Business Professionals of America | JANUARY 1, 2022
Happy New Year!
As we enter a new year, we don’t know what will be different at 12:01 a.m.—or in the weeks and months ahead—as compared to the final moments of the past year. I do know that BPA is filled with amazing folks who work tirelessly for and on behalf of our student members. So, I enter 2022 with hope because I am surrounded and inspired by people who are determined to make the world a better place. No matter how formidable the challenges, our members, advisors and partners are up to the task. We remain grateful for your dedication. Happy New Year to you, and here’s wishing us all a healthy and prosperous 2022!
—Dr. LouAnn Ross, EdD, MAEd, MPPM, Executive Director
2022 Accounting and Entrepreneurship Challenges to Test Skills, Award Cash Prizes
BPA and Knowledge Matters are pleased to present the 2022 BPA Virtual Business Challenge (VBC), online competitions in Accounting and Entrepreneurship. Secondary Division BPA members, individually or as a team of up to three members, are eligible to participate in one or both tracks.
The top three nationally ranked finishers (teams or individuals) will win the following prizes: $1,000 for first place, $750 for second place and $500 for third place. Registration opens January 18. The competition begins February 1 at 10 a.m. Eastern Time and concludes February 25 at 5 p.m. Eastern Time. Because Challenges are completely web-based, students may compete from home or school.
Accounting Challenge: Participants will analyze source documents such as bank statements, pay records and time sheets, as well as accounting documents such as T-accounts, the general ledger and worksheets in order to make sound business decisions. They will strategically set service prices and wage rates, rearrange the production floor and buy advertising.
Entrepreneurship Challenge: Participants will spot opportunities, conduct market research and open their business. They will raise finances, build a team, acquire resources, organize workflow, determine risks and develop marketing strategies. The competitors will analyze market data, interpret financial reports and apply critical thinking and decision making skills in order to make their entrepreneurial venture as successful as possible.
The event is based on the classroom versions of the Virtual Business Accounting and Entrepreneurship simulations, so if students already have online Virtual Business accounts, they will not need to register for new accounts. They will just need to create new VBC teams.
Important Instructions for Advisors:
Advisors will need to log in to approve teams registered under your BPA chapter. Advisor accounts have been created, but they will not be accessible until the first day of registration, January 18. To log in to advisor accounts, please visit https://vb.knowledgematters.com/and use the following log in credentials:
Email*: Use the email address associated with your Secondary Division Chapter in the BPA Member Registration System
Password: vbcpass (Change your password at your first log in.)
*NOTE: If you already have an online Virtual Business account affiliated with your email address, advisors are encouraged to continue using that same log-in information and not set up a second account.
$15,000 to be Awarded for Top Student-Produced Ethics Videos
Teams of two to four Middle Level and Secondary BPA members have an opportunity to use their creativity while producing a video about the important topic of ethics in the Ethics Awareness Video Challenge. The top five teams in each division will earn cash prizes and an invitation to the BPA National Leadership Conference (May 4–8 in Dallas, Texas).
Videos, one to two minutes in length, must focus on the eight principles of ethics defined by the Daniels Fund Ethics Initiative, which have been covered in BPA’s six-part Leadership Academy on Ethics. Students who missed the virtual Leadership Academy are strongly encouraged to watch the video recordings of the weekly sessions to prepare for participating in the Ethics Awareness Video Challenge.
National BPA has partnered with LifeSmarts to provide student members with the opportunity to test their knowledge, develop critical thinking skills and compete with other BPA members in TeamSmarts, a web-based team competition. Throughout January, Middle Level and Secondary BPA students can compete in the Personal Finance and Environment categories. The top team in each monthly competition will earn a $100 cash prize. LifeSmarts provides complete instructions on how to register.
Jan. 12: Running for Executive Council
Secondary and Post-secondary members who want to learn more about running for an officer position on the Executive Council are encouraged to join Spencer Christensen, National Officer Coordinator, as he outlines the procedures, eligibility requirements, important deadlines and more. The Zoom session is Wednesday, January 12, 2022, at 8:00 pm ET. Learn more about the webinar.
National Virtual Events Deadlines
All projects for the National BPA Virtual Events listed below must be uploaded no later than January 15, 2022 at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time. Instructions on completing the project uploads for these National Virtual Events are provided below. If you have questions, please direct them to Patrick Schultz, Director of Education and Technology Integration, and they will be answered in the order they are received.
V01 – Virtual Multimedia and Promotion (Individual)
V02 – Virtual Multimedia and Promotion (Team)
V03 – Software Engineering (Team)
V04 – Web Application (Team)
V05 – Mobile Applications (Individual)
V06 – Promotion Photography (Individual)
V08 – Start-Up Enterprise (Team)
V10 – Virtual Branding (Team Pilot)
INSTRUCTIONS: Advisors Uploading Projects for Students
If a member is in more than one competition, ensure projects are uploaded for the correct competitions for that competitor.
For team events, the completed projects should only be uploaded to one member of the team. The system will associate all members of the team to the upload.
INSTRUCTIONS: Students Uploading Projects Using BPA Member IDs
Check the WSAP Guidelines for what is required to be uploaded for each National BPA Virtual Event or click on the “Instructions” button to review what must be uploaded.
Upload projects by clicking the “Upload Files” button.**
Double check all your file uploads.
You can make changes to file uploads until the submission deadline of January 15, 2022 at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time.
**Important Notes:
You may upload a URL to a file sharing site containing all files or upload files directly.
If a member is in more than one competition, ensure projects are uploaded for each one.
For team events, the completed projects should only be uploaded by the team captain. The system will associate all members of the team to the upload.
Post-secondary BPA members may be eligible for the Association of International Certified Professional Accountants (AICPA) Legacy Scholars program, which is designed to help students of different backgrounds become CPAs by assisting with the cost of their college education. Students interested in being considered for more than one AICPA Legacy Scholarship need to complete only one application and will be evaluated for all awards for which they are eligible. The scholarship application period runs through March 1. Learn more about the AICPA Legacy Scholarships.
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