05/28/2026
The U.S. Small Business Administration is hosting a nationwide pitch competition that will bring together entrepreneurs from across the country who are building and scaling businesses within their communities.
Selected businesses will be invited to participate in a live pitch competition in Washington, DC, which will culminate in a $1 million prize pool to celebrate the innovation and ambition that has driven American ingenuity for the past 250 years.
Submissions will be evaluated by four stages of judging panels looking at how each business performs in the following categories:
✅️ Strengthening American competitiveness
✅️ Small business “punching above its weight”
✅️ Economic impact and quality jobs
✅️ Business fundamentals and ex*****on readiness
Your business must:
■ Have a minimum of 3 years in business operation
■ Have a gross revenue production of at least $100,000 annually
■ Have benefited from one or more of the following SBA capital products:
○7(a) loans (including Paycheck Protection Program loans)
○504 loans
○Microloan Intermediary loans
○SBIR / STTR funded entities
○SBIC financed small business concerns
○Note: participants who received COVID-19 EIDL loans or SBA Disaster loans are not eligible based on those loans but may be eligible if they received the capital products listed above.
■ Be current and in good standing on any federal obligations. Businesses that have, at any time, defaulted on a federal loan or federally-guaranteed financing that has resulted in the federal government or any of its agencies or departments sustaining a loss in any of its programs and businesses owned or controlled a person who previously owned, operated, or controlled a business which defaulted on a federal loan or guaranteed financing and caused the federal government or any of its agencies or departments to sustain a loss in any of its programs are ineligible to apply for the competition. For purposes of the competition, a compromise agreement as described at 31 C.F.R. 3711 shall also be considered a loss.
■ Be headquartered and operated in the United States and/or its territories
■ Be 100% owned by U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents
■ Actively drive innovation in your sector, leveraging new technologies or strategies to modernize operations or strengthen your competitive edge
The top 10 semifinalists will be announced the week of July 4, 2026, during the Great American State Fair. The five finalists will be invited to participate in a live pitch competition in Washington, DC.
Megyn Rodriguez, Outreach and Marketing Specialist, at the SBA Alabama District Office created a very helpful video with all the details. Check this out - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7heLKfvBtQ4
Sample Pitch Deck - https://sba.app.box.com/v/sba-patriot-pitch
The deadline to submit your pitch is June 10, 2026, at 11:59PM ET.
