Thank you for participating in the CCBC Center for Business Innovation & Trades 2026-2027 Business Plan Competition. Below you will find:     

• Rules & Guidelines
• Important Disclosures
• Terms & Conditions

Please ensure you carefully read all sections before submitting your business plan.  

Business Plan Submission Rules & Guidelines: 

Submit your business plan to CCBC’s Center for Business Innovation & Trades 14th Annual Business Plan Competition (BPC) and you could win up to $25,000 in seed money. A total of $80,000 in seed money will be awarded to the top 6 winners. The winners are also eligible to participate in the Center for Business Innovation & Trades (CBIT) incubation network that provides support in the areas of marketing and sales, website development, technology, accounting, human resources, management as well as access to investors and creditors, which can be invaluable for any start-up. The purpose of the competition is to encourage new businesses. The competition is designed to promote start-up ideas and economic development among CCBC students and alumni with the support of faculty and local entrepreneurs.

 Here's how it works: A Screening Round is the initial review of plans by CCBC faculty in which the top 12 business plans are selected to advance to the final round. The Center for Business Innovation & Trades will match the top 12 finalists with mentors who can help prepare the finalists for the final round of the competition. The 12 finalists will make their business plan presentations to a panel of judges. The judges will choose the top 6 winning participants.

 What do the Top 6 Award Winners get? A total of $80,000 is awarded to the top 6 finalists to help promote their business. Here is how the seed money is awarded: First place winner receives up to $25,000; Second place winner receives up to $20,000; Third place winner receives up to $15,000; Fourth place winner receives up to $10,000; and two runner-ups will receive up to $5,000 each. Plus, the Top 6 Award Winners get: Invitation to work with CBIT’s incubation network in which a class of students can help implement the business plan during the spring semester. The winners will receive support in the areas of marketing and sales, website development, technology, accounting, human resources, management and will gain access to investors and creditors. Scholarships to attend a 12-week course designed to help entrepreneurs launch and grow their businesses. Up to four one-hour coaching sessions with experts in the business community on such topics as accounting, legal, marketing, insurance, information technology, and project management.

 Eligibility Requirements: To be eligible to participate in the Business Plan Competition, one of the following conditions must be met:

• Current or former CCBC student with at least 15 credit hours successfully completed in any discipline within the last five years.
• An alumnus of CCBC who has graduated with a credit degree or credit certificate.
• A non-credit graduate of a program/certificate or apprenticeship program offered by CCBC.
• A student in the final year of a non-credit apprenticeship program offered by CCBC. 

      Those who already have a business started may participate as long as they meet one of the criteria above and are a registered business in good standing with the State of Maryland, or if your business is exempt. You may be exempt if you are a sole proprietor or self-employed. Also, you have less than $75,000 in annual revenue, no more than 2 full-time employees and haven’t been in business for more than 3 years.  To check on business status, go to: https://egov.maryland.gov/businessexpress/entitysearch. 

You can participate individually or as a team. At least one team member must meet the eligibility requirements. The eligible team member must already be either an owner/co-owner of the business or will be an owner/co-owner once the business is launched. Types of businesses that are not eligible include franchisees, multi-level marketing, and network marketing companies such as Amway, Herbalife, Tupperware, Nu Skin, Mary Kay, and other similar companies. Businesses promoting adult products, gambling, pornography or other illicit products that run contrary to the values of CCBC and Maryland laws are also prohibited.  All participants should thoroughly read all disclosures and terms & conditions before applying to the competition.  

 Disclosures: By registering for The Community College of Baltimore County (CCBC) Center for Business Innovation & Trades’ Business Plan Competition, you grant CCBC Center for Business Innovation & Trades and their respective affiliates and assigns, an irrevocable, perpetual, worldwide non-exclusive license to reproduce, distribute, display and create derivative works of your entry, including excerpts from business plans submitted and related presentation materials in connection with the promotion and administration of the Competition, in any media now or hereafter known, including, but not limited to: CCBC’s websites, press releases, email messages, or newsletters. You agree that CCBC and their designees shall have the right and permission to use (unless prohibited by law) your name, voice, address (city and state of residence), photograph, biographical information and/or other likeness, for advertising, promotional or any other purpose in any and all media or format now known or hereafter devised throughout the world, in perpetuity, without limitation and without further compensation, consideration, permission or notification to participants or any third parties. You also give your express permission to be contacted by all parties involved by telephone, email and/or postal mail for any purpose connected with the Competition.

 Liability: By registering to participate in the Competition, participants release The Community College of Baltimore County (CCBC), The Center for Business Innovation & Trades (CBIT), their subsidiaries, affiliates, directors, officers, employees, agents, the judges, the sponsors, coaches, mentors and all suppliers from any and all liability for any injuries, losses, or damages of any kind resulting from acceptance, possession, or use of any prize or participation in the competition, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law.  You are solely responsible for protecting your rights or the rights of third parties in any intellectual property disclosed. CCBC is not responsible for lost, late, or illegible entries nor for electronic transmission errors resulting in omission, interruption, deletion, defect, delay in operations or transmission, theft or destruction, or unauthorized access to or alterations of entry materials, or for technical, network, telephone equipment, electronic, computer, hardware or software malfunctions or limitations of any kind, or inaccurate transmissions of or failure to receive entry information on account of technical problems or traffic congestion on the Internet or at any website or any combination thereof. If for any reason the Internet portion of the program is not capable of running as planned, including infection by computer virus, bugs, tampering, unauthorized intervention, fraud, technical failures, or any other causes beyond the control of CBIT which corrupt or affect the administration, security, fairness, integrity, or proper conduct of this contest, CBIT reserves the right at its sole discretion to disqualify any individual who tampers with the entry process and to cancel, terminate, modify, or suspend the contest.

