2024-2025 Series Guidelines

2024-2025 YEC Series Requirements & Important Dates

Communities hosting local-level entrepreneurship competitions may apply for a sanction to have their event be part of the “Youth Entrepreneurship Challenge Series” culminating in a statewide youth entrepreneurship competition (KEC). Community entrepreneurship competitions must meet certain guidelines in order to qualify as part of the Series and to be eligible to use E-Community grant funds to pay for part or all of the competition.

Important Dates

November 15, 2024 – Deadline for YEC Series online sanction applications due to NetWork Kansas (Sanction Link: https://goventuredash.com/series/1680)

March 24, 2025 – Cut-off for sanctioned community entrepreneurship competitions to be held

March 24, 2025 – Wildcard Entries for KEC State Championship Due

March 24, 2025 – Winner entry deadline for KEC State Championship

April 17, 2025 – KEC State Championship

Requirements for all Events

Local entrepreneurship competitions must meet all of the following requirements in order to qualify as part of the Youth Entrepreneurship Challenge Series.

The physical location of the competition must be in Kansas. If needed, competitions may be virtual.
Student participants must reside in Kansas; exceptions require prior approval.
Competition must be open to grades 9-12 or equivalent, but can also include grades 6-8 if desired. Ex. 7-12th, 9-12th, 10th grade only, or 6-9th grades are all acceptable competition structures.
The competition must include a written Executive Summary and a Formal Presentation; additional

in-person components optional: elevator pitch, tradeshow, and/or other event.
Follow the Marketing Guide listed on VentureDash. The following logos must be included: NetWork

Kansas, K-State Research and Extension, and K-State Center for the Advancement of Entrepreneurship.
Prizes are not mandatory. Competitions offering prizes typically do not exceed a total of $3,500 in prizes, and prize structures typically do not exceed $1,500 for first place, $1,250 for second place, and $1,000 for third place. Other examples of prizes may be “People’s Choice Award” or “Banker’s Choice Award”, etc.
The competition must apply for a NetWork Kansas sanction by November 15, 2024, or before the event if held earlier.
Event must occur between August 1, 2024 and March 24, 2025
Competition host must agree to pay a $1,500 sanction fee to NetWork Kansas; waived for E-Community organized events. This fee includes access to the VentureDash platform to host your event.
A student may compete in only one local event per 2024-2025 YEC Series and may only submit one

business concept per competition.
Communities may only organize or participate in one local event per the 2024-2025 YEC Series, unless compelling reasons for more than one competition exist. Prior approval is needed.

About

The Youth Entrepreneurship Challenge (YEC) Series is a NetWork Kansas program. NetWork Kansas is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization. Any fees or donations for the YEC Series support program costs.

Communities hosting local entrepreneurship competitions can apply for a sanction to join the “Youth

Entrepreneurship Challenge Series,” leading to a statewide competition (KEC). To qualify and use

E-Community grant funds, competitions must meet specific guidelines.

Benefits for all Events

All sanctioned events will gain access to a suite of tools and resources from NetWork Kansas and KSU, including entrepreneurship videos and a resource kit for planning and hosting a local competition, with full access to VentureDash, a digital tool for planning, organizing, and running a youth entrepreneurship competition with supplemental resources for classroom curriculum.
All sanctioned events will earn one guaranteed spot at the KEC to be used by the 1st place business or a first alternate.
All sanctioned event participants may also compete for up to 15 wildcard spots at the KEC.

Kansas Entrepreneurship Challenge (KEC) - State Championship

For full KEC information, please refer to K-State’s Kansas Entrepreneurship Challenge website: https://cba.k-state.edu/kec

E-Communities & the YEC Series

For NetWork Kansas E-Communities submitting a sanctioned event, the following additional guidelines must be observed, in addition to the “Requirements for all Events”, in order to access E-Community grant funds (issued on a first-come, first-served basis until depleted) to pay for the event. Sanctioned E-Community events are permitted to use grant funds to pay for the cost of hosting an event, educational materials, prizes, travel fees, and other costs associated with hosting a sanctioned YEC Series competition.

Additional Requirements for E-Community YEC Events:

At least one member of the local E-Community leadership team and/or financial review board must help organize and/or host the entrepreneurship competition. This person will work with guidance from their E-Community Regional Manager to set up the event.
E-Community events must take place in the geographic boundaries of an E-Community, even if they choose to admit participants from beyond that geographic area.
E-Communities must invite a local or regional public sector business resource partner to participate as a committee member, educational resource, mentor, and/or judge. A great recommendation to fill this role is to include the local K-State Research and Extension professional in some part of the planning process or invite them to serve as one of the roles previously mentioned. Some additional partners may include KSBDC, SCORE, Kansas Department of Commerce, Certified Development Companies, Kansas Main Street, USDA, City/County Economic Development organizations, or college/university business department instructors.
E-Communities hosting a sanctioned event should establish a working group or committee as a subset of the leadership team to organize the event. The committee can have members from outside the leadership team.
E-Communities should include private sector business resource partners as committee members, resources, mentors, or judges such as bankers, attorneys, insurance, accountants, and entrepreneurs.
E-Communities should connect students to mentors, which could include leadership team and/or financial review board members, resource partners, entrepreneurs, bankers, public officials, etc.

Additional Benefits for E-Community YEC Events:

As a benefit of the E-Community Partnership, the $1,500 sanction application fee is waived for the 2024-2025 Series.
Full access to VentureDash, a digital tool for planning, organizing, and running a competition with

supplemental resources for classroom curriculum and event planning.
All E-Community sanctioned events will receive a $250 prize sponsored by NetWork Kansas for the school or classroom of the 1st place student.
Additional access to additional assistance from their regional E-Community representative to plan and host the event.
A judge will be provided for their local event by NetWork Kansas if needed.
E-Communities may gain access to additional travel grant funds to pay for state competition travel expenses if needed

YEC Video

The following highlights the Youth Entrepreneurship Challenge (YEC) Series. Learn from students, educators, community leaders and NetWork Kansas why this series is such a powerful method to activate young people in entrepreneurship.

More Information

For more information, please consult your region’s assigned NetWork Kansas E-Community Regional Manager, or contact: Bailee Henry, Manager, E-Community Programs, at bhenry@networkkansas.com.

* E-Communities may use grant funds to pay for part or all costs incurred in hosting a youth entrepreneurship competition that meets the YEC Series qualifications. Grants are issued on a first-come, first-served basis until funds are depleted. Funds may only be issued after completing a sanction application. Exemptions to one or more requirements might be granted on a case-by-case basis. Competitions being held outside an E-Community will not be able to access E-Community grant funds or other NetWork Kansas funds to pay for the cost of hosting a competition. Contact bhenry@networkkansas.com to discuss.