Opportunities to win some startup cash and hone business skills are coming back to Salina this spring.  Applications are now open for the 5th Annual Charlie Walker Pitch Challenge, which will be held Wednesday, April 1st, at the Kansas State University-Salina, College Center Conference Room .

The Charlie Walker Pitch Challenge is back on April 1st, offering cash prizes to early-stage businesses across the region. Present your business plan, elevator pitch, and live presentation for a chance to win and honor the entrepreneurial legacy of Charlie Walker.

The Challenge is open to residents of Saline, Ellsworth, McPherson, Dickinson, and Ottawa counties. Start-up businesses, as well as businesses who have been operating for three years or less are encouraged to apply.

The competition consists of three elements:

• Full business plan (limited to 12 pages)
• Elevator pitch video (2–3-minute video)
• Live pitch presentation (7 minutes) followed by judge Q&A

Application for the competition consists of uploading full business plan, as well as the URL link to a 2–3-minute elevator pitch video that summarizes your business. Application deadline is March 16th at 11:59pm. Ten  applicants will then be chosen to move on and compete on April 1st at 6pm for the live pitch presentation and Q&A.

Prizes include:

• 1st Place- $6,000 cash prize
• 2nd Place- $4,000 cash prize
• 3rd Place- $3,000 cash prize
• 4th Place- $2,000 cash prize
• 5th Place- $1,000 cash prize