Y.E.S. Competition
Grades 5-8
In 2023, ACC Capital and Economics Arkansas announced a partnership to present the Youth Entrepreneurship Showcase (Y.E.S.), a business pitch competition for Arkansas 5th-8th grade students. There is no cost to enter! The competition is open to all public, private, and virtual schools and after-school, church, or other youth programs.
ACC Capital created the Y.E.S. Competition in 2006 based on the success of its Arkansas Governor's Cup Collegiate Business Plan Competition, launched in 2001. Both are designed to provide real-world, hands-on entrepreneur education for our state's future entrepreneurs.
Winning students and teachers/mentors receive cash prizes, certificates, and a 3-D printed trophy for their school or program.
Congrats To Our 2025-26 Expo Day Winners!
Photos coming soon! Awards, trophies, and certificates were presented to first- through fourth-place winners in these categories:
Best Business Plan
1st Place: Fantastic Elastic Cabot Middle School North, Cabot School District
2nd Place: Couch Console Elmwood Middle School, Rogers School District
3rd Place: Daytape App Rison High School, Cleveland County School District
4th Place: Woofly Tug- A- Toy Elmwood Middle School, Rogers School District
Most Innovative
1st Place: MunchLunch The Baptist Preparatory School, Little Rock
2nd Place: Aphrodite Self Care Elmwood Middle School, Rogers School District
3rd Place: Crutch Luck Christ the King Catholic School, Little Rock
4th Place: The Thorn Catcher Southwest Middle School, Searcy School District
Best Retail Booth
1st Place: Build-A-Berry Paragould Jr. High School, Paragould School District
2nd Place: SnackStrap Beebe Middle School, Beebe School District
3rd Place: Wrap and Go by Imaginative Trio Jefferson Elementary School, Little Rock School District
4th Place: Smittens Forest Park Elementary School, Little Rock School District
Best Marketing Piece
1st Place: The Thorn Catcher Southwest Middle School, Searcy School District
2nd Place: The Shoulder Saver Otter Creek Elementary School, Little Rock School District
3rd Place: Build-A-Berry Paragould Jr. High School, Paragould School District
4th Place: The Squish Stitch Elmwood Middle School, Rogers School District
Cash prizes were awarded at the following levels for each of these categories.
| First Place | $200 to teachers | $100 to each student team member |
| Second Place | $150 to teachers | $75 to each student team member |
| Third Place | $100 to teachers | $50 to each student team member |
| Fourth Place | $50 to teachers | $25 to each student team member |
The Top 25 finalist teams received $100 per team and $25 for the teacher/mentor.
Click here for a PDF listing of the 2025-26 Top 25 Finalists
Sponsors
The Youth Entrepreneurship Showcase (Y.E.S.) Competition was started in 2006 by ACC Capital. Thanks to a partnership beginning in 2023, ACC Capital continues to serve as the program sponsor while Economics Arkansas has taken on the programmatic execution.
Thank you!










