The Governor’s Giant Vision Student Competition

Competition Website

Are you sitting on the next big idea? Want a safe place to explore the idea’s potential with real business people, pitch your idea to investors and maybe win $5,000 to help make the idea a reality? Well, you are looking in the right place.

Thank you for your interest in the Governor’s Giant Vision Student Competition. Governor Dennis Daugaard, Citibank of Sioux Falls and South Dakota EPSCoR, Brookings, are sponsoring this competition with the hope of giving South Dakota student entrepreneurs a chance to achieve their dreams.

The Governor’s Giant Vision Student Competition will give you the opportunity to pursue your idea by writing a business plan and, if selected as a qualifier, make a formal presentation. A panel of business experts will review all entries and select up to 12 qualifiers who will attend the final competition in April, when finalists will give presentations and discuss their ideas with seasoned business and financial experts.

The winner will be awarded $5,000, with second, third, fourth and fifth place prizes being $4,000, $3,000, $2,000 and $1,000, respectively. The remaining qualifiers will receive $500 each. Selection of winners will be based on a combination of the viability of the business proposal, including considerations of potential competition, likelihood of success, market size and profitability. Final decisions about each applicant are at the discretion of the program judges.

Those entering the Governor’s Giant Vision Student Competition will submit a written business plan outlining the business idea, potential markets, production requirements and other standard items, including financial projections. There are no eligibility criteria for submitting a business plan and all full-time (12 credit hours per semester) South Dakota college, university, and technical school students are encouraged to apply. South Dakota high school students may also apply.

As a student applicant, you may choose to apply either in the Student or the Business Competition. Information about both at www.southdakotagiantvision.com.

The focus of this program is on the business plan or business model and is not limited to technology entries.

While starting your own business may seem overwhelming, it can also be very rewarding. We hope you will find the experience you gain by entering the Governor’s Student Business Competition to be as valuable as others have found it to be. As you begin writing your business plan, please take advantage of assistance from the agencies listed throughout the website.

David Owen, President
South Dakota Chamber of Commerce and Industry