On a mission to make dreams a reality, The UPS Store launched its first-ever national Pitch Off contest where startups and small business owners can compete for a chance to win $10,000. The Pitch Off is part of the company’s Small Biz Salute, a month-long initiative celebrating small business owners for their hard work, innovation and dedication to their business and local communities.

“Bringing value to small business owners is what our stores do every day,” said Tim Davis, president of The UPS Store. “The Pitch Off gives entrepreneurs a platform to tell us what makes their business unique. It could be a brand new product, existing thriving business or even just a great concept. The next big idea is out there and we want to help get it off the ground.”

The UPS Store® Pitch Off competition is officially open for submissions. Here’s how it works. 

• START. Small business owners and entrepreneurs at any stage in their business ventures can visit www.theupsstorepitchoff.com to begin the submission process. Pitch off submissions open 9:00 am ET Tuesday, April 18 and close 11:59pm ET Saturday, May 20.

• PITCH + SUBMIT. Capture a 90 seconds (or less) pitch video describing the business or business idea and why it is unique. Be creative. Enter background information and submit the pitch video through the website.

• SHARE. Entrants will be able to socially share their entries and encourage family and friends to vote for their favorite video in an online gallery. The voting period opens 9:00am ET Monday, May 22 and closes 11:59pm ET Wednesday, May 31. 

• WIN. Based on criteria judged by a panel of experts and online votes, the final winner will be selected. The grand prize Pitch Off winner will receive $10,000. There will also be cash prizes rewarded to the best pitch videos in a variety of categories. The grand prize winner and category awardees will be announced on Tuesday, June 6.  

In addition to the national competition, The UPS Store is hosting Small Biz Salute events in three cities, Portland, Kansas City and Denver. Each event will give attendees the chance to compete in a local, live version of the Pitch Off competition. Local contestants will have three minutes to pitch their business to a live audience and panel of judges at the event. The best pitch in each city will win $5,000.