CIM will work with IBM to provide students with an experience that equips them for their first professional role in marketing. Not only will IBM be setting this year’s challenge, but they will also host webinars and provide top tips to students on their journey through The Pitch, helping them to bring their ideas to life and become work-ready.

Now in its fifteenth year, the Pitch is part of a wider CIM initiative, The Marketing Club, which supports students throughout their studies, providing them with key content and advice to help them prosper and become ‘work-ready’, driving their career prospects.

The competition challenges aspiring marketers from across the globe to react to a real-life brief from a top organisation. Finalists will then go head-to-head in the hope of impressing a panel of expert judges and securing the coveted ‘Marketers of the Future’ title.

Discussing the launch of the competition, Strategic Partners Lead for UKI in IBM Consulting, Justin Ablett, said: "IBM is delighted to partner with CIM for The Pitch 2026. This collaboration offers aspiring marketers a fantastic opportunity to gain practical experience by solving a real-life challenge and developing a marketing plan for IBM’s latest innovations."

The competition is open to undergraduate and postgraduate university students who are studying for a marketing degree, or a business degree containing a marketing module, with the competition also accepting submissions from across the world.

Discussing the competition and its significance to students across the world, CIM’s director of qualifications and partnerships, Maggie Jones, commented: "The Pitch is more than just a competition — it’s a launchpad for the next generation of marketing talent. By working with a global innovator like IBM, we can provide students the chance to tackle a real-world, contemporary challenge, gain invaluable insights from industry leaders, and develop the confidence and skills they will need to thrive in their careers."

Successful teams will advance to the finals and be granted the chance to pitch their ideas and impress a panel of judges. The finals will take place in March 2026, with the winning teams being announced after the finals conclude.

The initiative has been so successful that it is now recognised and now integrated into the degree programs of many universities globally. 

The competition, which can also be integrated by tutors into their teaching curriculum, 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 gain the Certificate in Professional and Digital Marketing.