Congratulations to the 2017 Top 25 Finalist Teams!
Bags For Ballers; Cotter School District, Cotter
Dash Brush; Southwest Middle School, Searcy
Dog Deli; Sheridan Intermediate School, Sheridan
Flower of Life Gourmet Chocolates; Omaha School District, Omaha
Jewelry Tek; Manila Middle School, Manila
JK Mistikle Lights; Cutter Morning Star Elementary, Hot Springs
Lip Services; Carlisle Elementary, Carlisle
Live or Die; Greenwood Junior High, Greenwood
MacMagic; Pinnacle View Middle School, Little Rock
Mason Banks Organizers; Manila Middle School, Manila
Page Chewers; Hazen Elementary, Hazen
Pape-R-Us; Forest Heights STEM Academy, Little Rock
Pocrella; Bradford Elementary School, Bradford
Roll ‘n Go; Spring Hill School District, Hope
Sal de la Vida; Omaha School District, Omaha
Simply Yours by Z & P; Greenwood Junior High, Greenwood
Spirit Baggers; Sheridan Intermediate School, Sheridan
Sports Boards; South Side Elementary, Bee Branch
Sweet Feet; Bergman Middle School, Bergman
Techno Robotics Gear; Henderson Middle School, Little Rock
The Compact Case; Don Tyson School of Innovation, Springdale
The Giving Girlz2; Pangburn School District, Pangburn
The Natural State: V.O.V Bracelet; Lakeside Middle School, Hot Springs
Trendy T-Shirt Tribe 2; Cotter School District, Cotter
X-ACK Exact Key to Wellness; Omaha School District, Omaha
The public is invited to attend to see these finalists in action at the 12th annual Y.E.S. for Arkansas Expo Day at Park Plaza in Little Rock on January 27 from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.!
Arkansas Capital and AEAF commends the 350 5th-8th grade students that teamed up to submit 142 business plans this year. We also thank the 60 volunteers from our state’s business, education, health, agriculture, engineering, and hospitality sectors for judging the plans!
Celebrating Arkansas’s Future Entrepreneurs Since 2006!
Arkansas Capital launched the Youth Entrepreneur Showcase (Y.E.S.) for Arkansas business plan competition in 2006 through its Arkansas Economic Acceleration Foundation (AEAF) to introduce young Arkansans in grades 5-8 to the potential and opportunities of entrepreneurship.
Since the first competition in May 2006, nearly 7,100 students and teachers have competed for more than $73,000 in cash awards, trophies, and medals.
Teachers say that students who compete in Y.E.S. are engaged in a true, project-based learning activity that is at the same time a real-world experience in creating a business plan. Students work in teams to think of a business idea that could make money, which also encourages them to think about innovation and what their futures could be. Here’s more about the benefits of Y.E.S. to teachers and students alike:
In the preliminary round of the Y.E.S. competition, more than 70 business professionals from across Arkansas serve as volunteer judges to read and score the plans. The Top 25 finalists are invited to Park Plaza in Little Rock for the final round of the competition, Y.E.S. for Arkansas Expo Day, to set up booths to showcase their business ideas and interact with a team of new volunteer judges as well as mall patrons. Expo Day concludes with an awards ceremony where 1st – 4th place winners in four categories: Best Business Plan, Most Innovative Idea, Best Marketing Piece, and Best Retail Booth.
There is no cost to enter the Y.E.S. competition, managed by AEAF through Startup Compete. Competitors must have a Startup Compete account to begin. See “How to Create Startup Compete Accounts” for instructions.
Teams planning to compete need to submit their Intents to Compete by 5:00 p.m. Friday, October 28, 2016. Business plans are due by 5:00 p.m. Monday, November 14. Good luck!