Business Competition for University Students

January 13 - February 20, 2012

The U.S. Embassy Podgorica

Entrepreneur Competition for University Students: The Ron Brown Apprentice Program

Business Plan Competition

University Students from all faculties in Montenegro are invited to submit a hypothetical business proposal.  U.S. Embassy Montenegro will judge the entries and send the top proposal writers to Opatija, Croatia to attend a regional economic forum and compete regionally against other students.  You do not need to have a company or entrepreneur experience to participate!  Complete details are below.

What?
The US Embassy in Montenegro is seeking entries from university students for the Ron Brown Apprentice Program.  Through the program, the Embassy invites Montenegrin university students to come up with the next Facebook, Apple iPhone, or hybrid car. The program aims to promote entrepreneurism, the development of sound business practices, and the promotion of the free market system in Southeast Europe. The winners of the Montenegrin competition will then go on to compete against other students from Bosnia-Herzegovina Croatia, Macedonia, Kosovo and Serbia in a region-wide competition for the best business plan. The competition is envisioned in the format of Donald Trump’s “The Apprentice,” in that successful businesspeople in the region will evaluate the projects.

Why Apply?
Up to three top submissions of the Ron Brown Apprentice Program contest in Montenegro will travel to Opatija, Croatia, to attend the Ron Brown Forum: Economic Opportunities at the Municipal Level, April 2-4.
In Opatija, the Montenegrin students will compete against their counterparts in the region for three prizes.

An iPad will be awarded to the winner for first prize for the best business plan.  An iPhone will be awarded as the second prize, and an iPod will be awarded as the third prize.

Where and How?

Submissions must be a one-page business abstract, in English; a second page should include the full budget for the proposed business venture.  Preference will be given to proposals which are feasible and which the author would be interested in carrying out.  Preference will be given to proposals which address youth unemployment in Montenegro and/or support economic development of the North of Montenegro.

The winning business plans will be adapted so that the name of the country not be mentioned in the abstract, so that during the regional competition proposals are “country blind.”  The business plan should be one that could be applied in other countries.   

Submissions must be sent no later than February 20, 2012 to webmaster_podgorica@state.gov  A panel of Embassy experts will select the winners for the Montenegrin competition, who will be notified by February 27.

Students from ages 18-25 are eligible to submit a business plan. You must be either currently enrolled in an undergraduate program or must have graduated from an undergraduate program within the last 2 years.  Students from all faculties are encouraged to participate!

Business plans must be sent to the U.S. Embassy at webmaster_podgorica@state.gov with “The Ron Brown Apprentice Program” in the Subject field of the e-mail. Each participant must also submit a CV and basic biographical information – name, age, school/university, email, and phone number.

Business plan submissions that do not comply with the U.S. Embassy guidelines or contain prohibited, inappropriate, irrelevant, or copied content will be disqualified, removed from the selection, and not considered for a prize.

If you have questions on the contest, please address them to webmaster_podgorica@state.gov , subject: "The Ron Brown Apprentice Program."