2026 Plan Your Own Enterprise (PYOE) Competition

Want to give your students the opportunity to see how business really works? Business and Financial Planning lets them connect the dots between different parts of a business, helping them understand how everything fits together. By your students participating in the competition, they’ll dive into real-world business planning in a way that’s fun, engaging, authentic, and hands-on.

Plus, they’ll gain valuable insights into how business really works, and level up some serious skills that will set them up for success, like:

• Organisation and planning: Master the art of getting things done.
• Decision-making: Learn how to make smart choices for business success.
• Research and communication: Discover fresh ideas and communicate them like a boss.
• Prioritising and collaborating: Work together, stay focused, and achieve more.
• Critical thinking and problem-solving: Think outside the box and tackle challenges head-on.
• Reflection and action: Learn from experience and take action to improve.
• Creativity and innovation: Bring your big ideas to life.

If your students are full-time secondary school students in Australia, and currently enrolled in a registered school, then they’re good to go. Teachers will submit the entries for their students to be in the running to win awesome prizes!

• Solo Stars: Open to any secondary student of any age. Get your student’s to take the lead and showcase their individual talent!
• Team Legends: Get your students to form a team of up to six secondary students, of any age, and tackle the challenge together!
• The Innovators: all entries from Solo and Team categories will also be eligible for the Innovation Prize, celebrating exceptional creativity, originality, and entrepreneurial thinking.

• Solo category:
  • The winning student will walk away with $1,500 to fuel their business idea, thanks to Business Educators Australasia (BEA).
  • The winning student’s school also wins! They’ll get a complimentary annual school membership to the Victoria Commercial Teachers Association (VCTA) and $200 worth of books, all thanks to the BEA.
• Team category:
  • The winning team will walk away with $1,000 to power up their business idea, thanks to the BEA.
  • The winning team’s school also scores big, with a complimentary school registration for one teacher to attend the VCTA’s Comview Conference 2026, all thanks to the VCTA.
• Innovation category:
  • The winning innovative entry will walk away with $600 to power up their innovative business idea, thanks to the BEA.

The competition is now open and you can submit your students’ entries at any time right up to the closing date. Just be sure to get the entries in to your state/territory association before time runs out as we can’t accept entries after Monday 7 September 2026 (the closing date).

Make sure you work with your students to complete the 2026 PYOE Entry Form.

Note: Entries need to be submitted by your school to the right state/territory association.

Do not send your entries to the BEA directly.

The entries will be reviewed in late October, with winners announced in early November. Stay tuned!

Heads up: State/territory prizes might also be up for grabs. Reach out to your state or territory association for the details.

Business Educators Australasia and its affiliate associations reserve the right not to make awards at state/territory or National level if it is not considered entries are of a suitable standard. Business Educators Australasia also reserves the right to alter the final judging date.