Assemblyman Will Barclay (R,C,I—Pulaski) today encouraged Central and Northern New York college students to participate in the New York Business Plan Competition. The Central New York deadline to apply is March 6. The Northern New York deadline is March 29. Students can submit their business plan with the chance to win a $100,000 grand prize.

“This is a great opportunity for our own talented college students to showcase their business ideas. Any college student from any local college or university can apply. I’m happy to see entrepreneurs being encouraged and hope our local students take advantage of this competition to get their ideas in front of a local and, possibly, a state audience in Albany, and earn some seed money and make some new connections,” said Barclay.

About 100 regional applicants applied last year in Central New York, according to organizers at Syracuse University. College students with a business idea in the fields of biotech/healthcare, energy/sustainability, products and services, software/IT, nanotech/high-tech, and social/non-profit are welcome to apply. Applicants are interviewed by local colleges and universities within each of the 10 Regional Economic Development Councils, many of which hold their own competitions to foster entrepreneurships. In Central New York, applicants are invited to submit their business plan first to Syracuse University’s Raymond von Dran Innovation and Disruptive Entrepreneurship Accelerator. In Northern New York, students are invited to submit their ideas to Clarkson University’s Reh Center for Entrepreneurship.

Finalists from each region in each category are selected to advance to statewide competition in Albany, which will be held on April 24 at SUNY Polytechnic Institute. Finalists who reach Albany pitch their business ideas to a panel of judges which include investors and entrepreneurs to compete for the grand prize. A total of $500,000 will be awarded this year, according to the Governor’s office.

For applications or to find out more information, visit http://www.sunycnse.com/NewYorkBusinessPlanCompetition/RegionalCompetitions.aspx. Students also may call Syracuse University organizer Stacey Keefe at 315-443-7086 and Clarkson University organizer Erin Draper at 315-268-4350.