The Big Pitch

3 Minutes. 1 Slide. Your Pitch.

The format is simple but challenging. Participants have three minutes and a single PowerPoint slide to argue for the significance of their research, project, or art. This lends itself to business projects and artist statements as well as research work in the Humanities and Sciences. The Big Pitch, CGU’s Three-Minute Thesis Competition, is open to all CGU students at any stage of their academic progress. This year, the Big Pitch is online!

With an audience of students, staff, alumni, community members, and faculty, presentations are meant to be concise and accessible—they tell a story, use humor, and highlight the significance of student work instead of only focusing on complex details. Through this unique event, attendees learn about exciting research from across the university, and competitors develop their communication skills and compete for prizes!

***Due to unforeseen circumstances, the Big Pitch Final, originally scheduled for Friday, November 22nd, will now take place on February 28, 2025, from 12 to 1 p.m.***

Register to Compete

Register to Attend Online

Register for the In-Person Watch Party

Important Dates

Other Important Information

Prizes

Modality & Judging

To ensure that as many CGU students can participate in the event as possible, the 2023 Big Pitch will be virtual. All initial submissions will be prerecorded videos, but the six finalists will present live virtually during the final event! This format ensures equity in assessment as well as the best access for participation across our student body. We understand that many of our students either do not live in the area or cannot participate in person for other reasons.

• Preliminary round presentations are prerecorded.
• The six finalists will present synchronously via Zoom for the final event.
• There will be spaces available on-campus from which finalists can present comfortably.
• Recording and/or editing quality are not included in the adjudicating criteria.
• Different judging panels of faculty, staff, and alumni score the preliminary and final rounds.
• Videos must meet the competition’s criteria with some optional inclusions allowed.
• Find the detailed rules and judging criteria HERE.

Why Should I Participate?

As a student presenter, you develop academic, presentation, and research communication skills that give you a distinct career advantage after graduation. You strengthen your ability to break down complex material and explain research concisely. You improve your presentation skills by having to speak engagingly and clearly to a large audience in a short space of time. Finally, you strengthen your expertise at meeting the demands of a non-specialist audience—a valuable skill in a wide range of professions.

The Big Pitch is also beneficial more broadly by building CGU’s academic and professional culture. In addition to the professional experience presenters receive, the event contributes to the university’s intellectual culture by providing attendees an opportunity to engage in the academic life of the university outside of the confines of their department or usual role. Both internally and externally, for students and the campus community as a whole, the Big Pitch contributes to CGU’s academic mission of creating new knowledge and preparing leaders with the purpose and skills to make the world a better place.

*Students can compete more than once. Participants are allowed to enter over multiple years as long as they are active CGU students.

Ways to Participate

1. Register to train and compete. Come for the training and then move on to the competition.
2. Register and jump straight into the competition. Not recommended unless you have experience presenting in similar situations but still an option!
3. Join the training without competing. Receive all the benefits of learning to talk about your research concisely and effectively by joining us for the training sessions.

More Resources

1. Learn about the application process to ensure you submit everything correctly!
2. Make sure you know all the guidelines and judging criteria.
3. Schedule a 30-minute one-on-one appointment with Dr. Marcus Weakley, Director of the Center for Writing & Rhetoric to discuss any aspects of your pitch development or practice.
4. Visit our tips and resources page.

Download a copy of the 2023 Program HERE!

Webinars

1. Big Pitch Information Session (Register HERE)

Tuesday, January 28, 2025, at 12 p.m. | Facilitated by Marcus Weakley, CWR Director

Learn all about the event from the virtual format to the rules for participation to the criteria the judges use to assess the pitches to the structure of the preliminary and final rounds. We will also discuss all the deadlines, the dates for the series of preparative webinars being offered, and how to take advantage of all the support programs put in place for the event. 

2. Big Pitch Strategy Session (Register HERE)

Wednesday, February 5, 2025, at 12 p.m. | Facilitated by Marcus Weakley, CWR Director

Preparing a presentation that is limited to one slide and three minutes to a non-specialist audience is a unique challenge; doing that on a complex topic that is meant to be condensed but not dumbed down is even more so! This webinar provides quick coverage of a range of tips on developing and delivering a successful Big Pitch presentation. We will cover structure, essential persuasive elements, PowerPoint slide strategies, and presentation practice and delivery. Also, we will talk about our resources for how to use a phone camera to record a Big Pitch presentation with an embedded PowerPoint slide.