Students from Wisewood School pick up 2nd prize in Enterprise Challenge
Young entrepreneurs from Wisewood School in Sheffield have been announced as runners up in the national final of the 2009 Make Your Mark Challenge, the UK’s largest enterprise challenge for 14-16 year olds.
The group of five students narrowly missed out on the top prize finishing 2nd in the 14-16 category after battling it out against 11 other teams from around the country at the National Finals in London yesterday (10 December 2009). Over 73,000 students originally took part in the competition nationwide when it was launched by Countdown presenter Rachel Riley during Global Entrepreneurship Week (16 November 2009).
During the action-packed day, held at King’s Place, London, Rachel Riley gave a welcome address before teams got the chance to pitch to a top panel of judges, including Heather Stewart, Economics Editor at the Observer, Philip Goodwin from the British Council and Richard Gillies, Director of Plan A and Sustainable Business at Marks & Spencer.
The team from Wisewood School impressed the judges with their idea H2 Power, a water turbine that is attached to a drainpipe so that when it rains, or when waste water runs through the drain pipe, it generates electricity that charges a portable battery. They were presented with a cheque for £600 for the school to spend on developing their business idea.
Speaking at the final, Alison Foulkes, Enterprise Co-ordinator at Wisewood School said: “The Make Your Mark Challenge is a fantastic opportunity for students to get some hands on experience of enterprise. There was a very high standard of ideas presented at this year’s final, giving us great hope for entrepreneurs of the future. The UK final proved to be a really tough contest and we are very proud that our students have brought the 2nd prize back to Sheffield!”
Rachel Riley said: “The Make Your Mark Challenge is a fantastic way to get young people interested and excited in business and becoming entrepreneurs. It is vital to inspire and develop the skill set of these future entrepreneurs as they will help to drive our economy in years to come. This year all entrants considered the environmental impact of their entries, ensuring they are prepared for another of the challenges that will become ever more important to business.”
The Make Your Mark Challenge is the UK’s largest one-day enterprise competition open to 14-19 year olds in schools and colleges nationwide. The competition challenges participants to come up with a new and innovative business idea in just 24 hours based on a secret brief revealed at the start of Global Entrepreneurship Week. Free to enter, it offers teachers a fun and rewarding way to engage their students in an enterprising way.
The 2009 Make Your Mark Challenge asked participants to come up with a profitable and original business idea inspired by something local that minimises its impact on the environment. The competition brief “Let local inspiration lead you to a ‘cool’ creation” was launched by Countdown presenter Rachel Riley.