The challenge will take place from June 1 to June 21. Each day, you’ll receive short videos (3-10 min) from experts, who will guide you and help you proceed with your project. We’d prefer you to watch them once you’ve received them, but if you don’t manage that you will have access to them at any time once they’re published. In addition, there will be two live calls with experts for you to attend and you can book additional calls with mentors to help you with your project. But the slots for the mentor calls are limited so you’ll need to act fast!

This depends entirely on you and your team and on how much effort you would like to put into the project. You should be able to fit this in together with your everyday school schedule.

There will be 3-10 minute impulse videos on topics such as “the biggest challenges in the world”, “how to develop an idea”, “how to promote an idea” and others. It does not require too much time to look at the videos. There are also two voluntary live video calls with experts and individually bookable 30-minute mentoring sessions with international experts, where specific questions from the participants can be answered. In general, the estimated time you need for the challenge will be 20 min to 1 hour per day.

There will be videos published nearly every day on various topics. You do not need to watch them exactly at that time. The videos will be available on the platform throughout the challenge. Watching those videos should help you and your team develop your ideas, so we recommend you don’t leave watching them until the last minute.

Yes, absolutely. As long as you are registered for the #beapirate challenge and active. You can also join if you’re doing an apprenticeship or have a job and are traveling.

We are looking for innovative ideas in the context of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Learn more about the SDGs here.

You can explore some previous project ideas from our Bootcamps and Challenge here:

• #beapirate Challenge 2020 ideas
• #beapirate Challenge 2021 ideas
• Bootcamps’ ideas

Innovation can take many shapes and forms. Find what your passions and strengths are and put them to action.

What happens to the ideas is up to you and your team. We do not own the idea, nor take any shares if the idea is realized. We are currently developing a mentoring on-demand program, which should also enable you to continue working on your ideas after the challenge is over. As our target group is 14-19-year-olds who are usually still at school: we don’t insist that you continue with their idea as they might not have the time. Rather, the focus is on your personal development through learning and building your ideas. The projects are stored on our platform and can be implemented by students at any time. For those who are serious about continuing their projects, we have a number of further support options.

Promoting an idea is as much a part of success as the idea itself. The team with the most votes will automatically get a spot on the Final Pitch Night. There will be two “wildcards” from our partner and our mentors. The rest four teams will be selected through the combination of criteria assessment and their position in online voting.  Each criteria assessment and online voting counts for a max of 50% of the points. In case two teams have the same amount of points, the higher place of the particular team in online voting decides.

Criteria & Online Voting Position

Impact: min 1 – max 10 points
Radicality: min 1 – max 10 points
Feasibility: min 1 – max 10 points
Wow effect: min 1 – max 10 points
2-3 place: 40 points
4-7 place: 30 points
8-15 place: 25 points
16-30 place: 20 points
31-50 place: 10 points

The actual winner from the seven teams will then be selected during the final Pitch Day by our expert jury.

Online Voting Disclaimer
It is forbidden to use any fake emails or bots for the voting. If a team is caught using any of these they will be disqualified.

Participation is free for all.

We encourage the integration of the challenge into the classroom curriculum as it is a great opportunity for the students to dig deeper into the topics and can be very positive for the development of the ideas in the team.

If you want to support your students by including it into your classroom agenda, we are happy to provide further information to help you.

You will first need to register and apply as an individual. After you apply, you will get access to the Moonshot Pirates platform, where you will need to create a team of 2-6 people to participate in the challenge.

The challenge is happening in English.

In general, the challenge is designed for people between 14-19 years. But if you are a bit older (up to 21) and yet feel that this could be also helpful for you, feel free to apply. We want to make everyone a changemaker.

Yes, by participating in the challenge you agree that you have informed your parents. For those participants who will get to the final Online Pitch Day and are under 18 years old, we will require signed parental consent. You will receive the form before joining the final Online Pitch Day and will need to send it signed by one of your parents before the Online Pitch Day.

Yes, you are more than welcome to join us again. The only thing is that you have to participate with a new idea/project than the last time.

As there is a lot of teamwork involved during the challenge, we highly recommend having a laptop/pc. Also, there will be multiple live calls and calls with mentors, and some things will be difficult to do simply from a phone. As this is an online challenge, a good internet connection and laptop/pc are highly recommended.

The trip is preliminary planned for spring 2023. The exact dates of the winner’s trip of the #beapirate challenge 2022 will be aligned directly with the winners of the challenge.

The trip includes return flights to San Francisco from a major international airport close to you, accommodation and a program with workshops, meeting startups, visiting companies like Instagram, Apple, Pinterest, Google, and exploring campuses of the Singularity University and Stanford. The exact program will be announced closer to the trip.

The winners will need to take care of their VISA/ESTA applications and cover the costs related to those. Please inform yourself about the cost of the VISA/ESTA for your country.

Winners of the trip will need to cover their expenses related to getting to and back from the airport. They also need to cover their food during the trip.

If the trip cannot take place due to the Covid-19 travel situation, Moonshot Pirates will find new dates for the trip and align them with the winning team, so everyone can participate. The trip will happen at the latest by the end of 2023.

Moonshot Pirates crew members will join and accompany the winners on the trip to Silicon Valley.

If a parent insists on accompanying their child to the Silicon Valley, they need to cover their trip and all expenses related to that trip by themselves. If the parents also decide to join the Silicon Valley tour program while being in SF, they need to cover the expenses related to that tour.

All participants below 18 years old from the seven teams selected for the Final Pitch Day, will need to submit parental or legal guardian consent, before joining the online pitch day. Participants will receive the form before the challenge starts. In the consent, parents agree that their children are allowed to join the trip to Silicon Valley in case of winning. If we do not receive the consent before the Online Pitch Day, another team will be given a chance.

The Moonshot Pirates team is happy to offer video calls to the parents of minors to get to know each other before the trip.

We are happy to answer any of your questions via email or via phone. Please find the contact details here.

Yes, the Final Pitch Night is available to the public. Feel free to invite your friends, family, teachers, etc. We will share a link with you so they can access it.

The #beapirate Challenge is funded exclusively by partners, foundations, and government grants such as Austria Wirtschaftsservice (AWS). Bootcamps are usually made possible by regional sponsors. Other partners on board are the Federal Ministry of Education, Science and Research, and the Federal Ministry of Labor, Family and Youth. Go here for more information.

So you have realized that you cannot participate in the Challenge anymore? Well, that’s a pity, but we understand. Please let us know via email at . We will cancel your application and remove all related data. Please make sure that you have received an acknowledgment of your cancellation from us. Only this will confirm that your application was canceled. This might take up to 5 working days.