MONROE, La. – The Entrepreneurship Pelican Cup, Louisiana’s premier business plan competition hosted annually at the University of Louisiana Monroe (ULM), has announced an expansion for 2026. For the 5th year of the competition, contestants will be split into undergraduate and graduate categories. The overall prize pool will grow from $96,000 to $157,000. The application period for the 2026 competition begins on December 1, 2025, with the oral finals and awards luncheon taking place on March 25-26, 2026, on the ULM campus.
For the 2026 Entrepreneurship Pelican Cup competition, the graduate category prize amounts will be $50,000 for first place, $25,000 for second place, and $10,000 for third place. For the new undergraduate category, the prize amounts will be $25,000 for first place, $15,000 for second place, and $10,000 for third place. Graduates and undergraduates will compete in separate elevator pitch competitions at the Awards Luncheon, with a $2,000 prize on the line for each winner. Additionally, faculty advisors for the first, second, and third-place teams in each category will receive $3,000 each
Cathi Hemed, ULM Director of External Initiatives, states that the new undergraduate category was created to allow for wider competition and more incentive for undergraduate students to compete. “By increasing the prize pool and separating the two divisions, we are touching more lives and encouraging more entrepreneurial creativity across this great state. Now our undergraduates, who may still be in the conceptual stages, are able to compete in their own division, intended to recognize their hard work and encourage them to keep growing,” said Hemed.
Dhu Thompson, founder and premier sponsor of the Entrepreneurship Pelican Cup, believes this new investment in the competition will help grow the entrepreneurial spirit that the competition has been fostering since the beginning. “This program has always had its sights on greater impact and more growth. This is a natural step that touches more lives and keeps our momentum going. We set out to change the landscape of entrepreneurship in higher education, and that’s what we will always strive to do,” said Thompson.
For more information about the Entrepreneurship Pelican Cup, including application and competition dates, please visit ulm.edu/pelicancup.
About The Entrepreneurship Pelican Cup
Open to students in all majors attending any four-year college or university in Louisiana, with cash prizes now totaling $157,000, the Entrepreneurship Pelican Cup is the premier business plan competition for Louisiana. It provides an opportunity for students to develop critical thinking, team building, presentation, and other soft skills, which are all important to career growth. The goal is to inspire participants and the community to think entrepreneurially by rewarding creativity, professionalism, and hard work.
The Entrepreneurship Pelican Cup was founded by distinguished ULM alumnus Dhu Thompson. Thompson is the founder, past owner, and former chairman of the board for Delta Plastics, producer of agricultural irrigation tubing, and the largest recycler of plastics in Arkansas. He is also the former owner and past chairman of the board for Revolution Bag, which manufactures EPA-compliant trashcan liners. Thompson’s honors include 2004 Arkansas Business Executive of the Year and SBA Person of the Year. In 2019 he sold the Revolution brands to a New York private equity firm and now focuses on entrepreneurship growth in Arkansas and Louisiana. In 2023, Thompson received the Warhawk Ambassador Award, one of ULM’s highest honors. In 2024, Thompson was inducted into the Arkansas Business Hall of Fame.