Fourth cross-Strait youth entrepreneurship competition kicks off

A cross-Strait youth entrepreneurship competition which began in Shanghai on Friday will accept submissions in four categories — health, culture, IT and unmanned systems — until the end of June.

Projects must be submitted online by June 30, with intermediary session in Taipei, Hong Kong and Shanghai in July. The final will be held in Shanghai in August.

This year, Five mentors, who have set up their own companies, will help participants improve their ideas during the final.

The finalists will win 10,000 yuan (US$1,500) to 200,000 yuan. If they are located in the Shanghai (Jinshan) Cross-Strait Youth Entrepreneurship Base in Jinshan District, they will receive extra prizes of up to 500,000 yuan, which include direct financial support, training and rental fees.

The competition is the fourth of its kind and has become a platform for cross-Strait exchanges.

In the previous three years, it received a total of 1,331 entries, 656 from the mainland and 520 from Taiwan, as well as 40 from Hong Kong and 115 from overseas. More than 50 winning programs have made Shanghai their home.