Official Guidelines

The complete list of Guidelines will be provided to you upon registering to compete.

If you are a girl between the ages of 11-17 and you live in the Washington, DC metropolitan region, you are eligible to compete. All participants are expected to demonstrate respect and professionalism throughout the competition

Phase 1: Business Plan Competition

[bg_faq_start]

  1. Come up with a business idea. It can be anything you want as long as it makes money and is a new business idea. So let your imagination run wild!
  2. Using the Business Plan outline provided to you upon registration, create a business plan for your idea and submit it to us by the deadline.
  3. Written business concept submissions are strictly limited to 10 pages, not including a cover page. If a submission exceeds this limit, only its first 10 pages will be evaluated. Submission must maintain 1–inch (2.54 cm) margins and use 12-point font.
  4. Participates can only submit a single business concept with one business owner. Parents may help as long as the extent of help is noted in the business plan.
  5. Finalists will be invited to showcase their business ideas during the Teenpreneur Business Expo.

[bg_faq_end]

Phase 2: Teen Expo Competition

[bg_faq_start]

  1. Create a professional, hand-designed table top display to showcase your new business idea.
  2. Using the design criteria provided, make sure your display booth incorporates all of the required design elements.
  3. Add things to your booth display that will make it stand out! Remember to provide promotional handouts and giveaways that can be added to your booth display to attract people to your table.
  4. Add personality to your business! As people walk by, tell them more about your business. Remember, the participant with the most investment dollars at the end of the expo will move on to the final competition phase.

[bg_faq_end]

Phase 3: The Final Pitch Competition

[bg_faq_start]

  1. In-person final pitches are strictly limited to 10 minutes. These pitches may also include up to 10 minutes of questions and answers with a judging panel. Responses to judges’ questions will be strictly limited to 5 minutes.
  2. Pull together an amazing PowerPoint/visual presentation that details your business concept. Students will be required to bring a USB device with the file containing any material they wish to project.  Double check your file to make sure it works.
  3. Put on an amazing smile and let your presentation skills shine through! This is your final chance to impress the panel of sharks who are willing to make your entrepreneurial dreams a reality!
  4. Be prepared to answer questions about your business from the sharks.
  5. You are not allowed to bring food or beverages into the rooms for presentation, however, you may bring product samples for your presentations. Paper materials for the judges are allowed, but not required.
  6. The first, second and third place winning teams will be announced the same day at the awards ceremony after all presentations are made.

[bg_faq_end]