Eligibility
Students must be enrolled in a Kansas middle school, high school, or high school equivalent during the semester the competition is held. The concept and venture must demonstrate student management and ownership. Teams must have a teacher or sanctioned event organizer that will authenticate that the venture concept and executive summary are the student team’s original work.
Individuals or teams of no more than four students may submit a concept. No person can be a member of more than one team. Teams must present in-person at the KEC finals. Team members who do not present at the KEC finals will not receive prize money.
The KEC is for independent student-run ventures. Concepts must be the original work of the students who comprise the team. For-profit and not-for-profit entities are eligible. Generally excluded from entry are the following: school-based businesses, buy-outs, expansions of existing companies, real estate syndications, tax shelters, franchises, and licensing agreements for distribution in the local market. The licensing of technologies or commercialization of research that is not the original work of the student team is prohibited.
Confidentiality and Intellectual Property
All submitted information is deemed the property of the participating teams and any licensors. Competition judges and staff do not sign non-disclosure agreements. Teams are strongly encouraged to not provide any specifics or details that are considered to be intellectual property.
Conflict of Interest Statement
No judge, volunteer, or competition staff member may have any vested interest, equity stake, or financial stake in any of the finalist companies. Any of the previously listed parties that stand to gain financially or otherwise from the success of any finalist company is strictly prohibited. Any such associations will result in disqualification of the team and/or removal of that individual from his or her associated position with the competition.
Spirit of the Competition
The spirit of the KEC is that current middle school and high school students originate, found, and lead the startup idea. Teams not aligned with this vision or not working towards this end may be disqualified (e.g. an existing company run by non-students cannot recruit students only to become eligible for the competition). The KEC staff reserves the right to review companies on a case-by-case basis and make eligibility decisions. Teams that are unsure of their eligibility should contact the KEC staff. The licensing of technologies or commercialization of research that is not the original work of the student team is prohibited. Competitors who promote illegal, illicit, unethical, immoral, or other types of activities, which may be considered unworthy of association with the KEC, may be disqualified.
