ABOUT CYE
The CYE Competition, short for “Creative Young Entrepreneur” is a pitch competition dedicated to fostering innovation, creativity, and entrepreneurial spirit among today’s brightest minds.
We are more committed than ever to providing a platform where aspiring entrepreneurs can showcase their groundbreaking businesses, pitch them, and compete for a chance to turn their dreams into reality.
OUR VISION
Our vision is simple yet profound: to empower the next generation of entrepreneurs to transform their businesses and drive positive change in the world.
We believe that entrepreneurship is the driving force behind innovation, economic growth, and social progress.
Through the CYE Competition, we aim to identify, nurture, and support the most promising entrepreneurs on their journey to success.
What to expect
Cutting-Edge Pitches
Witness some of the most innovative and game-changing business ideas as entrepreneurs from around the world compete head-to-head in a pitch battle.
Expert Mentorship
Our panel of experienced mentors and industry experts will guide and mentor the participating teams, offering valuable insights and advice to help them refine their business plans.
Networking Opportunities
Connect with like-minded individuals, potential investors, and industry professionals during networking sessions, workshops, and panel discussions.
Cash Prizes
The CYE Competition will offer generous cash prizes to the top-performing teams, along with access to funding opportunities to kickstart their ventures.
Global Exposure
Get your business idea in front of a global audience, including investors, venture capitalists, and potential customers. The CYE Competition is your gateway to international recognition.
Timetable 2024
March 11-05 April
Registration of young entrepreneurs
April 10
Online training for all participants
April 15 - May 5
Pitches training for the national stage
May 11
National competition with 3 winning finalists
12 - 29 May
Mentoring and support until European Competition
CYE International
1ST PLACE
Claim the top spot and win big! CYE offers a cash prize to the 1st Place winner at the CYE Competition. It’s not just a reward; it’s a financial boost to help turn your entrepreneurial dreams into reality.
2ND PLACE
For the second-place winner, we have an exciting opportunity. You’ll receive a complimentary registration to the 2025 corresponding Area Conference and free registration to the World Congress CYE Program. It’s a chance to further expand your horizons, connect with global entrepreneurs, and continue your entrepreneurial journey with JCI.
Romanian Competition Rules
Admission Criteria
- Fill online application form in Romanian.
- Applications should showcase an innovative product/service, be engaging to their market and have a clear vision for a development strategy.
- Businesses must be active and already earn income (min. 3 months old – max. 3 years old)
- Project bearers must be between the ages of 18 and 40. Age qualification will be determined by calendar year.
- The project bearer must not be a current JCI Board of Directors member. In addition, paid staff members will not be considered for the program.
- The application form must be received by the deadline set by JCI Romania. No late applications will be accepted.
- All application forms will only be accepted in Romanian. The pitching language and the language of the training sessions will be Romanian. Applications must be submitted using the Romanian online application form provided by JCI Romania.
- Only one submission of a business venture is permitted per person.
- All project bearers selected are required to attend a 1-day online training in the week of the first preselection.
- Project bearers must be willing to promote the ideals of JCI and act as a brand ambassador at least for the year after winning the award.
Romanian Participation Fee:
Non JCI members: FREE
JCI members: FREE
JCI ROMANIA reserves the right to disqualify any finalist or winner any time, using JCI’s own discretion.
Competition Process and Timeline
Opening of Applications:
Applications will open on the 29th of March, 2024.
Application Review:
High level overview of eligibility and confirmation sent to applicants by the Project team will take place two weeks after the application deadline.
Preparation Training for Candidates:
Training will take place during the week of the first preselection.
During the Area Conference:
The contest will be chaired by one of the Immediate Past Presidents of JCI Romania. Judges will be part of a jury for six regional finalists and notify finalists of selection. Please note that the number of finalists can be changed at the discretion of the jury members based on the quality of the submissions received.
Public pitching of the national finalists with questions from the jury and the audience:
At the National Awards and Gala ceremony.
Judging Criteria for Jury Selection
Candidates will be judged by a group of peers in positions of entrepreneurship, leadership and JCI Board Members. This jury will be selected to ensure the utmost integrity and reliability and to provide the most development opportunities for our competitors.
The following criteria will be adhered to as much as possible when creating the jury of qualified judges:
- Diverse cultural and professional backgrounds
- Business and community participation
- JCI involvement and leadership
- A balance of all genders represented
- Leaders in their field
- Willingness to provide feedback, mentorship and positive communication
Judging Process
The judging process for the Creative Young Entrepreneur Award will take part in three phases.
Phase 1
The first phase will include submitting your team’s application form, a one minute pitching video and your business plan. After eligibility is certified, the project will be sent for review by the panel of judges for preliminary judging and feedback. Applications will be reviewed for eligibility.
Phase 2
After the eligibility check, approved applications are read and evaluated by a JCI jury before determining the six finalists who will be invited to present at the CYE Gala.
Phase 3
These national finalists will then be invited to a second judging and pitching session, where they will be given five minutes to pitch their businesses to the judges and ten minutes for Q&A. They will then receive feedback and an opportunity to answer the judges’ questions before three winners are chosen.
The winner of the competition will receive the project prize as determined by the judging committee based on their qualitative assessment of the competitors at the Awards Ceremony.
The judges are asked to evaluate projects based on the following criteria:
- Creativity in business idea, project planning and industry
- Potential impact of the business on the market, community and individual
- Team leadership
- The degree of innovation within the business and marketing processes
- Strong ideas for development of products or services, community involvement or social responsibility
- Level of complex problem solving used to create a sustainable business model
- Potential for expansion in local, national and international markets
- The ways in which the team uses new ideas, technologies and approaches to innovate in business
- The level of risk-taking and responsibility for new directions
- Proposing a business plan that highlights sustainable business practices
In the event of virtual events due to the sanitary situation, all the sessions will be organized online.
Finalists
The next round will be hosted at the European Conference and consist of the three winners from the national level. Winners will be notified of all rules and event timelines for the European Conference prior to the event.
Social media announcements and press releases will be compiled to announce the winners of each and promote applicants prior to the European Conference competition.
The final winner will be determined by the total score of each project. The result of the winner will be kept private and confidential and shall only be released at the awards ceremony.