To further celebrate the impactful work students are doing in their communities, reviewers will select a small cohort of semifinalists in addition to the competition finalists. These semifinalists are not eligible to pitch in the live competition for the chance to win the Student Impact Award. However, they will have the opportunity to join the stage and showcase their work to the SXSW EDU community during the live competition. Semifinalists are required to attend SXSW EDU 2025 in Austin to maintain their semifinalist status.