P.O. Box 3447
Little Rock, AR 72203
Phone (501) 682-4230
Contact Us
P.O. Box 3447
Little Rock, AR 72203
Phone (501) 682-4230
Contact Us

Student Teams From Searcy, Little Rock, Cabot, Rogers Take Top Prizes in Y.E.S. Competition

Students from Southwest Middle School in Searcy present their business idea, "Pedal for Life," virtually before a panel of judges during the Y.E.S. Competition Expo Day.

February 1, 2024

 

LITTLE ROCK– The 2023-24 Youth Entrepreneurship Showcase (Y.E.S.) for Arkansas team pitch competition was guided by new leadership. Economics Arkansas directed the student competition after accepting logistical management from Arkansas Capital Corporation who started the contest in 2006.

This year’s 1st place winners included teams from Southwest Middle School, Forest Park Elementary, Cabot Middle School North, and Elmwood Middle School.

The Y.E.S. competition is one of the state’s best ways to introduce young Arkansans to entrepreneurship. It’s free to any 5th-8th grade student in Arkansas. The 2023-24 competition saw a total of 332 students on 98 teams compete.

Why is Y.E.S. important to Arkansas? It brings a unique level of awareness to entrepreneur education and encourages a pipeline of future entrepreneurs for the state. It’s a hands-on, real-world experience. It mirrors the same steps prospective entrepreneurs must take to launch a business idea. Students are responsible for writing a business plan, figuring out how their idea will work, how to bring it to market, and how they can make a profit.

Students engage their core reading, writing, and math skills to write the business plan, but also rely on creativity, critical thinking, communication, problem solving, and teamwork skills as they move through the competition process.

Business plan entries were scored by 45 volunteer expert judges last fall. The top 25 teams pitched live to a panel of four judges on Friday, January 26. Winning teams in 1st-4th place receive cash prizes and awards in the following four categories: Best Business Plan, Best Marketing, Best Retail Booth, and Most Innovative.

This year, 1st and 2nd place winners received a special invitation to market their products at Park Plaza Mall in Little Rock in February, while the Venture Center will also host a luncheon for 1st place teams.

A list of the 1st-4th place winners for 2023-24 can be found by category below:

Best Business Plan

1st Place: Pedal for Life, Southwest Middle School, Searcy School District

2nd Place: Study Buddies, Green Forest Middle School, Green Forest School District

3rd Place: Secure Link, Berryville Middle School, Berryville School District

4th Place: Lights Out, Forest Park Elementary, Little Rock School District

Best Retail Booth

1st Place: Lights Out, Forest Park Elementary, Little Rock School District

2nd Place: C.T.C. (Car Trash Can), Southwest Middle School, Searcy School District

3rd Place: Candy Control, Elmwood Middle School, Rogers Public Schools

4th Place: Wrap in a Snap, The Baptist Preparatory School

Best Marketing

1st Place: Jett’s Closet, Cabot Middle School North, Cabot Public Schools

2nd Place: Broclets, Dunbar Magnet Middle School, Little Rock School District

3rd Place: The Grease Grabber, Elmwood Middle School, Rogers Public Schools

4th Place: Secure Link, Berryville Middle School, Berryville School District

Most Innovative

1st Place: Candy Control, Elmwood Middle School, Rogers Public Schools

2nd Place: Pedal for Life, Southwest Middle School, Searcy School District

3rd Place: EZ Ornaments, Pinnacle View Middle School, Little Rock School District

4th Place: Outfit-O-Matic, Southwest Middle School, Searcy School District

Economics Arkansas is a private, nonprofit, non-partisan educational organization founded in 1962 by Dr. Arch Ford and led by Dr. Bessie B. Moore to promote economic literacy in Arkansas. Its mission is to equip PreK-12 schools with standards-based resources and professional development to teach economics, personal finance, and the free-enterprise system using practical, innovative, and inspiring methods so that Arkansas students may master an understanding of economics and personal finance and apply that knowledge for success in the free-enterprise system.

Economics Arkansas | P.O. Box 3447, Little Rock, AR 72203 | 501-682-4230 | www.economicsarkansas.org

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P.O. Box 3447
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Phone (501) 682-4230
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