Budding entrepreneurs across the north of Scotland are being urged to demonstrate their talents in the 2016 Inverness College UHI Business Competition.
With a prize fund of £8,000, awards will go to the best presentation, best researched idea and best engineering and technology idea. Other honours include prizes for most innovative idea, best commercial idea and the youth entrepreneurship award.
The competition is organised by CREATE, the college’s Centre for Enterprise and Innovation.
Carol Langston, head of CREATE, said: “Here in the Highlands and Islands, we have a wealth of entrepreneurial flair and we would encourage anyone with a business idea to enter and win some of the £8,000 cash prize as well as gain personalised support from experts to develop their idea or existing early stage business.
“The CREATE team has a track record in supporting entrants and independent of the shortlisting and judging process, we are happy to advise on any matter relating to entering.”
Finalists will gather at the Inverness College UHI campus on November 24 to meet the judging panel and attend the awards ceremony, which will feature Magnus Houston as motivational speaker. After an accident ended his motorcycle racing career, Magnus founded Coast and Glen, which now sells fresh sea produce across Europe.
Previous winners include Anna Renouf, from Invershin, Sutherland, and Nicholas Gallagher, from Inverness.
Anna, 30, won best engineering and technology idea and most innovative idea in last year’s competition for her new saddle tree design.
She said: “Since the competition, my journey to make my idea a reality has really gathered momentum.
“Entering these challenges has really helped me hone my entrepreneurial skills whilst giving me the conviction that my business idea has real potential.”
Nicholas, 31, took the award for best researched idea in 2014 and is now owner of Black Tartan Food Company. As a result of his success, he was this year named Scotland’s Bridge 2 Business Entrepreneurial student of the year.
The competition is open to anyone living in the Highlands and Islands, Perthshire or Moray aged 16 years or over or a student studying at the University of the Highlands or Islands. Full details are available on CREATE’s website.