The Kansas Entrepreneurship Challenge is currently seeking high schoolers from around the state with innovative business ideas to compete for a prize pool totaling $10,000.

In its second year, the Kansas Entrepreneurship Challenge is a statewide student entrepreneurship competition organized by the Kansas State University Center for the Advancement of Entrepreneurship, in partnership with Network Kansas and Youth Entrepreneurs.

The competition gives Kansas high school students experience in the process of making a business proposal. To compete, students must research, write and submit an executive summary on a new venture concept. If their business concept is chosen as a finalist, they will then have the opportunity to pitch their venture to a panel of judges that consists of local entrepreneurs, bankers and investment experts.

"The Kansas Entrepreneurship Challenge is an opportunity to showcase the tremendous entrepreneurial talent we have in the state of Kansas," said Chad Jackson, director of the Center for the Advancement of Entrepreneurship. "The real-world experience of pitching a business in front of the type of business experts we have on our panel is invaluable to these students, and provides real-world feedback and support to launch companies within our state."

The deadline to register for the competition is March 11, 2016. The written business plans are due April 8, 2016, with contest finalists being announced April 15, 2016. The finalists will present their plans to the panel of judges at the Kansas State University Alumni Center on April 25, 2016.

For more information, visit the Kansas Entrepreneurship Challenge Web page or contact Jackson at cjackson@k-state.edu.