Area Students Can Enter 20th BIG Ideas Contest
Area Students Can Enter 20th BIG Ideas Contest
For the 20th year, high school students are invited to submit their best business ideas to the BIG Idea Competition, which is open from September 1 to October 28. Nearly $50,000 in cash and scholarships will be awarded this year at the final event on December 9.
In celebration of this milestone, the BIG Futures Student Success Summit will be added for all students regardless of BIG Idea participation levels. BIG Futures will provide a number of fast-paced, engaging sessions to help students become the best version of themselves. Topics include everyday professional skills, understanding your money, life after high school panel and first steps in business. The morning will also feature a student pitch competition, a selfie competition, and an education trade show.
The BIG Idea Competition is open to students from South Dakota, North Dakota, and Minnesota. In addition to the overall competition awards, students can compete for four special awards for the best ideas in Wellness, Agriculture Innovation, Hometown Business, and Makers categories. Competition resources and BIG Futures details can be found at BIGIdeaSD.com.
“Northern State University has been a partner of the BIG Idea Competition since its inception, and we look forward to once again hosting the event on campus,” said Kristi Bockorny, dean of the school of business. “It is inspiring to observe the innovation and creativity demonstrated by these high school students. Their ideas portray an understanding of business principles such as strategic thinking, value creation, and problem-solving.”
Eight finalists will be paired with mentors and make a verbal presentation to the judging panel. Finalists will receive cash awards of $100 to $1,000 along with college scholarships to Northern State University, Dakota State University, and University of South Dakota along with new scholarship partners, Lake Area Technical College and South Dakota State University.
Special Category winners will be recognized at the event and will receive $500 cash awards and scholarships to Northern State and Lake Area.
The BIG Future event and BIG Idea final competition will be on Wednesday, December 9, at Northern State University. All finalists and award winners will give an elevator pitch for their business idea at the awards ceremony, which is open to the public and will also feature a panel of business owners who will share their own entrepreneurship stories.
Learn more and register at www.bigideasd.com.
Since inception in 2007, the BIG Idea Competition has received more than 4,300 entries involving over 6,000 students. The competition is open to all high school students who live in South Dakota, North Dakota, or Minnesota.
