Enter 2021 startup pitch competition. Shutterstock founder could judge your business.

If you’ve got an early-stage South Florida-based startup, take note: It’s time once again for the Miami Herald Startup Pitch Competition, the region’s oldest entrepreneurship challenge.

In this complex pandemic period, we’re going for simplicity. That means one track for the South Florida community at large, and a second track for students, alumni and faculty of Florida International University.

No, we don’t give away cash. What our winners get instead is something money can’t buy: Unparalleled editorial exposure in the pages of the Miami Herald.

For finalists in the Community Track, that will include pitch coaching by Krillion Ventures co-founder Melissa Krinzman, and a pitch review by Shutterstock founder Jon Oringer, one of this year’s judges. (We’ll be announcing the full roster of judges in both tracks next week.)

For both tracks, all startups must be based in Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach or Monroe counties. Entrants will enter a pitch-deck; those that make the finals will need to make a live pitch before a panel of track-specific judges. All businesses must be less than three years old.

Both tracks will name first-, second- and third-place winners.

There are a few key differences in rules: While the FIU Track accepts business ideas at any stage, the Community Track is open only to for-profit businesses with a minimum viable product. Full details appear below.

HOW TO ENTER

Another change from years past: This year the Teen Track will be conducted by the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship. Public and private school winners will be featured in the Miami Herald. (Teens should contact the NFTE program in their schools for information.)

And now, the details!

COMMUNITY TRACK: Entries must be for-profit businesses with a minimum viable product; the companies must be less than three years old. Finalists will receive access to a pitch coaching session from Melissa Krinzman, co-founder of Krillion Ventures, one of South Florida’s most active venture capital firms. The goal: to help hone pitching skills for the Competition and for future VC pitches. The full roster of judges will be revealed next week, but we can already tell you that Jon Oringer of Shutterstock is on the list!

FIU TRACK: Entries can be ideas or actual businesses less than three years old. The track is open only to students, alumni and faculty of FIU. The track is sponsored by Florida International University College of Business.

As always, winners will be profiled in the Miami Herald’s Business Monday.

Don’t miss the deadline for submissions: March 2, 2021, at 11:59 p.m.

2020 winners in the Miami Herald Startup Pitch Competition included, from top left, Culture onShore from Stephanie Jones; Cycle Technologies; Sustalytics founded by Julie Evans; and Biller Genie, from founder Thomas Aronica and President Garima Shah.

LAST YEAR’S WINNERS

In the coming weeks, we’ll be telling the stories of winners from years past.

For now, here’s a quick reminder of who they were.

NOTE: The Community Track was structured differently last year, with specific verticals. This year all submissions will be judged in a single group.

COMMUNITY TRACK

▪ Financial technology, 2020 winner: Biller Genie

▪ Trade & Logistics, 2020 winner: Cycle Technologies

▪ Health/Bioscience: 2020 winner: Intercept TeleMed

▪ Real Estate: 2020 winner: Real Street X

▪ Travel/Hospitalty/Tourism: 2020 winner: SAVR

Wildcard: Sustalytics

FIU TRACK

▪ Winner: DeeDee, Your Private Driver

▪ Second place: Culture onShore

▪ Third place: HR Butterfly Effect