MARQUETTE – Travel Marquette, taking a page from Grand Rapids’ ArtPrize, is launching a new business competition that encourages entrepreneurs to create exhibits that express a business or product idea.
SmartPrize exhibits will be displayed throughout downtown Marquette and be judged by a panel as well as crowd votes.
“We are excited to invite innovators and entrepreneurs from across the Great Lakes Region here to Marquette, and show how the U.P. can support their innovative ideas,” said Nicole Young, SmartPrize organizer and Executive Director of Travel Marquette. “This new competition and accompanying SmartSummit Conference puts the people with the ideas in the same space as the people with the money, and offers an opportunity for networking and best practices.”
Registration is now open for the inaugural spring event, April 2-11, 2016. Innovators and entrepreneurs looking to develop or grow a business or product and are seeking funding, networking and education are encouraged to register.
Applicants must be at least 18 years old. To qualify, innovations or businesses should be in the following stages: Concept with less than $5,000 capital raised; Start-Up with more than $5,000 capital raised; and Growth with less than $500,000 revenue.
Competitors’ exhibits will be judged by a panel as well as the general public, during the April 2016 event. The contest will award a minimum of $20,000 in prize money to great business ideas or products that are positioned to execute. Winners will be awarded in three categories: Juried, Crowd Favorite, and Best Tourism-Related.
The SmartPrize event concludes with SmartSummit, a two-day educational and networking opportunity that culminates with the SmartPrize Award Banquet.
For additional information on SmartPrize, including how to register and sponsorship opportunities, visit SmartPrize.org.
