enTEENpreneur Challenge
Featuring: JA Company Program
JA Company Program® empowers high school students to fill a need or solve a problem in their community and teaches them practical skills required to conceptualize, capitalize, and manage their own business venture. (Grades 9-12)
Inspiring the entrepreneurs of tomorrow
When: Tuesday, April 14, 2026
Where: UMass Amherst Henry M. Thomas III Center at Springfield
The EnTEENpreneur Challenge is essentially, a pitch contest similar in format to one seen on a reality TV show about entrepreneurship. Leading up to the event, students use the JA Company Program and the JA Be Entrepreneurial Program to learn valuable skills and build the mindset to be a resourceful, innovative entrepreneur.
Entrepreneurs and JA partners from the community make up the judging panel, and students have 90 seconds to convince the panel to fund their company. The judging panel determines 1st, 2nd and 3rd place winners by numerical score based on a rubric that is available upon request. The top three teams receive cash prizes in the following amounts:
1st place wins $500 ($100 per person, assuming a team of five students)
2nd place wins $375 ($75 per person, assuming a team of five students)
3rd place wins $250 ($50 per person, assuming a team of five students)
Students do not need a ready-for-sale product to participate in the challenge. Students who opt to create a product can participate in a trade show in Tower Square. Awards are given for the “Best Trade Booth” and “Most Innovative Product” as voted on by the panel and by all student participants in the event.
In addition, the winning student teams are eligible to submit their plans to the JA USA Future Bound competition held annually. In 2026, the competition will be hosted in Boston, MA. If a Western Massachusetts student team is selected, JAWM helps prepare the team for competition and covers travel expenses.
Entrepreneurs and JA partners from the community make up the judging panel, and students have 90 seconds to convince the panel to fund their company. The judging panel determines 1st, 2nd and 3rd place winners by numerical score based on a rubric that is available upon request. The top three teams receive cash prizes in the following amounts:
1st place wins $500 ($100 per person, assuming a team of five students)
2nd place wins $375 ($75 per person, assuming a team of five students)
3rd place wins $250 ($50 per person, assuming a team of five students)
Students do not need a ready-for-sale product to participate in the challenge. Students who opt to create a product can participate in a trade show in Tower Square. Awards are given for the “Best Trade Booth” and “Most Innovative Product” as voted on by the panel and by all student participants in the event.
In addition, the winning student teams are eligible to submit their plans to the JA USA Future Bound competition held annually. In 2026, the competition will be hosted in Boston, MA. If a Western Massachusetts student team is selected, JAWM helps prepare the team for competition and covers travel expenses.
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