TBIE 2010 OFFICIAL JUDGING CRITERIA
Overview:
The 2011 Tony Brower Innovation Exposition sponsored by BMO Nesbitt Burns is intended to invite applicants with business ideas in the start-up or “seed” stage of the business cycle. In addition to the criteria below, the judges’ decisions will be influenced by idea innovation and quality, clarity of plan and ability to elucidate the idea through written and oral presentation, and the strength of the management structure. Judges’ evaluation will be guided by the judging scorecard as well as their personal professional experience in business.
In further detail, judges will look for
* Probability of proposed business plan to obtain a competitive advantage
* Commercial potential of proposed business plan
* Conducted market research behind the business idea carried out to identify Need
* Technical viability as well as sustainability of proposed business plan
* Originality and Innovation of business concept
Points awarded will be more heavily weighted on material derived from the written business plan portion of the competition. However, the ability of the team to clearly convey the purpose and viability of their business idea during their oral presentation and question and answer period will be awarded points as well.
Teams will go through two levels of judging:
1. Preliminary Round - a panel of business people (comprised from all industries in which business plan submissions can be represented in) will select the top five business plans from all plans submitted.
2. Final Round - a separate panel of judges will be chosen to judge the final round of competition. They will judge the top five teams on both their written business plan and their oral presentation. This panel will determine the winner of the 2011 Tony Brower Innovation Exposition.
Written Plan:
The written plan should demonstrate that the team has considered all relevant key variables that contribute to the success of the idea and concept of their business. Using a professional nature, written style of the business plan should be educated yet avoid technical jargon that would not be understood by the average layman. If needed, a glossary can be included in the appendices of the document.
Oral Presentation:
The purpose of the oral presentation is to portrait the business idea in 20 minutes through verbal and visual media and should include information that allows the judges to understand the viability of the teams business endeavour. The presentation will be followed by a 10 minute question and answer period with the panel of judges. Professionalism and deportment of the presentation style will be taken into consideration and is outlined on the judging scorecard. Points will be awarded for creative and innovative presentation approaches. Graphics used during the presentation are not awarded points specifically, but help in conveying a message and adding to the overall value of the presentation.
Scorecard Outline:
The winner of the 2010 Tony Brower Innovation Exposition will be determined solely on a point’s basis. Judges will not have the opportunity to discuss each business plan individually, but will be able to provide comments and feedback only for the benefit of the team, not to aid in determining a winner (*except in the event of a tie). Tallying of the team scores will occur after all five presentations have taken place by the judging panel. The winner will be announced during the closing ceremonies of the competition that day.
The scorecard consists of two major components:
1. Written Business Plan Submission 60 points
2. Oral Presentation 40 points
Teams will be provided with a copy of their scorecard and any written feedback judges may or may not choose to provide.
*In the event of a tie, each team will be given an additional five minutes to conduct a “sales pitch” in order to convince the judges that their teams business plan and innovative idea are stronger than the team they are competing against. The judges will then be given 15 minutes to discuss and determine a winner.
Business Plan Format:
Submissions must be sent to tbie2011@gmail.com. A confirmation of submission will be sent via email once the application has been received.
Completed written business plans are due no later than midnight on February 18, 2011. Submissions must be sent to tbie2011@gmail.com. They must be in the following format:
* Microsoft Word Document (Read-Only file) or Adobe PDF Format
* Typed 12-point font, single spaced
* Margins may be no smaller than 1-1-1-1″
* Maximum 23 pages in length, not including the title page or table of contents
* 15 written pages
* 8 pages for appendices
* The cover page must include the Venture Name only. There should be no first and last names or affiliation to university or college
Suggested Business Plan format:
Business plans do not have to include all of the following categories, but teams should take the guidelines into consideration when writing their plans. Teams should also include all of the following categories in their written document if they choose to.
Concept Summary
A clear and concise introduction to the business idea and an overview of the plan
Company Description
Business objective, inspiration behind genesis, current status, company strategy and purpose
Products and/or Services
Description of what is being offered, benefits to consumer, pricing strategy, current stage of development
Target Market
Description of market, identification of supply and demand in the market
Marketing Strategy
Competitive breakdown, market reception, innovative concept, sales/promotion strategy
Production
Production and/or delivery of product or service, cost of production, margins, required resources
Management Operations
Technical execution of strategy, personnel requirements, human resources, organizational structure
Financials
Presented as a summary in an easy to understand format. Should highlight financial performance in compliance with the business plan
Provide projected: monthlies for year 1, quarterlies for years 2-3, annuals for years 4-5
Judging criteria (Presentation)
Judging criteria (Business Plan)
