Young professionals living in the Bay of Plenty are encouraged to enter their innovative business ideas into the Young Innovator Awards.

Young Innovator Award organiser Lyn Parlane looks over the winning entry concepts on display at the careers expo. Photo by Bruce Barnard.

Entries are now open for the 2014 competition, which encourages both students and young professionals alike to take a look at the market and identify, in their opinion, current market needs and create a solution.

Established in 2009 by Priority One, the Young Innovator Awards has steadily become an iconic competition in Western Bay of Plenty.

This year's awards will see several new elements introduced, including a new prize category where one lucky entrant will win $5000 if chosen as the Overall Supreme winner from all categories, thanks to Careers New Zealand.

New this year, the competition is widening its ‘innovator' base by offering entry to those studying at the polytechnic level.

Lyn Parlane of Priority One's Instep Programme, the organisation behind the awards, wholeheartedly believes in this competition – and she believes the wider the competition extends, the more effective it'll be in drawing real Kiwi ingenuity from the Bay's young innovators.

'We're still in very early days of this year's competition yet we've already received an encouraging number of entries which is very exciting,” says Lynne.

'Essentially, these awards are about fostering a culture of innovation in the Bay, and some of the creations we've seen coming through epitomise this.

'We are seeing innovation from the next generation of our region's, our nation's, and even our world's leaders.”

Once again, Bayfair Shopping Centre is supporting the awards by hosting the People's Choice award.

Entries from every finalist will be displayed in the shopping centre from July 28 to August 3, where members of the public can vote for their favourite innovation.

The winner of the People's Choice award will receive a $600 Bayfair voucher.

Bayfair marketing manager Kylie McGregor is looking forward to playing host to this year's innovations, and is really encouraged by the uptake of the competition in the region.

'I love the Bay; not only for the weather, but for the people and minds that make this place great,” says Kylie.

'It's engrained in us from a young age to think creatively and outside the box, and it's competitions like the Young Innovator Awards that continue to encourage this kind of thinking.

'I'm proud that Bayfair has a hand in this year's awards - I'm really looking forward to seeing the fruit of these innovations.”

Previous years' entries have never failed to disappoint.

Last year, saw creative entries such as eco sea lettuce compost, a scuba diving mask with a pressure screen inside and a stroke rehab machine.

The swap tip tooth brush created by Emily McCarthy of Tauranga Girls' College won the overall prize last year.

Applications are being accepted now and will close on Friday, July 4, at 5pm.

For further information on how to enter the awards, visit www.yia.co.nz

In the lead up to the awards, Bayfair is also giving away gift vouchers to the winners of weekly questions about innovation through YIA's Facebook page.

Visit www.facebook.com/YoungInnovatorAwards to test your knowledge.

The entry categories and prizes are:

Junior: Years 9-10: $1000 prize

Senior: Years 11-13: $1000 prize. The senior secondary student winner will also be awarded a $500 start-up mentoring session to further develop their idea.

Young professionals: Under 40 years: cheque for $3500.

Winners also receive the opportunity to spend time with a business mentor to further develop their idea.

Internship Award: Two-week internship opportunity: one week at Locus Research and one week at Woods, The Creative Agency.

People's Choice: $600 Bayfair voucher.