Most students think a competition is won by the cleverest idea. Sometimes it is. More often, the entry that does well is the one where the judge can tell, within a minute, that you understand the problem you picked.
This guide uses the Global Pre-Med Challenge as the worked example, because we can tell you exactly how it is scored. Most health and innovation competitions judge in a similar way, so the advice carries over.
Jump to section
- What judges are really scoring
- Choosing a problem worth solving
- Building the case with evidence
- Presenting it clearly
- Mistakes that lose points
- FAQ
What judges are really scoring
The Challenge has one track, Public Health & Medical Innovation, and two rounds. You enter on your own; there are no teams.
Round One: the three-minute pitch
You record a video of no more than three minutes. It needs to state the problem, your proposed solution and its intended impact. Judges look at three things:
- Originality of the idea. Is this yours, or a rewrite of something everyone has heard?
- Clarity of the pitch. Could someone outside medicine follow it on one watch?
- Understanding of the problem. Do you know who it affects and why it has not been fixed?
Round Two: the live final
Finalists present live over video, startup-pitch style, then take questions. Now the judges score:
- Feasibility. Could this actually work, given cost and the people involved?
- Originality. Still yours, still fresh after a few weeks of work?
- Quality of responses to judge questions. You will not see the questions in advance.
Notice that "understanding of the problem" in Round One quietly becomes "can you defend it" in Round Two. The same depth carries you through both.
| What judges score | A weak entry | A strong entry |
|---|---|---|
| Originality of the idea | Repeats a well-known fix ("an app for health awareness") | Starts from a specific gap and offers an angle of its own |
| Clarity of the pitch | Spends a minute on background, rushes the idea | States problem, solution and impact plainly inside three minutes |
| Understanding of the problem | Talks about a whole disease or "healthcare" in general | Names who is affected and the real reason it is still unsolved |
| Feasibility | Ignores cost, ethics and who gets left out | Raises its own weak spots and explains how it handles them |
| Quality of responses to judge questions | Defends every point, or freezes | Admits limits honestly and thinks through the question out loud |
Choosing a problem worth solving
Start with something you have actually noticed. A clinic queue. A missed diagnosis. A village without cold storage. The Challenge page uses exactly these examples, and they work because they are small enough to picture.
"Diabetes" is a topic. "Teenagers in my town skip insulin doses because the pharmacy closes before school ends" is a problem. Judges can only score your understanding of the second kind.
If you are stuck, browse our project ideas and look for one that connects to something you have seen yourself.
Building the case with evidence
Ask the harder question: why has nobody fixed this? The first answer is usually too easy. Keep asking until the real barrier shows up. Maybe it is money. Maybe it is trust, transport or a rule nobody questions.
Then break your own idea before anyone else does. Think about cost, ethics and who gets left out. This is how doctors think, and it is exactly what the live round tests.
Every entrant gets mentor-led masterclasses and written feedback on their Round One submission. Use that feedback. It is the closest thing you will get to a judge's notes before the final.
Presenting it clearly
Three minutes goes fast. One idea, said well, beats three ideas crammed together.
A simple shape that fits the rules: the problem (who, where, how bad), your solution, and the impact you expect. Say it out loud before you record. If a friend cannot repeat your idea back to you, cut something.
For the live final you get a fixed presentation window, then questions. You will not know them in advance. Practise by asking someone to poke holes in your idea and answering without a script. "I have not tested that yet, but here is how I would" is a real answer.
Mistakes that lose points
- Going too broad. A whole disease is not a pitch.
- Hiding behind background. If your solution appears in the last thirty seconds, the clarity score suffers.
- Running over three minutes. It is a rule, not a guideline.
- Using AI. All work must be original, with no plagiarism and no AI-generated submissions. In the video itself, unlicensed footage, music or AI-generated content is not permitted.
- Treating questions as attacks. Judges are testing depth, not trying to catch you out.
The practical details
- Who can enter: high school students in Grades 8 to 12, from any country, as individuals.
- Format: online, two rounds, with eight mentor-led masterclasses (four before each round).
- Awards: USD 500 in cash awards for the top three finalists, plus scholarships towards a Learn With Leaders online programme for entrants (full for the top three, 30% for the top twenty, 15% for everyone else).
- Fee: standard entry is $90 USD per student; early bird entry is $60 USD.
- Dates: check the Challenge page for current dates.
Comparing options first? See our roundup of the best pre-med competitions for high schoolers. And if you want to see how a competition fits the bigger picture, read how to build a pre-med profile in high school.
FAQ
Can I enter with a friend as a team?
No. The Global Pre-Med Challenge is individual entry only.
Can I use AI to help write my pitch?
No. All work must be original, with no plagiarism and no AI-generated submissions, and AI-generated content is not permitted in the video itself.
What if I have never done any research before?
Round One is a three-minute video pitch that rewards creativity and communication, so students with strong ideas but less formal research experience can compete on equal footing.
What do the judges ask in the live round?
You will not see the questions in advance. Judges test the feasibility, originality and depth of thinking behind your idea.