CIM’s The Pitch 2027 launches: Students worldwide challenged to design the next generation of circular brands

The Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) has launched The Pitch 2027, CIM’s annual global student competition, inviting entries from students and universities worldwide.

Now in its sixteenth year, the competition is part of CIM’s The Marketing Club, a global community that provides students with exclusive access to the resources and support to help them develop new skills, widen their learning and progress their careers with confidence.

What is The Pitch?

The contest, supported by Hays, Mintel and other leading brands, invites ambitious students from around the world to step into the shoes of a professional marketer, tackling a real-life marketing brief. Teams that reach the final will have the opportunity to present their ideas to a panel of industry experts and compete for the prestigious ‘Marketers of the Future’ title.

The Pitch gives students the chance to put their creativity, commercial thinking and communication skills into practice. By pitching directly to marketing professionals and gaining insight into the industry, participants can build valuable real-world experience, strengthen their confidence and enhance their employability – giving them a distinct edge in a competitive job market.

The 2027 challenge

This year’s challenge asks student teams to position themselves as founders preparing to launch a bold new brand in fashion, technology or beauty with circularity at its core – and create a customer-led proposition (product or service) and go-to-market approach that integrates circular principles across design, sourcing, use, extension and end-of-life. Their presentation must demonstrate how their brand drives responsible consumption, while delivering commercial results.

Students can register now to take part in this year’s competition, with the registration period closing on 26th October. In November, participants will submit an initial proposal. CIM will then shortlist the strongest entries and invite those teams to develop and submit a full marketing presentation. From these presentation submissions, a final shortlist will be selected to compete in the live virtual undergraduate and postgraduate finals on 9th and 10th March 2027.

All entrants will tackle the core challenge, but undergraduate teams will focus on developing a comprehensive marketing plan, while postgraduate teams will create an overarching marketing strategy.

Speaking after the launch of the competition, Maggie Jones (CFCIM), CIM Director of Qualifications and Partnerships said:

“The Pitch isn’t just a chance for students to take on a real marketing brief and put their learning into practice. It’s a unique opportunity for emerging marketers to strengthen their CVs and gain experience that genuinely sets them apart when entering the industry.

“We were thrilled to see a record-breaking number of teams from 13 countries take part last year, demonstrating the value this competition brings to students around the world. We’re excited to see this year’s entrants tackle such a critical brief – one that reflects a defining challenge facing brands today.”

How The Pitch supports students and universities

The Pitch is widely integrated into degree programmes at universities globally. Tutors can also seamlessly incorporate the brief into their academic teaching schedules.

The competition runs alongside the CIM Accredited Degree partnership programme, mapping marketing and business degrees against learning outcomes within CIM qualifications. Eligible undergraduate and postgraduate students can use their work as part of the competition to complete the Marketing in Action assessment to earn the Certificate in Professional and Digital Marketing.