BDC Challenge
Notice of participation

The BDC challenge is a competition designed for eighth grade students who aspire to obtain a scholarship to attend the BDC international high school.
During the competition, students will present their idea to solve a global problem.
The kids will participate in a real pitch competition with a commission of high-level judges.
The two winners will receive a full-ride scholarship to attend BDC high school, which will open in September 2024.

Recipients

Students of the third year of the school year 2023/24 of the middle schools present throughout the Italian and European territory in possession of the eighth grade qualification or an equivalent foreign certification for foreign students.

Subject of the BDC Challenge

No. 2 scholarships equivalent to 100% of the 4-year BDC high school tuition, starting from the school year. 2024/25 at the BDC School offices in Milan and Cologno Monzese.
The choice of campus will be solely up to BDC School.
The value of each scholarship amounts to €66,000 for the 4-year study cycle.

How to join and select participants

Gli studenti interessati a partecipare alla BDC Callenge sottoporranno la propria candidatura affrontando uno o più dei 10 rischi individuati dal World Economic Forum per i prossimi 10 anni:

Applications for the BDC Challenge can be submitted online from 01/01/2023 to 01/15/2024, by completing the form on the BDC School website at this link (xxxxxxx), divided into 3 sections:
1 - Q&A – write 3/4 sentences for each answer:
1) Vision/Objective
2) Problem
3) Solution
4) Competition
5) Team/Collaborators
2 - Pitch Deck – attach a presentation with the following sections:
1) Problem
2) Solution
3) Vision
4) Possible impact
5) Strategy
6) Team
3- Video – attach videos of a maximum duration of 60 seconds that include:
1) Personal intro
2) Problem
3) Solution
4) Why you are the right person for BDC High School

During the application period it will be possible to access the following online workshops:
• 1) How to define a problem - 09/12/23
• 2) How to describe a solution – 12/13/23
• 3) How to define the necessary resources – 12/16/23
• 4) How to build an action plan – 12/20/23

During the selection process BDC will also offer access to:
• - Office Hours – every week they will be able to access 1:1 or group office hours sessions to ask questions or request feedback from the program mentors (booking through Calendly).
• - Video – through the BDC website and YouTube channel, students have unlimited access to recorded videos where tips on the application process are given.

A Commission will evaluate all the applications and select the 10 finalists; the outcome of the selection will be communicated by 20 January 2024.
The Commission, specifically established, will be made up of 5 members representing entrepreneurship, STEM, Finance and VC and Communication and Marketing.

The pitch competition will take place on 27 January 2024 at the BDC headquarters in Milan, during which the 10 finalists will present their project, having 5 minutes available for the presentation and 5 minutes for Q&A. The Commission will attend the presentation of the 10 finalist projects and will announce the two winners of the scholarships on the same day.

Formation of the ranking

The Commission will assign each participant a score based on the following criteria (maximum score of 100 points):
• Understanding/In-depth study of the topic addressed (max 20 points)
• Graphic presentation of the project (max 10 points)
• Presentation speech (max 30 points)
• Introduction video (max 30 points)
• Mathematical average of the final school report card grades in Italian, Mathematics and English (max 10)
In case of equal merit, priority will be given to students with a lower ISEE.

Awards

On the basis of the general final ranking defined by the Commission, the following prize will be awarded to the 1st and 2nd place:
Scholarship worth €66,000 for attending BDC high school, which extends over four years:
• First two-year period: Two-year period equal to the ministerial program of the high school of human sciences with economic and social orientation; Partial IGCSE.
• Second two-year period: International Baccalaureate Diploma (IB)
The following fees are paid by the winners:
• One-off (only for the 1st school year): €2,500
• Annual registration fee (to be paid every year): €1,500
• Canteen (to be paid every year): €1,500

L’ottenimento della borsa di studio per gli anni successivi è subordinata al conseguimento della media dei voti uguale o superiore a 7 al termine di ogni anno scolastico.