 Decisions regarding the competition and the winners: All decisions regarding the competition rules, procedures, and processes are at the sole discretion of the CCBC’s Center for Business Innovation & Trades. Changes and/or interpretations of these rules may be made by the CCBC’s Center for Business Innovation & Trades at any time, even though they may be (or may appear to be) in conflict with some previously published or announced information. The selection of the teams to compete and the decision of the winners are at the sole discretion of the judges and the CCBC’s Center for Business Innovation & Trades. Best efforts will be made to make decisions in accordance with this Official Rules document. The CCBC’s Center for Business Innovation & Trades has the final decision on which teams are invited to compete in the CCBC Business Plan Competition and reserves the right to include or exclude any participant(s) for any reason. The rules and prizes are subject to change at the discretion of the CCBC’s Center for Business Innovation & Trades at any time. The CCBC’s Center for Business Innovation & Trades staff has the right to interpret these rules according to their own judgement and reserves the right to reject a business plan that does not adhere to the college’s mission or values.

 Non-confidentiality: Any data or information discussed or divulged by entrants should be considered information that could possibly enter the public realm, and entrants should not assume any right of confidentiality in any data or information discussed, divulged, or presented. Due to the nature of the competition, we are not able to ask judges, reviewers, staff, or the audience to agree to or sign non-disclosure statements. However, the CCBC’s Center for Business Innovation & Trades, the organizer of the BPC, will make every effort to limit distribution of business plans presented at the competition. The CCBC’s Center for Business Innovation & Trades cannot guarantee that other individuals will not obtain access to electronic or hard copies of the business plan. Attendance by media personnel is expected.

 Copyrights & Permissions: If a team uses copyrighted materials and/or images from a third party in their submissions or presentations, they must obtain permission and authorization in advance from the owners to use this material. Information presented by the participants competing is the sole responsibility of the individual team members. Community College of Baltimore County, including CCBC’s Center for Business Innovation & Trades and any of its affiliates (collectively, “CCBC”), has not taken, and does not intend to take, any steps to verify the adequacy, accuracy or completeness of any information, materials or statements presented. The competitors, and not CCBC, are responsible for ensuring compliance with all applicable federal, state and other securities laws, and it is solely the competitor’s responsibility to comply with any of such laws that are applicable. CCBC does not give investment advice, endorsement, analysis or recommendations with respect to any securities and is not a broker, venture fund or an investment advisor.

 Terms & Conditions: By submitting to this competition, participants are agreeing to the following Terms and Conditions:

1. Participants who are one of the winners of the competition will be invited to work with a class of students who will help launch and grow their business idea. The class begins February and runs until the end of the spring semester. Winners who are not ready to participate in the upcoming course MUST participate in the next class.
2. All winners agree to participate in the Small Business Ownership program if they have not already. (Winners of the Business Plan Competition will have their course tuition waived. However, those who do not complete the Small Business Ownership program will be responsible for repaying the course tuition. )
3. All winners understand that seed money will be spent within 12 months from completing the Small Business Ownership program. All winners understand that the seed money provided is to help grow their business and monies are not provided in a check given to spend as they wish.
4. Participants must draw down funds by submitting a funding proposal. CCBC's Center for Business Innovation & Trades has the discretion to approve or deny funding usage. All winners can participate in 4 hours of coaching provided by CCBC Center for Business Innovation & Trades. 

Examples of what funds may be spent on the following:    

• Website services
• Marketing brochures
• Sales brochures
• Logo design
• Market research
• Direct mail campaigns
• List services
• Signage
• Promotional items
• Business cards
• Advertising campaigns
• Online campaigns
• Social media campaigns
• Videos
• Copywriting
• SEO campaigns

Examples of what funds may NOT be spent on the following:     

• Legal fees
• Utility fees (phone, electric, water, etc.)
• Salaries
• Computers
• Computer hardware
• Software
• Municipal fees
• Vehicle expenses
• Travel
• Trade association fees
• Subscriptions
• Books 

 Participants understand in order to receive funds they must follow the following steps: 

1. Submit a funding proposal to Delise White (dwhite5@ccbcmd.edu) that includes the item(s)/service(s) you wish to purchase along with an explanation of how the purchase(s) will help you grow your business.
2. The request will then be approved or denied. Suggestions or other options will be made if the request is denied.
3. Once a request is approved, participants may either make a purchase and be reimbursed or submit an invoice. All receipts must be submitted for reimbursement or after a purchase is made.
4. Participants understand a check will be disbursed to them in the name of the business or the owner in the amount that was approved. Participants must complete a W9 form.

 By submitting your business plan, you hereby confirm that you have read and understood the above disclosures, terms and conditions and will adhere to them at all times. You understand that non-compliance with the disclosures and the terms and conditions can result in the immediate exclusion from CCBC's Center for Business Innovation & Trades' Business Plan Competition.