Three teams. One brief. One winner.
Pitch It Live is the centrepiece of CopyCon International. Three teams of working copywriters respond to the same client brief and pitch their work live to our panel of judges. The format makes the brief, the strategy and the craft visible — so we can see how different creatives respond to the same challenge.
A challenging brief. A public presentation.
Teams receive the brief 2 weeks before the conference and present their pitches during the live final. Judges question, respond and score the teams against four criteria.
The audience sees everything: the brief, the responses, the questions, the verdict. Nothing is staged.
How it works
- Teams
- 3 teams of copywriters. The three teams will be selected from our pool of applicants, drawn blind by a panel of assessors. Blind selection ensures applicants are judged solely on the quality of their application.
- The brief
- A real brief from a real client, or pure fiction (sponsor dependent; if we can’t secure a sponsor, we’ll fabricate the brief). Teams receive the brief 2 weeks before CopyCon.
- Judges
- Three working copywriters or commissioners, briefed to act as the client side of the table. They have not seen the responses ahead of the show.
- Pitches
- 10 minutes per team. Headline + concept + a worked-up example. Slides allowed. Live demos welcome.
- Q&A
- 5 minutes from the judges per team.
- Verdict
- Judges deliberate and return with their results. Audience hears the reasoning. One team wins the inaugural LUMEN.
The Application Process
Creatives can apply, in teams of 2-3, to participate in our inaugural Pitch It Live competition. Here’s what we ask for in the application process:
- Participants
- All creatives, copywriters and content professionals are welcome to apply. We ask that at least one team member operates under a ‘copywriter’ job title. This includes Content Designer, Creative, Content Strategist, Content Creator etc.
- Experience
- All experience levels are welcome. If you have ever worked as a copywriter, you’re welcome to apply.
- Location
- We’ll ask your location, just to make sure you can participate in the live final on Friday 6 November at 16:30 GMT.
- Work examples
- You can upload up to 5 files to demonstrate your work, if you like. Please note, a Google account is required to complete the application form (you can create a free account if you don’t already have one).
Four judging criteria
- Strategic Clarity. Does the response address the actual problem in the brief, or just the surface request?
- Copy Craft. Is the writing demonstrably good — line by line, not just at the headline level?
- Brief Alignment. When pressed, can the team articulate why this response, and not another?
- Pitch Performance. Did the team sell – and defend – their vision?
Each criterion is scored by each judge, in private, before deliberation.
The LUMEN.
The inaugural Pitch It Live trophy. Awarded to the team whose response best answered the brief — in strategy, in craft, in defence, in distinctiveness. The first name on a list we hope to lengthen every year.