Entrepreneur National Runner-Up (2nd) will receive a $4,000 cash prize
  • The Student Entrepreneur National Second Runner-Up (3rd) will receive a $2,000 cash prize