Competitions
From classroom ideas to competition stages, our programs empower students to develop entrepreneurial skills, build confidence, and turn ideas into action.
Governor’s Cup
Arkansas’s premier collegiate business plan competition.
For more than 26 years, the ACC Capital Governor’s Cup has helped college students move from idea to action. As Arkansas’s premier collegiate business plan competition, Governor’s Cup gives students the opportunity to explore entrepreneurship, develop viable business concepts, sharpen their pitches, and compete for real prize funding.
Learning through experience, participants build business plans, test assumptions, receive feedback, and present their ideas to entrepreneurs, investors, and business leaders. Along the way, they strengthen communication skills, expand their networks, and learn how to think creatively, solve problems, and lead with confidence.
Whether a student is exploring entrepreneurship for the first time or already working on a venture, Governor’s Cup provides a real-world learning experience that helps them build skills they can use anywhere.
More than a competition, the Governor’s Cup is a launchpad for student ideas, career confidence, and the next generation of entrepreneurs in Arkansas and beyond.
2027 ACC Capital Governor's Cup
Ready to compete? Review the Competition Rules & Guidelines to learn about eligibility, required materials, and the application process.
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Prize Pool
1st Place
$20,000
2nd Place
$10,000
3rd place
$7,500
1st Place
$20,000
2nd Place
$10,000
3rd place
$7,500
1st Place
$10,000
2nd Place
$7,500
3rd place
$5,000
High Growth / Technology - Graduate
$1,000
High Growth / Technology - Undergraduate
$1,000
Small Business / Main Street - Four Year
$1,000
$1,500 to winning team advisors
$13,500
$1,500 to all finalist teams
$27,000
Competition FAQs
- Undergraduate Division: Students enrolled at accredited Arkansas colleges and universities, including two-year and trade schools.
- Graduate Division: Students enrolled at accredited colleges and universities in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Texas.
All applicants must meet the eligibility requirements outlined in the Competition Guidelines.
No. Students from any academic discipline are encouraged to participate.
No. The competition welcomes both early-stage business ideas and existing ventures that meet the eligibility requirements.
Yes. Every team must have at least one faculty advisor from their institution.
Yes, provided all team members meet the competition's eligibility requirements. See the Competition Guidelines for team composition requirements.
Applications are submitted online on our YouNoodle platform. In addition to team information, you will need to include a business plan that meets the competition's formatting and submission requirements. A written business plan workshop is available on our Resources page. Refer to the Competition Guidelines for complete submission details.
Eligible applications move through multiple rounds of judging. Teams selected to advance will receive additional information about presentations, competition events, and next steps. Teams that advance to the Final Round will be invited to the in-person competition in Little Rock, AR.
No. There is no cost to enter the Governor's Cup.
The official Competition Guidelines are available for download on this page (link to guidelines). Every applicant is responsible for reading and understanding the Guidelines before submitting an application.
2026 Competition Results
Winners
Finalists
Semifinalists
2026 Competition Sponsors
Youth Entrepreneurship Showcase
Experience entrepreneurship in a fun, hands-on way.
Created for students in grades 5–8, Y.E.S helps young innovators explore business ideas, build confidence, and practice communicating their solutions. Through classroom learning, project development, and a statewide showcase opportunity, students learn that entrepreneurship is not just about starting a business. It is about noticing problems, imagining possibilities, and taking action.
Entrepreneurial thinking helps students build skills they can use anywhere. Whether they go on to start a business, lead in their community, or bring new ideas into their future careers, students learn how to move from “I have an idea” to “I can do something with it.”
The showcase gives students a safe, encouraging place to try, build, present, and grow.
For Educators
The Youth Entrepreneurship Showcase gives teachers a practical way to bring entrepreneurship into the classroom. The program is designed to be accessible, engaging, and easy to connect to real-world learning.
Educators receive support and resources to help students develop their ideas, understand basic business concepts, and prepare their submissions or presentations.
For Students
Have an idea? See a problem you want to solve? Wonder what it would be like to create something of your own? This showcase is for you.
Students get to dream up a business idea, explain how it works, and share it with others. You do not need to have everything figured out. You just need curiosity, creativity, and a willingness to try.
Resources
Workshops
Access practical tools and activities designed to help students explore ideas, identify problems, understand customers, build business concepts, and communicate their vision with confidence.
Event Recap Videos
Revisit key sessions, conversations, and takeaways from previous Governor’s Cup events. These videos are designed to keep the learning going long after the event ends.
Events Gallery
See photo highlights from our competitions, summits, and events!
Winners
Find out more about the competition's most recent winners, rankings, prizes.