Junior PioBiz

What is Junior PioBiz?

Junior PioBiz is a problem/solution competition for high school students that is jointly organized by Marietta College and Building Bridges to Careers. The competition simply consists of identifying a problem that is worth solving and describing a new product or service that solves the problem. The proposed solution must potentially lead to the establishment of a for-profit or non-profit business organization or the launch of a new initiative that benefits society and/or the environment. All presented ideas must be appropriate for a college-sponsored competition. Any entry deemed inappropriate may be disqualified.  Proposals to buy franchises or distribution centers of existing companies are not accepted.

Who can compete?

High school students may compete alone or in up to 4-member teams. While there is no limit to the number of teams a particular student may belong to, we are limiting the number of competing teams per school to six. We encourage schools to put in place their own internal procedures to determine the top six teams that will compete at the Junior PioBiz Competition.

Note: Homeschooled students may also compete.

What are the awards?

• All participants will receive gift bags.  
• Each member of the teams representing the top five business ideas will receive a certificate of achievement.
• The top five business ideas will be awarded $50 to $250. Note: Only the leaders of the winning teams will directly receive the award money.
• Each member of the team representing the top business idea will receive a free Marietta College 3-credit hour course valued at above $1,486. 

When and how can we apply?

Any student, parent/guardian, or school educator may complete the “Intend-to-Compete” form.  This form should be completed by March 7, 2024. This form is short. You do not have to outline the nature of your proposed projects on this form. Click here to complete the Intend to Compete form.

The competition will take place at the Gathering Place, located on the corner of Butler and 7th Streets on the campus of Marietta College on April 11, 2024, starting at 4:00 p.m. 

The application deadline is March 28, 2024. Click here to apply. In addition to basic contact information, the application form also includes questions on: 

1. Problem: A clear description of the problem
2. Target Customers:  Who has this problem? Define the characteristics (gender, age, economic status, preferences, etc.)  of your typical customer.
3. Why is the problem worth solving? How desperate are your target customers for a solution to their problem? Why would they be interested in your product or service?
4. Existing Alternatives:  How do your target customers currently solve the problem? Describe the nature of the competing products or services.  
5. Solution: Clearly describe your product or service and how it solves the problem.
6. Unique Value Proposition: What is the advantage of your product or service over the alternatives? Why should people buy your product?

What is the format of the competition?

This is a poster competition.  Below, please find our suggested format for your posters.

Poster Template

This is a suggested template. It only identifies the nature of information that you will need to include in your posters. Get creative! You may include a variety of visual aids such as slides, tables, graphs, charts, and pictures on your posters.

Note: The Worthington Center for Teaching Excellence at Marietta College will print all 3 ft. by 4 ft. competition posters that have white backgrounds for free. For more information on how to submit your poster, contact Dr. Khorassani at khorassj@marietta.edu.

On the day of the competition, be prepared to interact with judges and community members effectively.  The competition judges and the other members of the community will jointly determine the winning projects. Each judge assigns a score between 0 to 100 points to each project.  Each member of the community will be provided with 1000 PioBiz dollars to invest in their favorite projects. Each $100 investment is equivalent to 1 point. The projects with the highest total points will win the competition. 

How can we receive more support and assistance?

If you need additional information and support, please contact Dr. Jacqueline Khorassani, Senior Director of Entrepreneurship and Career Development at Marietta College at khorassj@marietta.edu, or Pamela Lankford, Logistics & Epicenter Director at BB2C, plankford@bb2careers.org or 740-525-5800.  

The following table highlights the important dates and activities.