The Center for Rural Affairs is excited to announce their first ever “Youth Business Showcase Video Contest.”
The video based contest will judge creatively captured and edited video submissions from students (middle school through high school-aged students are eligible to enter) across Nebraska, capturing their youth lead businesses in a three minute or less video. Students can showcase current business(es) or entrepreneurial ventures in progress.
Students must create a three minute video that captures their business and “pitch” it to judges. Submissions can be made as one of three categories: 1) Personal business (outside of school/community), 2) School-based business, or 3) Community/organizational youth-lead business.
Judging criteria will be based on creativity, innovative ideas and strategies for approaching the implementation of the business, and the vitality and sustainability of the business for the future.
Entries in the video competition are now being accepted and must be received by midnight on January 30, 2012. The award-winning videos will be announced at a special ceremony in conjunction with the first ever IDEA (Innovation, Dialogue, Entrepreneurship, Action) Summit, an event dedicated to high school entrepreneurs, being held on Tuesday, February 21, 2012 at the Ramada Inn and Conference Center in Kearney, NE.
“This is an exceptional opportunity for youth not only to showcase their knowledge and efforts in establishing, maintaining and sustaining their savvy entrepreneurial endeavors but also a great way to recognize their efforts and learn about their impacts,” said Shawnna Silvius with the Center for Rural Affairs. “The semi-finalist videos will be shown to all the youth and adult attendees at the BIZ IDEA Summit and will provide an opportunity to inspire others while informing the audience about how their business is influencing each of their futures as well as contributing to their local economies. We hope this is also an attractive way of connecting economic developers and community leaders to their future businesses.”
Students should highlight the product or service, their team, applicable market research, branding and design, financial strategies, sales, direct and indirect competitors, as well as long and short-term business development goals. The video must demonstrate a well thought through business idea and coordinated implementation strategy which has shown impacts.
The semi-finalists will be asked to attend the IDEA Summit and student attendees will narrow to one winner per category. Contest winners will win an Xbox 360 Kinect for the Personal Business category, and a $200 cash prize for each the School-based business and Community/organizational youth-lead business categories. Semi-finalists must be able to attend the awards ceremony during the IDEA summit to win. Winners will be contacted and given the chance to attend if they are selected and not registered for the entire event.
To learn more and submit a video, please visit:
http://www.cfra.org/marketplace/youth-video
The BIZ IDEA Summit will be held prior to Nebraska’s premiere rural entrepreneurship conference,
MarketPlace. Though separate events, both emphasize small business development through entrepreneurship in rural Nebraska and will be held during National Entrepreneurship Week.
The BIZ IDEA Summit is a day of hands on experience dedicated to youth entrepreneurs intended to stimulate innovation and business ideas development; to engage in dialogue; to raise entrepreneurial action; and to recognize distinctive visions, efforts, accomplishments and impacts of youth-led businesses in celebration of National Entrepreneurship Week.
For more details on the BIZ IDEA Summit visit:
http://www.cfra.org/marketplace/IDEA . For further information contact Shawnna Silvius,
shawnnas@cfra.org or 402-873-4027. And for more on
MarketPlace visit:
http://www.cfra.org/marketplace/ne-12 .
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| Established in 1973, the Center for Rural Affairs is a private, non-profit organization working to strengthen small businesses, family farms and ranches, and rural communities through action oriented programs addressing social, economic, and environmental issues. |
Contact: John Crabtree,
johnc@cfra.org, 402-687-2103 ext. 1010, 563-581-2867 (cell)
Elisha Smith,
elishas@cfra.org, Phone: 402-687-2103 ext. 1007
Center for Rural Affairs Announces First Ever
“Youth Business Showcase Video Contest”
Winners to be announced at IDEA Summit during National Entrepreneurship Week
