Blue Ocean Student Entrepreneur Competition Empowers Next Generation of Innovators
Top high school students from around the world recognized for their innovative blue ocean business ideas
May 20, 2026
The Blue Ocean Student Entrepreneur Competition is excited to announce the winners of the 2026 competition. With participation from 23,000+ students representing 9,000+ schools from 173 countries and 50 US states in 2026, the world’s largest virtual entrepreneurship competition for high school students showcases the most innovative blue ocean ideas to solve the world’s most pressing problems.
Global Awards
1st Place
2nd Place
3rd Place
People’s Choice Award
Regional Awards
North America
1st Place
2nd Place
3rd Place
Europe
1st Place
2nd Place
3rd Place
Latin America
1st Place
2nd Place
3rd Place
Asia & Oceania
1st Place
2nd Place
3rd Place
Africa
1st Place
2nd Place
3rd Place
Middle East
1st Place
2nd Place
3rd Place
The World’s Largest Virtual Entrepreneurship Competition for High School Students
Inspired by Chan Kim and Renée Mauborgne’s Blue Ocean Strategy and the blue ocean way of thinking, the Blue Ocean Student Entrepreneur Competition was founded in 2014 by Nicholas Benavides, a young budding high school entrepreneur, with the mission to prepare high school students for the real world of entrepreneurship and empower them to create blue ocean businesses.
The first edition of the Blue Ocean Student Entrepreneur Competition in 2014 was at the county level, which then quickly expanded to state, and then the countrywide competition. Today it has become the largest and the most prestigious virtual entrepreneurship competition providing high school students an opportunity to compete at the global level. Participation is 100% free for all students.
Blue Ocean Student Entrepreneurs Corp, the non-profit running the competition also recognizes and awards outstanding educators and schools for their significant contribution to preparing high school students for the real world of entrepreneurship.
Top 5 Schools with Most Submissions – 2026
School with Most Pitches that Made it to Top 100 – 2025
Cupertino High School, California, US
Blue Ocean Teacher Champions – 2026
We are proud to recognize our 2026 Blue Ocean Teacher Champions for their outstanding commitment to guiding and inspiring the next generation of innovators. Their dedication played a key role in this year’s record-breaking competition. In recognition of his exceptional mentorship and tireless efforts to spread blue ocean entrepreneurship, Eric Sera was named the competition’s first-ever “Blue Ocean Super Teacher Champion”—a new honor celebrating extraordinary leadership in youth entrepreneurship
Blue Ocean Teacher Super Champions:
- Eric Sera, Munster High School, Indiana, USA
- Şebnem Gürler, Çorlu Science and Art Center, Turkey
- Aditi Bhargava, Indus International School, Bangalore, India
Teacher champions:
- Sajeewa Ranasinghe, Gateway College Dahiwala, Sri Lanka
- Spencer Burrows, Pacific Ridge School, California, USA
- Deepthy Satyanathan, The Samhita Academy, India
- Dilek Erdas, İSTEK Belde Anadolu Lisesi, Turkey
- Stephanie Benavides, Lincoln Park Academy, Florida, USA
- Khokon Mahmud, Glenrich International High School, Bangladesh
- Sarah McCance, Fountain Valley High School, California, USA
- Sana Abdul Salam, Aga Khan School Garden, Pakistan
- John Mark E. Ludor, NU Fairview Senior High School, Philippines
- Ousmane Diallo, Mentari Intercultural School, Jakarta, Indonesia
- Allan Gunawan, Tzuchi School, Indonesia
- Ebong Michael, LEAD Academy, Uganda
- Yaroslavna Karpova, Ayeyarwaddy International School, Myanmar
Blue Ocean Student Ambassadors – 2026
The 2026 competition also marks the debut of our Blue Ocean Student Ambassadors Program, a vibrant community of high-achieving students – already 700 strong from 56 countries and growing – who champion blue ocean entrepreneurship and inspire peers while developing critical leadership skills that enhance their future prospects.
