Launch Your Venture: Submissions Open for the James & Eileen Christmas Business Plan Competition

St. John’s University students with a bold idea and an entrepreneurial spirit are invited to enter the James & Eileen Christmas Business Plan Competition, one of the signature experiential learning opportunities offered through the Peter J. Tobin College of Business. Open to all undergraduate and graduate students, the competition challenges participants to develop a comprehensive 15-page business plan—individually or in teams of up to five—for a chance to secure real startup funding. Plans must include a full market analysis, competitive assessment, operations strategy, and financial projections; only complete business plans will be considered.

To support applicants through the process, the competition team also provides individual guidance and feedback to help students strengthen their plans, refine their analyses, and build a compelling venture narrative. 

Students have until March 10, 2026, to submit their plans. From the pool of submissions, five finalists will be selected to pitch their ventures live at the final competition, which will be held on Thursday, April 16, 2026. Finalists will compete for $5,000 (first place), $2,000 (second), and $1,000 (third). Even students who are not selected as finalists will still have the opportunity to participate in the Pitch Event, where the top five presenters will receive $500, $400, $300, $200, and $100, respectively.

The competition has a strong track record of spotlighting innovative, high-potential ventures:

• 2022: Linh Dang and Dante Colaiacovo won the $5,000 top prize for Green Zone, a New Jersey–based cannabis dispensary with plans to introduce automated vending machines in the coming years.

• 2023: Louis A. Balducci captured first place for NYC Arts Cypher, a nonprofit arts venue dedicated to community engagement and youth empowerment on Staten Island.

• 2024: Daria Stepanova and Dayan C. Pita Garcia won $5,000 for Artesano, an artisanal tea-bag–style Colombian coffee product blending convenience with authentic flavor.

• 2025: Mariana Arias Correa earned the top prize for ParkX, an app that uses real-time municipal camera data to identify available parking spots in dense urban environments—an idea inspired by her own parking challenges in Miami and Washington, DC.

Each year, the competition helps transform student ideas into actionable ventures—providing mentorship, visibility, and funding that empower aspiring founders across all disciplines.

This competition is designed to help students move beyond the spark of inspiration and build a fully developed, investment-ready business plan," said Roy Weissman, Director of the Christmas Business Plan Competition. "We want applicants to understand they're not alone in the process - our team is here to guide them, challenge them, and help them bring their ideas to life with clarity and rigor."

Ready to build something real? Your business journey starts here. Visit the competition page to learn more, review guidelines, access planning support, and submit your business plan.