The annual Smart Energy conference has opened applications for its startup competition, the Smart Energy Pitch Challenge.

The winner of the competition, which is presented by OKR Financial, will bag a $5,000 cash prize from Innovacorp. The conference is slated to be held on April 25 and 26 at Halifax’s Westin Nova Scotian hotel, public health permitting, with the theme of “Actioning ‘NET-ZERO’ Technologies.”

Sponsored by utility company Emera, Smart Energy is hosted by the Jameson Group.

To pitch, startups must be working on “net-zero” emissions reduction technology that is at a minimum pilot-ready. Competitors will submit three- to five-minute video pitches, which will be graded by a panel of judges drawn from the energy industry.

An application portal can be found here.