- £100 for 100 words -

The competition is now closed and the entries are being judged. The results will be announced soon.

By Phase 2, you will have built a team and be ready to make your idea happen. In this phase you will benefit from a professional mentor, write a business plan and pitch for investment. The £5k Challenge rewards propositions that show practicality, financial viability and strong teams.

Phase 1 is about spotting the business opportunity and writing a 1500-word executive summary. The £1k Challenge rewards well-presented propositions that show clear market potential and competitive positions. You will need to clearly identify and quantify your market niche.

There are 10 cash prizes of £1k each. Winners and runners-up get free entry to Phase 2.

It's easy: just pitch your business idea to us in 100 words. The challenge here is to condense what you want to say and get all the major points across in just a paragraph. There is no need to give away any private information – a public summary is enough to win the competition. Then, submit your summary online at www.cue.org.uk

You could win one or more of 20 cash prizes of £100. Winners and runners-up get free entry to Phase 1.

The finalists must submit full business plans and posters of their business ideas. The full business plan is limited to 40 pages.

Submissions consist of a full business plan describing the service or product, an estimation of the realism and size of the market, an explanation of the competitive advantage your idea possesses, a thorough analysis of how the business will be funded, an operational plan covering logistical issues and a brief description of the skills, commitment and other qualities that you and any team members would bring to the process of realising the idea. Submissions to the 3P competition should also give a compelling description of their social or environmental purpose.

CUE would like to remind all members of the University that the deadline for entering the first round of the CUEBiC & 3P Business Creation Competition is the 20 February 2007. Cash prizes totalling £30,000 are available, and you retain all rights to your ideas. For more details about the competition, please see our Competitions Handbook.

To enter the CUEBiC & 3P Business Creation Competition, follow these online instructions.

CUE would like to remind all members of the University that the deadline for entering the £1k Business Ideas Competition is midnight on 11 December 2006. Ten no-strings-attached cash prizes of £1,000 are available, and you retain all rights to your ideas. For more details about the competition, please see our Competitions Handbook.

To enter the £1k Business Ideas Competition, follow these online instructions.

On 23 November, CUE held the £1k Boot Camp to provide practical advice on writing winning summaries. Guest speakers included James Hay, co-founder of previous winner Splashpower, and Walter Herriot OBE, Managing Director of the St John's Innovation Centre. A video comprising highlights of the £1k Boot Camp is available. A short description of the structure and content of an executive summary is also available.