Veritas Classical Academy freshman Sophia Nayak won the 2021 Junior PioBiz: Problem/Solution stage of the competition at Marietta College on Thursday, April 8.
Nayak, who competed against 14 students from Belpre High School, was awarded $250 and one free three-credit course at Marietta College valued at $1,455. Nayak proposed a product called Medicompare, which is a medical service review app that is similar to review apps for restaurants and hotels.
Belpre’s Evan Vowls, Alivia Mercer and Wyatt Whitehouse finished second with Instrufinder, an app that helps people identify instruments in a song by sound. The group won $200.
Also from BHS, Nichole Gogan, Victor Vilahur and Elijah Flowers took home $150 and a third-place finish with Quickassist. Another app idea, Quickassist helps people who need to get essential goods and/or needs someone to run errands for them.
Finishing in fourth place and winning $100 was Belpre’s Nicholas Lambert, Anthony Sampson, Matthew Rasmussen and Evan Turrill with Restaurant Rater. This app concept allows users to save menu items they have ordered at a restaurant and they can rate it, so they know if they want to get it again or not.
Rounding out the top five was Belpre’s Christopher Clem, Trent Cox, Cody Daugherty and Cody Hess with Project Mask On. The concept is a box designed to put in a vehicle that can be loaded with masks. The group received a $50 prize.
The judges for Junior PioBiz were Nikki Butler ’99, artist and founder of Nikki Butler Design, Hannah McKain ’23, Marketing and Management student at Marietta, Sara Rosenstock, Associate Professor of Graphic Design and co-owner of just-A-jar Design Press, and Leah Seaman ’21, Communication and Studio Art student and overall winner of the 2019-20 PioBiz competition.