Blue Ocean Student Super Ambassadors:
- Aditya Yadav, S.R.S. International School, Patti Pratapgarh, Uttar Pardesh, India
- Krethi Karthik, Ruh Continuum School, India
- Aarnav Chandraganti, George Washington University Online High School, Texas, USA
- Rounak Nayak, Blossom Public School, Pune, India
- Aiza Mohammad, Heritage High School, Texas, India
- Shoriful Islam, Shaheed Police Smrity College, Dhaka, Bangladesh
- Nargiza Zufarova, Tashkent University of information technologies, Uzbekistan
- Mahrus Yunus, Glenrich International School Uttara, Bangladesh
Student ambassadors:
- Siddhi Jain
- Brandon Walker
- Bera Gumruk
- Chalita Dono
- Akshay Agarwal
- Siraj Singh
- Simran Singh Janjua
- Njini Lefeh
- Salsabila Assyfa
- Meerab Fatima
Why the Competition matters
- 75% of new jobs in our economy are created by entrepreneurs every year.
The Blue Ocean Student Entrepreneur Competition empowers students, as young as 15 years old, to get involved in solving new and pressing programs and start businesses that create new jobs.
- 4 out 5 students can’t get a job when they graduate from college. Youth unemployment is three times higher than adult unemployment.
The Blue Ocean Student Entrepreneur Competition prepares high school students for the real world of global competition and empowers them to create jobs for themselves and others.
- 72% of high school students have considered starting their own business, yet 62% are never offered a course in entrepreneurship.
High school students are our most underutilized creative resource – if we can successfully engage their talents, we’ll unlock innovative solutions to the world’s most pressing problems.
What’s unique about the competition?
The competition challenges students to develop a 5-min pitch for a blue ocean business idea – one that stands apart from the competition; delivers innovative value at low cost; and produces win-win outcomes for everyone involved. It also encourages students to operationalize their blue ocean ideas into commercially viable businesses.
The competition gives high school students a chance to present their innovative business ideas, hone their pitching skills, earn cash prizes, and build resumes that stand out from the crowd when applying for college. Most of all, they learn how to create businesses that stand out from the competition, creating blue oceans of new market space.
Fosters a diverse and inclusive environment that promotes innovation and creativity
The Blue Ocean Student Entrepreneur Competition attracts the very best high school student entrepreneurs from all over the world. Participation is 100% free for all students, which levels the playing field and provides equal access to opportunities for aspiring entrepreneurs regardless of their socioeconomic background or nationality.
Democratizes access to a world-class education for high school students globally
The competition empowers students to think creatively and innovatively by providing them with Blue Ocean Strategy tools and frameworks to develop their ideas. To date, over 35,000 high school students have taken the Blue Ocean Mini-Course, an online course covering Blue Ocean Strategy, which is taught at nearly 3,000 universities worldwide, including the top U.S. business schools. Free access to world-class education promotes equal educational opportunities and helps bridge the divide empowering youth to create businesses of tomorrow.
The Blue Ocean Competition is a Blue Ocean in itself
The Blue Ocean Student Entrepreneur Competition effectively opened up a blue ocean of new market space in the world’s youth. Blue ocean strategy is the only leading business theory that penetrated high schools and offers a unique and innovative approach to promoting entrepreneurship among high school-aged students.
“As these high school students applied blue ocean strategies to develop solutions to some of the most pressing issues facing our planet and society, they became better prepared to make a positive difference in the world that we live in.” Ilian Mihov, Dean, INSEAD
The competition is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit in the State of Maryland, USA.
Contact:
Blue Ocean Student Entrepreneur Competition
Zunaira Munir Ph.D. (Zee)
Executive Director, Blue Ocean Student Entrepreneurs
Tel: +1-858-284-959
Download the latest press releases
- Blue Ocean Competition 2025 Winners (20 May 2025) Word.doc
- Blue Ocean Competition 2025 Winners (20 May 2025) PDF
- Blue Ocean Competition 2024 Winners (02 May 2024) Word.doc
- Blue Ocean Competition 2024 Winners (02 May 2024) PDF