Policy Pitch Competition

The top submissions to our Policy Pitch Competition present their topics in a five-minute format, promoting a specific national, state, local, or university policy. Slides are encouraged but not required. A panel of judges that include public policy experts and practitioners select three winners from 10 finalists.

Winning presentations receive monetary prizes, from $500 to $200.

Any current UM-Dearborn undergraduate student with an original policy proposal is eligible to participate. No prior policy experience or background is required.

Not at the moment. All presentations are individual. 

• Register by submitting a short application
• When your registration is approved, submit a written policy proposal
• The selection committee chooses 10 top pitches. If your pitch makes it to the top 10, you will present it in person at the final round 

For the deadlines and the details, please watch for the announcements or the updates on this page. 

The proposal must include the following sections:

• Identify a policy problem (50 words)
• Describe the selected policy problem (150 words)
• Describe the current policy, key policy players, and why policy improvements are needed (150 words).
• Identify your target policy decision-makers (50 words) 

Provide specific policy recommendations (100 words)

Yes, we will offer one-on-one informational sessions. Our MPAP graduate students will help you start your proposal by identifying your policy topic and framing your policy issue.

For the details, please watch for the announcements or the updates on this page. 

Of course! Guests are welcome to attend the final round of Policy Pitch Competition presentations. We will serve pizza and cookies too!

Our first place winner of the 2024 Policy Pitch Competition, undergraduate student Nadia Khan, says that the competition helped enhance her confidence in both policy writing and public speaking - skills she says are important for students strengthen in their time at UM-Dearborn. 

When asked why she decided to participate, Nadia said, "In my junior year of high school, I had to complete a policy proposal for my AP Government class. It was about environmental protection in the Michigan Great Lakes. This original proposal 2 years ago got me into environmental advocacy and is what inspired my topic this year about the environmental and ethical amendments to the Minamata Convention regarding small-scale gold mining. I also have always enjoyed public speaking and debate, so I was excited to use my public speaking skills persuasively."

She also says that as a Pre-Law/Chemistry major she picked a topic that aligned with her interests in public policy and environmental advocacy. Through the Policy Pitch Competition, Nadia remarks how she was able to express those interests which allowed for further research into being involved in those fields in her future. 

Our second place winner of the 2024 Policy Pitch Competition, undergraduate student Brian Meci, took on a campus-wide issue to challenge the two-week requirement student organizations have to reserve a room. 

He says his desire to participate in the Policy Pitch Competition was fueled by his experience in running a student organization. “We had difficulty reserving rooms for events this semester due to a required two-week buffer between scheduling the event and the day of the event itself. This impacted our ability to get the most engagement possible in our organization. I noticed this was not an isolated experience when interacting with other organization leaders.” 

So, Meci sent out a survey in order to gauge the impact the policy had on others, “when I saw the policy pitch competition flyers, I knew I had to address this policy. Working with several student organizations and Student Government, I came up with and presented suggested solutions that the school offices involved in event registration should enact.”

When asked why he thinks the Policy Pitch Competition is important, Brian said, " it gives students a stage to voice issues and concerns in our community, state, and nation. It allows us to practice and utilize public speaking and project planning skills. Most importantly it's a great avenue for change on our campus, bringing campus-wide issues to the attention of the university.” 

Wondering if the Policy Pitch Competition is something you could do? Brian says, “no matter how niche of a topic or concern you might have for your community, don't hesitate to try and fix it. Although people might not realize its existence or effects, fixing it has the opportunity to create good for a community, rather than if it is left alone.”

• First place: Nadia Khan, "Environmental and Ethical Amendments to the Minamata Convention Regarding Artisanal Small-scale Gold Mining"
• Second place: Brian Meci, “Lowering the 2 Week Bar for Student Involvement”

• Third place: Ahmed Alshemmam, “Addressing Foreign Influence on US Governance” 

  

• First place: Wasey Rehman, “Bridging the Digital Divide in Education by Revising UofM’s Procurement Policies”
• Second place: Zhalgas Tileumuratin, “ Shaping the future of education. AI Policy Reform for a Better Tomorrow”

• Third place: Ishita Desai, “Prioritizing investment in local small businesses with Qualified Opportunity Zones” 

  

• First place: Penny Kane, "Eliminating College Admission Barriers for Formerly Incarcerated Citizens upon Their Reentry."
• Second place: Shouryan Nikam presented, "Eliminate Michigan’s Subminimum Wage."
• Third place: Hassan Ibrahim presented, "Requiring Computer Science Education in Public Schooling."