Call for Applications for 2023 Pitch Competition, The Center for a New American Security (CNAS)

CNAS is an independent and bipartisan nonprofit in Washington, D.C., tasked with developing distinguished national security and defense policies. A key part of the CNAS mission is to inform and prepare the national security leaders of today and tomorrow. With this in mind, CNAS created The Pitch: A Competition of New Ideas, the Center’s annual premier event that elevates emerging and diverse voices in national security. The Pitch invites students and early career professionals from across a variety of sectors to submit innovative policy ideas to meet new challenges in U.S. national security policy.

applications are due on March 12.

An important aspect of The Pitch is diversity of perspectives and innovative ideas. We believe your community has a network of young leaders that could both benefit from and strongly contribute to this year’s competition.

The Pitch will be split into two rounds.

  • The first round will take place virtually with winners from each category and a People’s Choice winner advancing to the grand finale. The winners of the first round will present their pitches in person at the grand finale during the 2023 CNAS National Security Conference.
  • First-round winners who reside in the continental United States will have the opportunity to travel to and stay in Washington, D.C., paid for by CNAS, to compete in the Pitch finale during the annual conference and attend VIP conference sessions.
  • In addition, the three heat winners and the People’s Choice winner will have the opportunity to contribute a written version (500–1000 words) of their pitch to a special CNAS commentary collection.

To be eligible, applicants must:

  • Be between 25 and 35 years old, as of June 6, 2023.
  • Be available to present their pitch virtually at the first round on April 26, 2023, and in person on June 6–8 for the final round, should they be selected.
  • Be one of the following:
    • A U.S. citizen OR
    • Enrolled in a U.S. educational institution OR
    • Reside in the United States.

Complete applications include:

  • A résumé
  • A 280-character (including spaces) summary of your idea
  • A 30-second video pitch of why your idea should be selected
    • Please note that your application will be judged on the quality of your idea, not the video’s production quality. Videos do not need to be high quality and should be shot on a camera phone or comparable recorder. Please see our example videos from a past competition for reference.

For more info visit the website.

To apply click here.

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