Northeast Ohio February 2026 YEI News: Student Contest, Grant Opportunities, Curriculum, and More!

OHIO PITCH CONTEST - LAST CALL!

Ohio Pitch Contest video entries are due by Monday, March 2! The contest offers students in K-12 over 200 chances to win with $5,000 in prizes available. This year, all Ohio Pitch Contest entries will be entered into the Mott Million Dollar Challenge national competition. Learn more and enter.

Thank you for responding to our call for volunteer judges! Judges watch student pitches and evaluate from the comfort of home. Learn more and sign up to volunteer.

NEW MINI-GUIDE TOOLKITS ARE AVAILABLE

Check out what's new in the EntrepreNew Pathways program for high school! We've created mini-guide toolkits to help teachers who need shorter curriculum units. These guides focus on:

• Creating an Entrepreneurial Problem Solving Unit with Real World Business Partners

• Creating an Entrepreneurial Speaker Session or Series

Learn more about EntrepreNew and access the free curriculum.

ONE WEEK LEFT TO APPLY FOR $3,000 TO SUSTAIN AND SCALE STUDENT-LED PROJECTS

Calling middle and high school educators! Join the Ciena Solutions Challenge, a global design challenge for middle and high school youth to design solutions to the Sustainable Development Goals. Through March 5, educators can submit student projects to the Ciena Solutions Challenge online gallery and apply for a $3,000 award to sustain and scale students' projects. Educators may submit projects that are completed or in-progress. Register today at cienachallenge.org. 

SHOWCASE STUDENT-LED PROJECTS AT THE YOUTHMADE FESTIVAL MAY 4-17

Join the YouthMADE Festival, Digital Promise’s global celebration of youth creativity and innovation from May 4-17! Students and educators around the world can showcase student-led projects and apply for a $500 Amplify Grant to expand or amplify their projects. Register for our next YouthMADE Festival info session to learn more. You can also download and share the YouthMADE Festival Flyer!

BUSINESS BUILDING SOFTWARE FOR KIDS & TEENS

Lemonade Lab is a creator platform where kids build real businesses, earn real money (with parent approval), and learn entrepreneurship by doing. Lemonade Lab is currently looking for teachers to join the pilot Educators Module, giving classrooms a safe, guided way to help students launch real projects, explore creativity, and develop business skills through hands on building. If you are interested in joining the pilot, email hello@lemonadelab.ai.

RECOMMENDATIONS TO MEET YOUR NEEDS

Looking for help finding the right resources for your classroom?
You can use YIPPEE’s built-in Assistant to get personalized recommendations!

The Assistant lives at the top of the Shop page after you log in. Answer three short questions, and the YIPPEE Shopping Assistant will suggest resources that match your needs.

Resources may include: 
• Field trips
• Student workshops
• Lesson plans
• And more!

Most resources are available at no cost, thanks to the generous support of YIPPEE's sponsors. Learn more at yippeemarket.com.

MIDDLE SCHOOL SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP CAMP

Change Makers: Social Entrepreneurship Camp empowers students in grades 5-8 to explore how they can make a real difference in their communities.

During the week-long camp, students will explore real problems, talk to real people, and build real solutions that matter. Through interviews, teamwork, and hands-on activities, they will develop their own social impact project. The camp will culminate in an Impact Showcase where campers present their ideas to peers and guests. Learn more and register.

UNIVERSITY SCHOOL JARVIS SCHOLARSHIP

We are pleased to share the Jarvis Scholarship at University School, a fully funded four-year opportunity for rising 9th grade boys. The program is looking for students who ask hard questions, take initiative, support their peers, and go the extra mile.

If you know a young man who leads with character, inspires others, and is ready to forge his own path, we encourage you to nominate him for this scholarship. Click here to submit a nomination.

Check out this recent article from World Economic Forum highlighting the importance of youth entrepreneurship! Why investing in youth agency is now a business imperative

If you have an educator professional development event, useful curriculum, or opportunity for students to engage with the entrepreneurial mindset, please let us know. Feel free to email us with any potential features to be included in our future newsletters, we'd love to hear from you!