77 Idea Quest offers an exciting opportunity for GVSU students from ALL MAJORS to turn their ideas into real-world solutions. This competition challenges students to identify problems and propose innovative answers that can make a difference. They will gain valuable skills that sets them apart in their career, while competing, collaborating, and innovating with peers from across disciplines. Showcase their creativity and problem-solving abilities in front of faculty, mentors, and the community. Each college will award a $500 College Champion Award, and the top ideas will compete for up to $3,000 in prizes. 

With 11 prizes totaling $10,000 on the table and 11 ways to win, 77 Idea Quest invites you to share your creative problem-solving skills and new ideas with the Grand Valley State University community.

Register for 77 Idea Quest Here!

Note: 

• You may only complete a submission and submit slides once! 
• To register, you will need to create a Judgify account. The link above will automatically navigate you to the page to create one if you have not made one before.

In the first quest, you would tell us about a problem that bothers you or that you have noticed in your life. Then, tell us what you would create or do to solve that problem.

Share your problem and idea with us with:

• A 5 slide powerpoint presentation with a voiceover

Use this slide template to guide your presentation

Once you’ve finished your presentation, be sure to create a shareable link so others can access it without any issues. Uploading your final product to YouTube is recommended for easy sharing.

You can and should include any supporting information to strengthen your problem and idea. Please follow this template for the correct submission format.

Registration closes January 30, 2026

You made it to the second quest. During this part of the quest, CEI will put on several workshops to help you refine your idea before submitting and prepare you for the final pitch. You'll earn points for attending and participating in these sessions, which will be added to your overall score and can boost your chances of advancing to the final round. The information for these workshops will be posted soon!

Top ideas will be announced on March 6, 2026

You made it to the end! Your last mission is to put together a Shark Tank-style, 5-minute pitch with slides, complete with a short Q&A at our year-end celebration event on Thursday, March 26, at the Loosemore Auditorium in DeVos. The event starts at 5pm. Coaching and assistance are available through CEI. You can also check out our Storytelling Workbook for pitching guidance. 

Winners and College Champion Award will be announced at the pitch competition.

• Problem Identification (25%) - Clearly defines a significant, specific, and compelling problem that matters to the identified customer/impacted group.
• Who is the Customer? (25%) - Clearly explains who is most affected by the problem and how. Shows awareness of both direct and indirect stakeholders.
• Solution (25%) - Offers a clear, practical, and creative solution directly tied to the problem, customer, and impact. Considers existing solutions and evaluates why they are or aren’t working.
• What Needs to Be Learned (25%) - Identifies key questions, assumptions, and knowledge gaps critical to solving the problem. Shows curiosity and awareness of what still needs to be validated and explored to test their assumptions.

1. To be eligible for this competition, you must be:
   • A student at Grand Valley State University who will be enrolled through the end of the 2025 Winter Semester.
   • Present and available to participate in all three phases of the competition.
      
2. All ideas presented in 77 Idea Quest must be original or an original modification on an existing idea that makes it more effective at solving the identified problem.
   • Teams or individuals with an established LLC are allowed to compete if their total combined sales, investments, grants, or competition awards are under $5,000 since the business was formed.
   • Businesses that have exceeded $5,000 in total funding or revenue are not eligible for this competition
      
3.  Students may compete in a team of three members or less. The following rules applies to all teams:
   • One student must serve as the team leader.
   • All team members must be eligible for the competition and must actively participate in the whole competition.
   • Students may not compete in multiple teams. 
   • The prize money value does not change depending on team size. The money, if won, will be split evenly between all members listed on the application. 
      
4. Each student can only submit one entry to 77 Idea Quest per competition year. 
    
5. 77 IdeaQuest confidentiality and intellectual property:
   77 IdeaQuest is a public facing competition which means that anything shared during the event should be considered public. Judges and organizers are not required and should not be asked to sign non disclosure agreements (NDAs). As a participant it’s important to be thoughtful and intentional about what you choose to share especially if your idea includes proprietary or sensitive information. If needed you’re encouraged to clearly label your written materials with CONFIDENTIAL AND PROPRIETARY and consult with legal counsel if you have concerns about protecting your work. Keep in mind that all parts of the event including pitch presentations and Q&A sessions with judges are open to other participants, guests, and potentially the media. These sessions may be photographed, recorded, or livestreamed and content may be used later for promotional or educational purposes so it’s safe to assume that anything you present could be publicly accessible. That said, you retain full ownership of your ideas, business concepts, and materials. 77 IdeaQuest exists to support your entrepreneurial journey through feedback, exposure, and learning not to claim any rights over your work.