Tear down the barriers.
Build what comes next.
A one-day innovation challenge where high school students build real solutions to the everyday costs that keep families from getting ahead. Bring something to show. Pitch it in 60 seconds. Five teams go on to present to everyone.
Now recruiting for 2027: judges for the morning panels and sponsors for the prize pool. Student applications open once the date is set.
Financial health isn't always about knowing more. It can also be about facing fewer walls.
The barriers are real and specific: transportation that costs more than the job pays, rent that eats 60% of a paycheck, medical debt from a single ER visit. These are problems that take new ideas, not just tighter budgets.
Three steps. No fluff.
Pick a barrier
Transportation, housing, healthcare, financial literacy, or something we haven't thought of. Research why it exists and who it hurts most. There's no track to sign up for.
Build a solution
App prototype, community tool, financial literacy campaign, policy proposal. Use AI tools. Prototype fast. Make it real.
Pitch it
Bring something to show: a poster, a prototype, an app on your laptop, a 3D print. Three judges visit, you pitch for 60 seconds, then take their questions. The top team in each section goes on to Demo Day, so have a five-minute version ready too.
Pick a barrier. Any barrier.
These are the ones we see most. Choose one, or bring your own. Every project competes in the same round, so there's nothing to declare.
One round. Five finalists. Then Demo Day.
Every team goes through the same morning. No separate divisions, no track brackets, no wondering which judges you'll get.
Gallery round
Every team gets a table. Bring whatever shows your work best: a poster, a prototype, a demo on a laptop. The room is split into five sections, each with a panel of three judges. Your panel visits every table in your section: a 60-second pitch, two minutes of questions, then they score and move on.
Finalists named
Each panel sends its top team to Demo Day and names a runner-up for an honorable mention. Five finalists, five honorable mentions, announced before lunch. Nobody knows in advance, so every team should come with a five-minute presentation ready.
Demo Day
The five finalists pitch for five minutes each, with Q&A, in front of the Demo Day panel and every student in the room. The panel is the morning judges who can stay, at least five of them, and it ranks the finalists 1st through 5th. Awards follow.
Why sections? Three judges can give every team real attention in one morning, and everyone you're competing against for a Demo Day spot saw the exact same three people. Sections are mixed by topic and school, so no panel is comparing six projects from one classroom.
What the day looks like.
Barrier Breakers 2026, in order. The 2027 format keeps the same rhythm: a morning at the tables, an afternoon on stage.
The 2027 prize pool will be announced with our sponsors. Here's how it gets split.
Demo Day
Five finalists, one from each section. 5-min pitch + Q&A in front of the Demo Day panel, ranked 1st through 5th.
Cash is split among team members. Amounts post here once the 2027 sponsor pool is final. In 2026, 1st place took home $7,500 and every finalist left with at least $1,250.
Honorable mentions
Each section's runner-up, named by its judging panel and recognized at the awards.
Knowledge Track
Optional financial literacy quiz on your phone over lunch. Open to every student in the room.
How you'll be scored.
The schedule, teacher one-pager, and class flyer go up once the 2027 date and campus are set.
How projects are scored
Three questions, 1 to 5 each, from every judge who sees you. Highest panel total in your section goes to Demo Day.Who was watching.
The 2027 panel will be announced with the host. We'll need fifteen judges for the morning, three per section, and at least five of them to stay for Demo Day. Interested? Apply to judge. It takes two minutes.
They broke through.
Put your name on the next generation of problem-solvers.
Barrier Breakers runs on sponsors. Every dollar goes to the day itself: the prize pool and a room full of Northeast Ohio students pitching real ideas to real professionals.
What your sponsorship funds
We're a small nonprofit, so there's no overhead to speak of. Sponsorship pays for the things students and schools walk away with.
Levels are a starting point. If you'd rather sponsor lunch, cover a school's travel, or put your team on the floor as judges, write to [email protected] and we'll build it around you.
Our next university partner: coming soon.
FinMango is selecting a new university host for Barrier Breakers 2027. Universities interested in bringing the challenge to their campus can reach us at [email protected].
Ready to break some barriers?
The 2026 competition has wrapped and the 2027 format is set. Send us a note and we'll tell you the moment the date, host, and applications are announced.