National
Youth
Entrepreneurship
Challenge

2022 NYCE OVERVIEW

Objective:

The National Youth Entrepreneurship Challenge is intended to give students in JK - Gr 12 an opportunity to demonstrate a practical and extendable understanding of concepts that are fundamental to Entrepreneurship. 

Format:

In a virtual assembly, finalists from each grade level will pitch their product/service ideas, following the guidelines outlined, below.  Guest judges will observe student pitch presentations, and students will be asked questions about different aspects of their proposed business plans. Judges will independently assign scores to each presenter for various categories at the end of each grade level's presentation round. Once all grade levels have presented, the virtual audience of student peers, school/organization administrators and family members will vote for a Popular Choice Winner for the Junior Division (JK - Gr 2) and Senior Division (Gr 3 - 6).  At this time, judges' scores will be averaged to delegate a Judge's Choice Winner for each grade level. 

Note: presentations will be recorded and may be shared through various social channels. 

**grade-grouping: based on the upcoming year's submissions, presenter categories will be announced for the finalist round.

2022 Guest Judges:

For this TV-show inspired Entrepreneurship Challenge we will be joined by the following esteemed guest judges:

• Chanelle Flemming: "Chanelle's well-rounded and people-first strategy has led her clinic, OneSkn Inc, to become an award-winning medical spa in 2022.  ...Chanelle explains how she succeeded in starting from scratch - at only 22 years of age - to become a Calgary consumer favourite for delivering medical spa services..."

In the media: Read Chanelle's interview for Winner Magazine, here.

• Nicole Pollock: "...with clients that include largely recognized franchises such as the NBA, CFL and MLB, there is no mystery behind Nicole Pollock and Jorie Brown's well-deserved Top Choice Awards for event staffing services in the Greater Toronto Area - received multiple years in a row!  Find out how Nicole and Jorie have led Cotton Candy Events Staffing Inc. to become an industry standard in brand awareness (with a human touch!) by reading her Q&A interview..."

In the media: Read Nicole's interview for Winner Magazine, here.

• Danny Kim: Founder of fast-growing startup, Tastebender ( www.instagram.com/tastebender )

2023 Guest Judges:

To be announced

Who Can Participate:

The 2022 NYEC is open to students of the hosting school, Sidney Ledson and Institute, and members of Mensa Canada's Gifted Youth Group.  Students of gifted Calgary programs with prior evidence to indicate Mensa GYG eligibility are welcome to participate as guest GYG representatives.  

About Mensa: Mensa is a widely recognized non-profit organization that serves “to identify and foster human intelligence for the benefit of humanity, to encourage research in the nature, characteristics and uses of intelligence, and to promote stimulating intellectual and social opportunities for its members” (https://www.mensa.org/ ).  Mensa is also “the largest and oldest high IQ society in the world” (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mensa_International) with members across 100 countries . 

About SLI:  Founded in 1980 by best-selling author, Sidney Ledson, SLI excels in offering the best of traditional and innovative education to children from preschool to grade 6. Building on internationally acclaimed preschool reading success, SLI has grown into a hub for ground-breaking student achievement in literary, STEM, and artistic domains across all grade levels. As testimony to the school's commitment to progressive education, Sidney Ledson Institute has been awarded Most Innovative Educational Environment of 2022 by LUXlife.

Grade Level Categories, Time Limits, Group Size, and Recommended Format (format may be changed by the presenter):

JK/SK -  up to 3 minutes / Individual presentations, only / spoken presentation with craft and optional bristol board

Gr 1/2 - up to 5 minutes / Individual presentations, only / spoken presentation with craft and optional bristol board or slideshow or website screen-shared via Google Meet

Gr 3/4 - up to 5 minutes / groups of 1 - 3 (GYG members may partner with non-GYG members of the same age category) / spoken presentation with slideshow or website screen-shared via Google Meet

Gr 5/6 - up to 7 minutes / groups of 1 - 3 (GYG members may partner with non-GYG members of the same age category) / spoken presentation with slideshow or website screen-shared via Google Meet and optionally, 3D-modelled prototype

Important Dates for Mensa GYG Applicants - 2023 dates will vary and will be updated by January 2023:

May 13 Elevator Pitch Submission Deadline:

Mensa GYG applicants must submit a 1-minute elevator pitch via video recording (can be a phone recording) as a shareable link through the form emailed to the GYG community.   

May 16 Finalist Selection:

Mensa GYG finalists for each grade-level will be contacted by May 16, with the opportunity to request guidance from GYG mentors.  

May 30 Official NYEC Event:

All finalists must be present in the virtual NYEC Google Meet conference at 2:00pm EST for live presentation of business pitches in ascending grade order.

Important Dates for SLI Applicants:

May 27:

All applicants must present in class and have a grade-level finalist delegated by their teacher and principal. 

May 30 Official NYEC Event:

All finalists must be present in the virtual NYEC Google Meet conference at 2:00pm EST for live presentation of business pitches in ascending grade order.

Who can watch?

Friends and family of participating finalists, as well as any and all members of the respective SLI and GYG communities are welcomed to join the the virtual competition to view, send messages of encouragement during scoring periods, and to vote.  The assembly link will be sent to all GYG and SLI members, and friends and family may request this link directly from participating finalists.  

Awards:

Judge's Choice and Popular Choice winners will have their pitch and bio featured in the Juniors Edition of Winner Magazine:

 Winner Magazine is an online editorial series that recognizes and shares insights from top-ranking professionals that have been awarded for exemplary business leadership or that have made significants achievements in their fields.  In May, Winner Magazine will launch a Juniors Edition; per official description, "Juniors Edition will feature brilliant young achievers that are likely to be future leaders in business, social development, research, and innovation. "

Winners will also have the option to receive a bespoke award in the mail to commemorate their well-deserved feature!

2021 Highlight Reel With Guest Judges from Mensa Canada's Gifted Youth Committee:

Video

Judge’s Scoring:

Scoring will be different for JK - Gr 1 students (Junior Division) and for Gr 2 - 6 students (Senior Division).  The scoring criteria for each division are listed on the next page, and each criterion will be factored as part of a weighted average (used for the challenge and not as a report card grade).