The Kellogg-Morgan Stanley Sustainable Investing Challenge is a premier global pitch competition for graduate students. It focuses on harnessing financial innovation to address critical social and environmental issues. Unlike typical business plan competitions, the Challenge tasks student teams with creating and pitching scalable, institutional-quality investment vehicles that promise both competitive financial returns and positive, measurable impact.
Program Benefits
- Cash Prizes: Finalist teams compete for prizes of $10,000, $5,000, and $2,500.
- Fully Funded Finals: Finalist teams receive complementary flights and hotel accommodation to pitch their proposals in person at one of Morgan Stanley’s global headquarters, with past finals held in New York, London, and Hong Kong.
- Expert Mentorship: Each participating team is assigned a mentor with deep expertise and experience in the sustainable investing field.
- Elite Training: Participants gain access to a master class lecture series taught by leading sustainable finance professors from top universities worldwide.
- Career Development: The challenge includes a dedicated career trek featuring professional panels and small-group networking sessions with leaders from firms like Morgan Stanley, Blackstone, TPG, Nuveen, and more.
Eligibility Criteria
To be eligible to compete, teams must meet the following criteria:
- Student Status: All team members must be active students in any graduate program at an accredited university anywhere in the world.
- Team Size: Teams can consist of up to four students.
- Cost: There is no entry fee to participate in the challenge.
Application Process
- Application Timeline: The challenge typically kicks off in November. For precise dates and deadlines for the upcoming cycle, please refer to the official challenge website.
- How to Apply: Teams must register and submit their two-page proposals through the dedicated challenge website.
Application Link:
For full participation details, key dates, and to access the application portal, please visit the official challenge website.



