Western Kentucky University will host Zone 2 of Lt. Gov. Jenean Hampton’s inaugural Lieutenant Governor’s Entrepreneurship Challenge next spring.

The state has been split into five zones for the challenge.

Other regional hosts are Murray State University, Zone 1; Georgetown College, Zone 3; Berea College, Zone 4; and the University of Pikeville, Zone 5.

WKU welcomes the opportunity to help young entrepreneurs, Jeff Hook said Monday. 

Hook is director of the WKU Center for Research & Development and Small Business Accelerator. He’s also executive director of the Central Region Office Kentucky Innovation Network in Bowling Green.

“The younger generation many times has aspirations to work for themselves,” Hook said. “High school students get a lot of information put in front of them, and this competition gets them thinking about being an entrepreneur as a career path.”

The competition will involve high school students throughout Kentucky making a pitch for a possible business.

“The skill set to make an elevator pitch for a business is a valuable skill for them to have,” Hook said.

High school students who are dual enrolled have the opportunity to work with Kentucky Innovation Network programs while still in high school.

The first Entrepreneurship Challenge is taking place in April.

“I am so appreciative of these universities and colleges opening their doors for students to learn about as well as experience entrepreneurship firsthand,” Hampton said in a news release Monday.

The regional competition rounds are open to any high school student teams – public, private or homeschool – who submit their intent to compete form by Feb. 1 and completed business applications by March 1. The top two teams from each regional competition will move on to the final competition, which will take place April 29 at the University of Kentucky. The regional competitions are April 10-13.

Students will have an opportunity to explore the academic and social opportunities present at each university or college during the regional events, organizers said.

More than $80,000 in scholarship winnings for post-secondary institutions and cash prizes are available for the top three teams as well as adult coaches of the teams in the final competition.

— For more information on the challenge, visit www.kylgec.com.

— Follow business reporter Charles A. Mason on Twitter @BGDNbusiness or visit bgdailynews.com.