The World's Biggest Business Competition 2026

Build your business. Pitch it in 60 seconds. You could receive US$5,000 and earn the opportunity to pitch live at the in-person Grand Finale for US$100,000.

The awards

There are 181 different award recipients and a total gross award pool of US$1,000,000:

  • 180 different US$5,000 recipients each receive a gross US$5,000 Award.
  • One different US$100,000 recipient receives the gross US$100,000 Grand Prize.

There are 36 US$5,000 Awards in each of five Tracks: App Builder, E-commerce, Creator, Education and Services.

The Grand Prize recipient receives US$100,000 in total and does not also receive a US$5,000 Award. Their released US$5,000 Award passes to the next-ranked eligible verified candidate.

Who can enter

NO PURCHASE OR PAYMENT OF ANY KIND IS NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. A PURCHASE WILL NOT IMPROVE YOUR PROSPECTS.

Entry is free. No sale, revenue, investment, donation or other financial contribution is required. Buying or using any HelpBnk, sponsor or partner product does not improve an entrant's prospects.

An entrant must:

  • be a legal resident of a participating country and be physically located in a participating country when applying;
  • be at least 18 and have reached the legal age of majority where they live by 23:59 UK local time on 25 November 2026;
  • own or control the Business entered;
  • submit no more than one Application; and
  • ensure that no other person submits the same Business.

Nationality alone does not create eligibility. The current participating-country list appears below and will be kept up to date at helpbnk.com.

How to enter

Applications open at 00:00 UK local time on 20 November 2026 and close at 23:59 UK local time on 25 November 2026.

An entrant must use the official HelpBnk Prize Application, accept the current Competition Terms and submit a pitch Video of no more than 60 seconds. The Video must be in English or include accurate English subtitles or an accurate English translation.

The Video should explain:

  • the customer problem and why it matters;
  • the Business and the value it creates;
  • what the entrant has built, tested, learned or progressed;
  • the strongest available evidence that the Business is real or credible; and
  • the next step and how US$5,000 would help.

Course completion, community activity, follower count and separate written answers do not affect eligibility or scoring.

How the US$5,000 Awards are judged

The submitted 60-second pitch Video is the complete scored pitch. Qualified judges use these published criteria. Given the expected vast number of pitch submissions, AI may be used in the judging process.

  • Clarity, structure and persuasive quality: 30%.
  • Evidence of execution and real-world progress: 30%.
  • Customer problem and value: 20%.
  • Business quality and credible next steps: 15%.
  • Learning and resourcefulness: 5%.

Camera quality, editing budget, accent, fame, wealth and follower count do not score. Revenue or funding may be mentioned as evidence, but no amount carries fixed points and money alone does not decide the result.

There is no draw, random selection, audience vote, public vote or sponsor vote. Subjective judging includes at least one demonstrably independent and competent judge. Judge names will be available on request once the panel is appointed.

The ten Finalists

The ten Finalists are initially the two highest-ranked verified US$5,000 recipients in each Track.

Potential Finalists and reserves will be contacted no later than 18:00 UK local time on 28 November 2026. A potential Finalist must respond within 12 hours and complete the required identity, age, residence, Business, payment, sanctions, travel and appearance-permission checks by 18:00 UK local time on 30 November 2026.

Other initial provisional US$5,000 recipients will be contacted no later than 9 December 2026. The response and verification deadlines in the complete Competition Terms apply. Missing an applicable deadline without an agreed extension may result in forfeiture and replacement under the published ranking.

Every Finalist must attend the required production call, rehearsal and live pitch in person at the Grand Finale on 2 December 2026. Individual remote participation is not available.

HelpBnk will arrange or reimburse reasonable pre-approved business-class return flights, airport transfers and up to four nights of standard accommodation for each Finalist. The written invitation will confirm the booking process, covered dates and limits.

Accepting a Finalist place includes permission for HelpBnk to photograph, record, stream, caption, translate and archive the rehearsal, live pitch, judge questions, answers and award announcement for the current Competition. General marketing and endorsements remain separate and optional.

If a selected person cannot accept the in-person, verification or current-Competition recording conditions, the next-ranked eligible verified US$5,000 recipient is invited. The replaced person keeps their confirmed US$5,000 Award unless a separate disqualification or forfeiture ground applies.

How the Grand Prize is judged

The US$100,000 Grand Prize is decided entirely from each Finalist's live pitch and answers to judge questions at the Grand Finale. Earlier Video scores, Application material, Course records and community activity do not carry forward.

The final judges exercise their own good-faith judgement about what they see and hear that night, guided by these criteria:

  • Clarity, structure and persuasive quality: 35%.
  • Evidence of execution and real-world progress: 25%.
  • Customer problem and value: 20%.
  • Business model and potential: 10%.
  • Responsible use of the Grand Prize: 10%.

The panel alone decides the result. Audience reaction, applause, likes, views, comments, sponsors and earlier rankings do not count.

Verification and payment

Every award is conditional on identity, age, residence, Business, ownership, sanctions, fraud, tax and payment verification. An entrant must provide truthful information and proportionate evidence of any material claim checked during verification.

Awards are paid in US dollars to a verified account used for the recipient's Business. HelpBnk instructs exactly US$5,000 for each US$5,000 Award and exactly US$100,000 for the Grand Prize. HelpBnk does not provide a tax, receiving-fee or currency-conversion top-up. Mandatory withholding, intermediary deductions, receiving-bank charges, account-provider fees, currency conversion and the recipient's own taxes may reduce the amount received. HelpBnk bears any sending-provider charge billed separately to HelpBnk and any cost that applicable law requires HelpBnk to bear.

Subject to timely verification and lawful payment, HelpBnk will issue the payment instruction no later than 29 January 2027 and use a route reasonably expected to deliver the funds by 31 January 2027.

Results and recipient information

To demonstrate that valid awards were made, HelpBnk ordinarily intends to publish each recipient's surname, country or region, Track, Award and Business name. HelpBnk may also publish a winning pitch where the current-Competition permission or a separate permission allows it.

An entrant may object to publication or ask HelpBnk to publish less information when applying or later, without giving a reason. This does not affect entry or judging. HelpBnk may still provide required information privately to a regulator or advertising authority.

Participating countries

The current participating countries are:

Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Guatemala, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Ireland, Romania, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, United Kingdom, United States and Uruguay.

The United Kingdom includes England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. The United States includes the 50 states and District of Columbia. Canada includes all provinces and territories. Australia includes all states and territories. Other dependent territories are not included unless named separately.

We are working hard to expand this list and will keep it up to date at helpbnk.com. Additional countries may be added until 23:59 UK local time on 19 November 2026. The final country list will be fixed before Applications open. After that, a country will be removed only where law, a regulator, sanctions or the withdrawal of every available lawful payment route requires it.

An Application is accepted only where the entrant's country is shown as accepting Applications on HelpBnk at the time of submission. Country-specific language, age, privacy, tax and payment rules apply.

Canadian prize information

There is no Canadian regional allocation. The 180 US$5,000 Awards and one US$100,000 Grand Prize are allocated across all participating countries under the same published judging process.

Using the Bank of Canada daily rate of US$1 = C$1.3942 dated 10 August 2026:

  • each US$5,000 Award is approximately C$6,971;
  • the US$100,000 Grand Prize is approximately C$139,420; and
  • the total US$1,000,000 award pool is approximately C$1,394,200.

Payment is made in US dollars and Canadian-dollar values fluctuate. Prospects depend on the number and quality of eligible entries received across all participating countries.

Promoter and complete rules

Promoter and data controller: HELPBNK UK LIMITED, company number 14844480, Seven Grange Lane, Pitsford, Northampton, Northamptonshire, United Kingdom, NN6 9AP.

The current participating-country list, complete Competition Terms, Privacy Notice and any country-specific participant information will be available at helpbnk.com. Read them before entering. Competition questions can be sent to [email protected].