For the ninth year, Junior Chamber International Malta is to hold its annual Best Business Plan competition.

People aged between 18 and 40 are invited to develop business ideas (either on their own or as a group of up to four) and turn them into a concrete business plan. Entrants will be in with the chance to win up to €2,500 and potential access to the necessary finance for realising the business plan. The JCI Best Business Plan Competition is supported by HSBC Bank Malta plc and KPMG.

JCI Malta is part of Junior Chamber International, a worldwide community of nearly 200,000 young people in over 115 countries and territories. Its mission is to provide development opportunities that empower young people to create positive change.

With this initiative, JCI seeks to foster the entrepreneurial spirit among its members and within communities around the world.

As part of the programme, a number of training sessions will be held by leading experts from various industries, and participants may attend one-to-one guidance sessions to be provided by KPMG.

Applications and business plan proposals must be submitted by March 17. The final business plan is to be submitted by September.

The best business plan will be one which clearly demonstrates the anticipated benefit to the local community, innovation, quality and a clear vision of the proposed project's execution plan.

Information and a downloadable application form is available at www.jci.org.mt. Alternatively, contact Hermione Portelli at hermione.portelli@jci.org.mt or on 9982 6960.