Tuesday, January 24, 2023

The University of North Carolina Wilmington, in partnership with Chancellor Aswani K. Volety and UNCW’s Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, will host the eighth annual Chancellor’s High School Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition – a compelling opportunity for high school thinkers, dreamers and innovators to explore their entrepreneurial spirit.

The competition challenges students to work with like-minded thinkers to develop creative and innovative solutions to solve real-world problems. This is a high school “lean” business competition for southeast North Carolina, covering 18 counties.

Teams are made up of one to four students, who must be enrolled in a participating high school for the duration of the competition. Each team is required to have either a teacher, counselor or community member serving as the team advisor.

Cash prizes for the top three place winners will be awarded in each track ($1,500 is the top prize). School faculty mentors whose team places first in each track will receive $250. Winning teams will also receive a trophy and a one-year membership to the UNCW Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship.

On April 28, the top three teams for both “Social Enterprise” and “For-Profit Enterprise” will pitch their business idea in front of a panel of judges. Judges include experienced entrepreneurs, faculty members and community leaders. Winners will be announced live after the competition and Youth Summit April 28.

Important dates:

• Registration Opens – Jan. 13
• Preliminary Presentation Due – March 10
• Semi-Final Announcement – March 24
• Pitch Practice with CIE Mentors – April 10
• Final Competition – April 28 at the YEPex Youth Summit held at Kenan Auditorium on the UNCW campus

Visit the CIE website for more information.