Jan. 15, 2024

Applications are open for the 2024 Governor’s Giant Vision Competition, offering entrepreneurs the chance to opportunity to win money to launch their ventures.

The annual competition organized by the South Dakota Chamber of Commerce & Industry is designed to foster and reward the entrepreneurial spirit in South Dakotans as they vie for prize money to launch their business idea.

This marks the 20th year for open competition of the program and the 18th year for the student competition.

South Dakota residents with new business ideas can enter the Giant Vision open/business competition for a chance to win up to $20,000. South Dakota college, university and technical school students can enter the Giant Vision student competition and compete for a top prize of $5,000.

Application requirements, FAQs and a statewide list of organizations that provide application assistance are available at southdakotagiantvision.com. An expanded offering of the FAST Launch Business Boot Camp, presented by South Dakota Biotech and South Dakota EPSCoR, is designed to assist South Dakota entrepreneurs and small businesses with beginning and expanding their business through the Giant Vision Competition and SBIR/STTR funding. Online, on-demand sessions are available. Details can be found here.

In addition to cash awards, the competition will bring people with new business ideas together with judges and other invited guests who have business development experience and those who have the capacity to make venture investments.

Application deadlines are Feb. 23 for the open competition and March 1 for the student competition. Selected qualifiers will compete for prize money April 11 in Sioux Falls.

The Governor’s Giant Vision open competition is supported financially by the Governor’s Office of Economic Development, Black Hills Energy, Christiansen Land & Cattle Ltd., Dacotah Bank, First Premier Bank/Premier Bankcard, Keloland Media Group, MidAmerican Energy, NorthWestern Energy, Valley Queen Cheese and Wheeler Manufacturing. The student competition sponsors are the Governor’s Office of Economic Development, Citi and South Dakota EPSCoR.

The Giant Vision Program is chaired by Brad Wheeler of Wheeler Manufacturing in Lemmon, a former South Dakota Chamber board chair.