Get Started

Ready to Join the Challenge?

Whether you're registering a team or looking to mentor, sponsor, or fund one, here's exactly what happens next.

Register Your Team Become a Mentor or Sponsor

Key Dates

October 15, 2026 Registration opens
December 15, 2026 Registration closes
April 2027 The Challenge event

Two Ways In

Come as a competitor or come as the reason a team can compete. Both start the same way: reach out.

FOR STUDENT TEAMS

Register your team

Open to university students across our participating campuses. Bring your own team, or reach out and we'll help connect you with teammates.

  • Registration opens October 15, 2026
  • No cost to enter
  • Mentor matching included once you're registered
Register Your Team

FOR MENTORS, SPONSORS & FUNDERS

Get involved

Mentor a team through the process, sponsor a prize category, or help fund the 2027 expansion to five campuses.

  • Mentor presentations happen in the weeks before the event
  • Flexible commitment levels, from one mentoring session to full sponsorship
  • Direct line to CIC leadership at info@cic.earth
Support the Challenge

The Path From Idea to Pitch

Five steps between registering and presenting to the judging panel.

1

Form Your Team

Find peers with a shared vision and complementary skills.

2

Identify a Problem

Pick a climate issue your team can actually move.

3

Design a Solution

Map it to Innovative Technology, Behavioral Change, or Social Change.

4

Officially Enter

Register with CIC before the registration window closes.

5

Prepare & Pitch

Build your presentation package and present to the judging panel.

What to Prepare

Your presentation package is what the judging panel sees. Here's what it needs to cover.

  • ✓
    Team roster Who's on your team and what each person is contributing.
  • ✓
    Problem statement The specific climate problem your team is tackling, and why it matters.
  • ✓
    Proposed solution Your solution, mapped to one of the three categories, sufficiently robust to be replicable and scalable.
  • ✓
    Implementation & funding plan A real plan for how the solution gets built and paid for, not just the idea.
  • ✓
    Pitch deck Your presentation for the judging panel, made up of business, civic, and academic leaders.

Ways to Support a Team

Not every funder or mentor wants the same level of involvement. Here's how that flexibility works.

Mentor a Team

Work directly with a student team as they shape their solution, ahead of mentor presentations in the weeks before the event.

Sponsor a Prize

Fund an award category and put your organization's name behind the outcomes you care about most.

Fund the Expansion

Help underwrite the 2027 growth to five Bay Area campuses, reaching more students than ever before.

Registration Not Yet Open

Registration Opens October 15, 2026

The team registration form isn't live yet. Bookmark this page or reach out below and we'll make sure you don't miss it.

Oct 15 → Dec 15, 2026

Registration window for the 2027 Challenge

Notify Me When It Opens

Or email us directly at info@cic.earth

Ready to compete?

Registration opens October 15, 2026. See the details below.

Register Your Team

Ready to invest in what's next?

Mentor a team, sponsor a prize, or fund the 2027 expansion.

Get in Touch