Deadline for Entries is April 10; Finalists Present Their Business Ideas at May 23 Event

The Leo V. Ryan Center for Creativity and Innovation at DePaul University’s Kellstadt Graduate School of Business is seeking entries for its Creativity in Business Contest, which will award cash prizes for the best business ideas submitted for the competition. The contest is co-sponsored by the Coleman Foundation, a Chicago-based not-for-profit private foundation that supports entrepreneurship education. The entry deadline is April 10.

Six finalists, chosen from contest entries, will be invited to present their ideas before a panel of academic experts and area business leaders from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. May 23 in room 8005 at the DePaul Center, 1 E. Jackson Blvd. Two separate categories will be judged: general public entries and DePaul student entries. First-, second- and third-place prizes of $500, $250 and $150, respectively, will be awarded in both categories. An awards ceremony and reception will immediately follow the presentations.

The emphasis of the judging will be on the creativity of the idea, not on the business model or implementation plan for the idea. Entries must be typed, double-spaced and no more then five pages long. They should include descriptions of the idea, the need it fills, the market or industry it serves and financial projections if the idea being implemented. Submit entries to: The Ryan Creativity Center, DePaul University, Department of Management, 1 East Jackson Blvd, Chicago, IL 60604. For more information, call (312) 362-8395.

Opened in 1998, the Ryan Center helps organizations enhance performance through creative discovery and innovative problem solving. The center’s activities encompass all elements of the creative process and are available to students, faculty, staff, and the business and non-profit communities. The center sponsors hands-on learning activities that help individuals and teams develop their idea generation and implementation skills for business improvements.

The center also offers a Certificate Program in Creative Collaboration, disseminates research to foster the art and science of creativity and assists organizations in building a more innovative work environment.