CMU SWS Stock Pitch Competition

The Carnegie Mellon University chapter of Smart Woman Securities (SWS) will be hosting along with the Undergraduate Finance Association (UFA), and Financial Frontline Society (FFS) the second annual Seeking Alpha Stock Pitch Competition, bringing together the Carnegie Mellon students from across majors and departments. Students will compete individually or in teams of up to four people and will present their original stock pitches to our panel of distinguished judges. Participants should actively use both online and academic resources to complete their pitches, as content submitted to the competition is meant to approximate the research produced by professional asset managers and buy/sell-side analysts. Our judges will be looking for long or short recommendations and an investment thesis with compelling arguments and sourced information that is also backed by clear analysis and in-depth research. All pitches must be submitted and published exclusively on Seeking Alpha to be considered for the competition. Article payments ($35-$500) will be given for every pitch that is published exclusively on Seeking Alpha. The winning team will also receive six months free access to Seeking Alpha PRO ($1,200 value), recognition on their contributor profiles, and an invitation to Seeking Alpha's Ultimate Competition in NYC. Entry into this competition is free of charge. 

Competition Date: Saturday, February 27th 2016
​Location: Carnegie Mellon University 
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Note: Your team must be registered and the stock pitch must be published by 11:59 EST on February 15, 2016
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Reminder to all participants: In order to be considered for the competition, you MUST write the following statement in the “Note to Editors” box at the bottom of the last page of the submission process: “Please consider this article for the Spring 2016 Carnegie Mellon University stock pitch competition.”
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Rules: 
  • Individuals and/or teams (2-4 individuals) can participate. 
  • If participating as a team, teams must designate one person as the team contact. 
  • Multiple individuals and/or teams can participate from one particular club. 
  • Individuals/teams not associated with a student organization may participate. 
  • The pitch must be submitted to Seeking Alpha in article form (though it is not guaranteed to be selected for publication- see guidelines below)
  • The article must be submitted to Seeking Alpha exclusively if article payment is desired. 
  • The article must be published on Seeking Alpha if entrance into the competition is desired. 

​Content Guidelines: 
  • Pitches must be a long or short idea on a single stock or a pair trade
  • Pitches must be a minimum of two pages long, with no maximum length
  • Individuals/teams should select a stock from the Nasdaq, NYSE, or NYSE Amex with a market capitalization of greater than $500 million.
  • All content must represent author's own work
  • All images must have a source (if author's own work, data used to produce image must be sourced) and non-obvious material must have a source, preferably with a link
  • Pitch should briefly introduce the company but then focus on author's analysis and opinion, instead of focusing on widely known information about the company​​
  • See Written Pitch Judging Criteria for suggestions on how to submit a strong pitch
Timeline: 
  • ​Registration: Open
  • Pitch Publication Deadline: Mon., February 15, 2016​*
  • Finalist notified: Fri., February 19, 2016
  • Competition Date: Sat., February 27, 2016 

*Since pitched submitted to Seeking Alpha often get returned to students with feedback and requested revisions, we strongly recommend that students submit their pitch by Tues., February 9th. 

Written Pitch Judging Criteria: 
  • Does the author support his/her thesis and recommendation with compelling arguments, sourced information and clear analysis?
  • Does the author show an understanding of the company and its industry/sector, as well as broader trends relevant to the company?
  • Does the author explain the valuation of the company and the company's financial state?
  • Does the author explain the market's consensus view on the stock and make a case for why the market's view is wrong/right?
  • Does the author appropriately address risks and/or variant views on the stock, and assess what could go wrong with the thesis?
  • Does the author provide catalysts or drivers that would lead to his/her thesis to play out?
  • Does the author make a case for asymmetric risk/reward in the stock?
  • Does the author present an original thesis on the stock?​

How to Submit: 
  • If you are participating as an individual, please follow the steps here to submit your pitch on Seeking Alpha
  • If you are participating as a team, follow the steps here to submit your pitch on Seeking Alpha
    • Each individual member of the team must follow Step I – Step III on the document attached
    • The primary team contact must also follow Step IV and Step V​

Here's some highlights from last year's stock pitch competition.