Ten simple rules for preparing and delivering effective funding pitches in competitive grant applications.

Effective funding pitches in grant applications should focus on content, structure, and scientific argumentation to convince reviewers of project excellence and researcher suitability.

• Why it matters: Funding pitches are a key component of the evaluation process in competitive grants, and mastering them can significantly influence funding success.
• What they did: The paper presents ten simple rules for preparing and delivering impactful pitches, emphasizing content selection, clear organization, practice, feedback, and professional handling of questions.
• The result: Following these rules can enhance the effectiveness of funding pitches, increasing the likelihood of securing research funding by convincingly demonstrating project strength and researcher competence.