Student entrepreneurs from area universities recently earned cash prizes to further their business ideas at the Northwest Entrepreneur Competition.

The competition, held Thursday by the Spokane University District and North Idaho College, featured 22 Pacific Northwest-based teams that presented business plans to three panels of regional business experts for a chance to win $42,000 in prize money.

The competition, which is the largest student-business plan competition in the region, drew more than 100 applicants from high school- and college-led teams this year.

The event was scheduled to take place at the McKinstry Innovation Center this year, but coronavirus-related restrictions required student business pitches to be conducted via Zoom.

“We were able to talk with the teams and see their presentation skills,” said Ryan Arnold, regional director of entrepreneurial strategy at North Idaho College. “If nothing else, it might have challenged them to learn a skill set they will need in the future,”

Five student-led teams from Eastern Washington and North Idaho were awarded a combined $18,000 at the event.

Washington State University startup GreenSky was awarded first place in the BECU traditional business category and $10,000 towards designing an aerial tree-seeding product.

Zephyr, also a WSU startup, garnered second place in the traditional business category and $3,000 toward funding a mattress and bed frame geared towards muscular dystrophy patients.

Two Gonzaga University startups, MAGNA HIP and Perfect Plastic, were awarded $1,000 each and third place in the Avista technology and BECU traditional business categories, respectively.

University of Idaho student-led startup CatheterX was awarded second place and $3,000 in the Perkins Coie open business category.

The competition had more than 20 supporters and sponsors, including the Herbert B. Jones Foundation, StartUp Spokane, Greater Spokane Incorporated, Spokane Angel Alliance, Ignite Northwest, Brick West Brewing Co., Idaho Central Credit Union and the Cowles Co., which also publishes The Spokesman-Review.