NFTE World Series of Innovation, presented by Microsoft, Seeks Trailblazing Submissions from Students Worldwide to Compete for Grants and Prize Packages Through Oct. 26th

NEW YORK, Sept. 24, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- As the school year gets underway, the international non-profit, Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE) kicks off its annual World Series of Innovation, presented by Microsoft, and invites any middle-school or high school aged student team in the world, to think creatively and invent new products or services that address every-day opportunities.  Contending student teams are encouraged to submit, in English, their unique idea and 60-second commercial, in one of the six categories set forth by sponsoring companies, for a chance at winning grants and prize packages through Oct. 26^th at http://innovation.nfte.com.

As a featured event of Global Entrepreneurship Week (Nov. 12-18), The World Series of Innovation extends NFTE's message of the power of entrepreneurship education and the importance of innovation to young people by challenging teams of at least two students to devise groundbreaking products and services targeted at specific market opportunities and show how they would sell and market to the public. Participants will be supplied with a World Series of Innovation toolkit that is based on NFTE's award winning entrepreneurship curriculum to assist in the completion of this challenge.

Additionally this year, NFTE will launch the nationwide, Innovation Saturday events taking place in most major cities on Sept. 29 where students, teachers and youth leaders will have an interactive opportunity to collaborate on their submissions. Using the curriculum and innovation activities provided with the toolkit, teams will select a challenge category, brainstorm ideas and work to complete all phases of the World Series of Innovation submission form. For a full schedule of regional events and locations visit: http://innovation.nfte.com.

"For the past 25 years, NFTE has been pioneering experiential education, in and out of the classrooms, by sparking innovation and entrepreneurship among low-income youth internationally and the World Series of Innovation is a key platform to continue to expand our reach to even more young people around the globe," said Amy Rosen, President and CEO of NFTE.

"This challenge actively ignites students' creative energy and ingenuity to invent exceptional products that improve lives. With youth unemployment at an all time high, NFTE feels a responsibility to inspire as many young people as possible to seize opportunities to meet market demands and social needs which ultimately have the potential to produce real world business prospects and job creation."

NFTE is proud to have Microsoft as the presenting sponsor of the World Series of Innovation.  Microsoft is issuing challenges for students to create tablet/smartphone apps and games that raise awareness and provide solutions for common student and school issues.  Microsoft will provide the winning teams with a development partner to take the idea and bring it to market.

"Microsoft and NFTE share an unwavering commitment to empower our youth to imagine and realize their futures and to view the world with a new perspective thinking about how they might contribute to make their communities stronger," said Anthony Salcito, Vice President, Worldwide Education, Microsoft Corp. "We are eager to see the tablet/smartphone app and game design ideas students will come up with to help advance education. The World Series of Innovation is a real life experience that these students can leverage to kick start a career and transform their ideas into reality."

Category Sponsors include:

Coca-Cola/ VEB (venturing & emerging brands): Dairy Based Beverage 

Franchise Source Brands International: New Franchise Idea

Sean John:  Innovative Fashion Marketing

NFTE in support of the First Lady's "Let's Move!" program:  Fresh Take on Fitness

From November 6-18, the general public will be asked to vote online for their favorites in each category to determine the winning entries. The pitch video and submission forms for the finalists will be available online for voters to make their decisions. Winners will be announced immediately following Global Entrepreneurship Week on Nov. 19. The winning students will receive prize packages from this year's sponsors and their sponsoring classrooms, schools or youth groups will receive grants from the sponsors and NFTE.

For more information, visit http://innovation.nfte.com.

About the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship
Too many young people today drop out of school and struggle to break the cycle of poverty. Since 1987, the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE) has been inspiring young people to pursue educational opportunities, start their own businesses, and succeed in life. By providing entrepreneurship education programs relevant to the real world, NFTE empowers students to own their educations in and out of the classroom and to find their own path to success. Hundreds of thousands of students have discovered opportunity all around them through entrepreneurship via thousands of certified educators worldwide. NFTE supports active programs in 21 states and 11 countries around the world. Entrepreneurs are a powerful driver of economic growth and NFTE sows the seeds of innovation in students worldwide. For more information, visit www.nfte.com.

SOURCE Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship