Win Up To $20,000 For Your Business!

All eligible applicants and/or the primary and/or secondary team member will be required to attend a minimum of 4 workshops held from October 2024 to January 2025 (If you can’t make the live sessions, no worries; they will be recorded and available on our Video Library).

Our program staff will verify each applicant’s qualification starting March 1, 2025. We will check everyone’s eligibility, class participation and if your application is complete with the financial projections and video all submitted. Incomplete applications will be disqualified immediately.

All qualified applications will be sent to our 1st panel of judges for review. The judges will give scores and feedback for each application. Based on the scores, we will announce three finalists from each category. The 15 finalists will present to our 2nd panel of judges who will select a winner from each category.

5 winners will each receive a prize up to $20,000.

Up to five individuals. Everyone involved in the proposed business described in the plan must register via YouNoodle as a team leader or team member and upload their State ID or Driver’s License. The business team leader needs to be a Queens resident and part of the co-founders/management team of the company.

Yes and we recommend you do so by making an appointment to speak to an advisor at QEDC here. They can help go over your application before you submit it and provide feedback from a judge’s perspective.

The funds must be used within one year from the date of the award being announced and can only be used for only the intended business purpose described in the business plan and nothing else. Please note that these awards are taxable and the Queens Economic Development Corporation and each winner must complete an IRS W-9 form before a check can be issued. All winners must include a written description on how the funds will be used, sign a release form, and agree to be surveyed for up to five years on the status of their business. Please see our disbursement of funds page for more detais.

Queens Economic Development Corporation (QEDC) recognizes that entrants may be concerned about the confidentiality of their applications. Applications will not be copied for any purpose other than the competition and internal use by QEDC’s Business Services Department. Entrants are also permitted to exclude any information they regard as confidential (please note, however, that if by excluding information you make your plan more difficult to understand it may be judged poorly). The short description of your business idea will be considered a “public summary” of your plan and may be used in public documentation related to the competition. While all responsible measures will be taken to ensure the protection of intellectual property and preserve the confidentiality of each submission, Queens Economic Development Corporation cannot take further responsibility to protect the intellectual property or other rights of each contestant. Protection of such rights is ultimately the responsibility of each applicant.