180+ students. 36+ teams. One ocean-conservation challenge. Solve it on September 19, 2026 — and watch the top 5 ideas come to life.
Velocity is a one-day, intensive business case competition taking place on September 19, 2026, at the University of Victoria's Elliott Building.
Vancouver Island's coastline is among the most striking in the world — yet its marine ecosystems face real and mounting pressure. Velocity challenges high school students to design innovative, sustainable solutions to a localized ocean issue, grounded in actual environmental data from the Victoria region.
We bring the scale and professionalism of collegiate-level business competitions directly to the Island — completely free of charge. Our goal is simple: to tear down the financial and geographic barriers that keep incredible student ideas from becoming reality.
A single, fast-paced day. Doors open early. Awards close the night.
Doors open 60–90 minutes before the opening ceremony. Coffee, snacks, and team registration.
Welcome from the OMF executive team, introduction of judges and mentors, and a keynote from a leading Island business or environmental figure.
The ocean-conservation case is released. Teams break out, research, ideate, and build their solution.
Lunch is provided. Victoria students connect with mainland universities, sponsors, and youth-led organizations.
All 36+ teams deliver 7-minute presentations + 3-minute Q&A to assigned judging panels.
The top 5 teams present live in the main venue. Final placements decided here.
$1,000 grand prize awarded. The incubator program is announced for the top 5.
Audience: competitors from across Vancouver Island and Metro Vancouver. Top-tier university students and business-school professors from UVic, UBC, and SFU serve as judges, mentors, and panel guests.
Tiers are flexible and can be tailored to maximize your organization's goals. Reach out — let's build something the Island hasn't seen before.
OMF is a youth-led, non-profit organization that helps young people turn ideas into real initiatives. Since June 2025, we have built a partnership network connecting youth-led initiatives to funding, resources, and guidance.
We celebrate and include a wide range of backgrounds, cultures, identities, and perspectives.
We work to make every space welcoming, safe, and accessible for all youth.
We are committed to learning from and respecting Indigenous histories and communities.
We help youth turn their ideas into action by providing guidance, resources, and opportunities.
We are looking for student teams (3–6 members), judges and mentors from business schools and industry, and sponsors who want to fund an entirely free Island-first case competition.
For students: Team registration opens July 2026 and closes September 5, 2026. Independent registration is supported — we will match you with a team if you do not have one.