Stafford County Economic Development and 21st Central District Extension in coordination of Network Kansas E-Community Partnership, will be hosting Stafford County YEC on Wednesday, February 10th, 2027, at the Stafford County Annex, as part of the 2026-2027 Youth Entrepreneurship Challenge (YEC) series. Students must get signed up by January 19th to be able to participate. The goal is to expose Kansas middle school and high school students to entrepreneurship. This local competition is made possible by the generous support of Network Kansas and marketing funding by South Central Community Foundation.
There are prizes for 1st, 2nd and 3rd place. Top place winner will get $750 and a trip to the state competition in Manhattan.
Contact Ryan at 620-549-3527 or ryan@staffordecodevo.com for more information on how to sign up.
Who’s Eligible to Compete
This competition is open to any Stafford County resident in Grades 7th-12th. Teams can consist of 1 to 4 students.
Key Dates
January 19, 2027 – Last Date to Sign Up
February 5, 2027 – Executive Summary Due
February 10, 2027 – Stafford County YEC Competition (mid-morning to early afternoon, the start time will be 10 a.m.)
TBD– Wild Card Entry Deadline
TBD – State Competition in Manhattan
Competition Components
Teams are required to submit a written executive summary and do an in-person formal presentation. Teams are encouraged to make a tradeshow display, this is optional and not part of scoring at the local competition.
The Executive Summary is a written business summary, in PDF format, including details of how the business intends to operate. An executive summary is similar to a business plan, but usually shorter, covering much of the same information in summarization.
The Formal Presentation is a four-to-six-minute presentation where each business will share details of its product or service with a panel of judges, usually in the form of visual slides.
The Tradeshow Display is optional at Stafford County YEC but a key component at the State Competition. At this local competition, businesses will have the opportunity to pitch their product or service through a tradeshow booth as a visual and informational aid. Tradeshow Displays will be set up and available for viewing by attendees on competition day.
Resources for Product Development and Marketing
Registered teams can request funds to help with product development and marketing. Each team may request up to $50. Teams must provide detailed information on how they plan to use the funds or explain expenses they would like to request reimbursement for (example: $18 for business cards, $30 for wood to make prototypes, etc). Registered teams wanting to request funds must fill out this form.
The deadline to apply for funding will be February 5th, 2027, with funds being distributed on February 9th, 2027.
Prizes
The students will be competing against each other for a combined total of $1,500 in prize money at Stafford County YEC (with the potential to earn more at the State Competition). The teams will be judged by 1 local SCED board member, a 21 Central District Extension Staff and a Network Kansas representative.
First Place $750, Second Place $500, and Third Place $250
How to Register
To sign-up go to the Stafford County YEC Event Portal (link provded soon) and click on the “Join this competition” Button. You will have to create a Venture Dash account (you will need this to access competition information and submit required documents). Then select “Entrepreneur” and finish completing the form.
The deadline to sign-up is January 19, 2026
Venture Dash is also used for the Wild Card Competition and the State Competition.
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