4-H Entrepreneurs Are Us | Tennessee 4-H Youth Development

The purpose of this contest is modeled after the television show “Shark Tank,” where entrepreneurs make a business presentation to a panel of selected investors, or “Sharks.” The “Sharks” decide whether to invest in the entrepreneurs’ company or not. The Tennessee 4-H Entrepreneurs Are Us is designed to educate youth on the process of developing a business plan and encourage them to foster their entrepreneurial spirit and creativity for the betterment of Tennessee. The contest is a partnership between the Tennessee Department of Agriculture and Tennessee 4-H.

4-H members who are in 8th – 11th grade as of January 1, 2022 may compete.
4-H members may work individually or as a team with a maximum of 4 team members.
4-H members must be registered in SUPER by August 15th 11:59 p.m. ET. (Through your county 4-H office)
4-H members must submit a written business plan and storied advertisement for their created product/company to be submitted by Thursday, August 18th.

Everyone must speak and participate during the pitch to the Sharks.
The time allotted for each individual/team in the contest room is 15 minutes. This includes 10 minutes of the individual or team pitching their idea to the Sharks, two minutes to outline advertising and marketing strategies, and the last three minutes for questions from the Sharks.
Set-up and tear-down time will be provided and is not included in the 15 minutes.
For 2022, the contest will be held at the Tennessee State Fair on Saturday, August 20th. Individuals/teams will be assigned a time at registration at the fairgrounds.
Contest rooms are open to the public with judges and individual/team members.

Business Plan = 40 points
Product = 45 points
Presentation = 55 points
Shark’s Scores = 10 points
Total points available = 150 points

The complete guidelines which include the business plan components and the scoring rubric can be found here: 2022 Entrepreneurs Are Us Guide

1st place pitch receives a monetary award (per team)
2nd place pitch receives a monetary award (per team)
3rd place pitch receives a monetary award (per team)
Each contestant will receive a ribbon and certificate of participation.