Early Bird Passes Ending In
SXSW Sydney Pitch showcases the next wave of ground-breaking, impactful, and exciting startups that will disrupt industries and change our lives for the better. Startups from around the world will pitch their big ideas to a panel of industry experts, high-profile media professionals, and venture capital and angel investors - all in front of a live audience.
Finalists will be chosen from the public submissions process linked HERE, and they’ll present their ideas in the Pitch Rounds during SXSW Sydney, with the winners of the rounds going through to the Grand Final. From there, the judges will determine a Grand Final winner, who will win the opportunity to pitch their idea at their choice of SXSW in Austin or SXSW London, in 2026.
Pitch Info Webinar: 2 - 2:30 PM AEST Tuesday, May 20, 2025, RSVP HERE
Submissions close: 11:59 PM AEST Monday, July 7, 2025
Successful Applicants notified: by 22nd August 2025
SXSW Sydney Pitch will run from 15 - 16 October 2025
So who is eligible for SXSW Sydney Pitch? The good news is that we’re casting the net wide – we want to get as many brilliant startup pitches as possible. Our eligibility criteria is simple:
Once you’ve submitted your application for SXSW Sydney Pitch, you’ll be notified by email if you’ve been successful.
All participants in SXSW Sydney Pitch will be chosen from public submissions, which are open now. Three finalists across each of the seven categories will be chosen from the public submissions with the support of an independent advisory panel, and the competition at SXSW Sydney Pitch will work like this:
Many factors will come into play when assessing submissions for SXSW Sydney Pitch, but this is the criteria that the judges will be looking at very closely:
SXSW Sydney Grand Final Winner Prize includes:
Option to attend and participate in EITHER SXSW in Austin or SXSW London, in 2026 including:
For the first time, 2025 will also see the introduction of SXSW Sydney Student Pitch, providing an avenue for tertiary students to pitch their big ideas around “what’s next.” The competition will display the next generation of innovative thinkers from tertiary institutions selected through faculty nominations. Selected candidates will come from any sector and will pitch their ideas in a 3-minute pitch at SXSW Sydney in October 2025. The winner of the SXSW Student Pitch will be able to present their idea at SXSW in Austin or SXSW London in 2026.
Student Pitch final will run on Saturday October 18th during SXSW Sydney, with an estimated 12 finalists who will pitch on the Next Stage within the Expo. Finalists will be selected by nomination from their tertiary institutions directly to SXSW Sydney. Faculties who would like to nominate a student or team can contact pitch@sxswsydney.com for more information.
SXSW Sydney Pitch is looking to showcase some of the global startup ecosystem's most exciting, mission-oriented innovations, startups and people creating impactful companies, products and solutions that will change our lives. The 2025 SXSW Sydney Pitch competition will consist of three (3) participants each across seven (7) categories with winners from each category round presenting in the SXSW Sydney Pitch Grand Final to an accomplished panel of judges.
SXSW Sydney Pitch offers invaluable exposure for innovators and early-stage founders by attracting recognition from influential figures in their industry, opportunities to meet investors and potential partnerships as well as wide media exposure and a suite of prizes.
