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Dr. Ruben Boling is looking for students who are ready to invent the next big thing.

The University of North Georgia's (ÎçÒ¹¿ì²¥) director for the Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation is seeking contestants for the innovateÎçÒ¹¿ì²¥ Pitch Challenge. The contest will highlight the growth of entrepreneurship and innovation at ÎçÒ¹¿ì²¥ and allow students to show off their innovations in a university-wide competition.

"I know that we have some creative, innovative students at this university, and I know that they would love the opportunity to demonstrate that ability and let others know what we're doing here at ÎçÒ¹¿ì²¥," Boling said. "This is going to be an avenue for that."

In the challenge students will pitch their creative innovations in front of experienced and successful entrepreneurs and financial experts in an effort to win cash and other prizes, plus an opportunity to compete in the inaugural event in April.

A mix of internal and external judges will determine the top two prizes, while voting at a designated time during the competition by viewers attending the event and watching online will determine the People's Choice award.

The winning pitch from ÎçÒ¹¿ì²¥ will be innovative and have market potential. It will also come from an inventor with passion who could turn the idea into a business. The winner of the ÎçÒ¹¿ì²¥ contest will receive $2,000, while second place will earn $1,500 and the People's Choice winner will collect $500.

Students can work individually or in teams of up to five people as part of innovateÎçÒ¹¿ì²¥. Registration is open through Dec. 28. Contestants must be full-time, degree-seeking undergraduate students from any of the colleges on ÎçÒ¹¿ì²¥'s five campuses. They can register for the contest online. Boling expects there to be a large number of applicants and encourages students to register as soon as possible.

The preliminary round is Jan. 9, the semifinal round Jan. 23 and the final round Feb. 20.

Sponsored by the Georgia Chamber of Commerce, the state contest will include participants from the ÎçÒ¹¿ì²¥ and the Technical College System of Georgia. The Georgia InVenture Prize finals will be televised.

ÎçÒ¹¿ì²¥ will provide coaching for its winning team ahead of the state competition, as well as offering a course on pitching for all five finalists. Boling said that training, education and coaching will be valuable for pitch contest participants.

He said momentum has been building for ÎçÒ¹¿ì²¥ students and graduates seeking to start their own businesses. One of those efforts is the Entrepreneurship Lab where they can use resources to help their businesses. An entrepreneurship undergraduate minor and concentration, plus a graduate-level certificate in entrepreneurship and innovation have also helped.

"This is the perfect time for us to launch this contest," Boling said. "We've been working for almost two years on building the entrepreneurial ecosystem here at the university. One of the things we were lacking was a splash that's going to bring the excitement to the university as a whole. InnovateÎçÒ¹¿ì²¥ will provide that splash."

The Georgia InVenture Prize competition is modeled off the , which began in 2009 and is billed as the "American Idol for Nerds" and the nation's largest undergraduate invention competition. It has also spawned the ACC InVenture Prize and K12 InVenture contests.

For more information on the ÎçÒ¹¿ì²¥ contest, contact Boling at ruben.boling@ung.edu or visit the innovateÎçÒ¹¿ì²¥ Pitch Challenge website.