The Pitch 2010: Five reasons why you have to get involved

The Pitch 2010, organised by BusinessZone.co.uk, is the UK’s most exciting competition for small business owners. Here's why you have to get involved.

Entrepreneurs in five cities – Bristol, Birmingham, London, Liverpool and Edinburgh – will compete for the chance to win big business prizes this summer and you could be one of them!

Here are five reasons why you can’t afford not to be involved:

1. We will soon be announcing a massive £50,000 package of prizes which cover all elements of growing a successful business. Last year’s prize package included website consultancy, a three month national and regional public relations campaign and thousands of pounds worth of office and meeting room facilities, and this year's looks set to be even better! The Pitch 2010 champion will be given a massive helping hand in hitting the big time.

2. Meet local success stories: In each region we are keen to ensure that the judging panel includes entrepreneurs which are local to the particular area. Regional finalists will get the chance to meet and interact with business owners who know exactly how to achieve success in their region.

3. Star spotting: We have secured some big name successful entrepreneurs who will be sharing the tricks of the trade with our contestants. Judges include former Dragons' Den panellist Doug Richard; business investor and online Dragon Julie Meyer and Carl Hopkins, star of Channel 4's The Secret Millionaire.

But if you’re not lucky enough to meet the big business names at a regional heat or final, you’ll have the opportunity to mix with the big names at our Business Factory conference in November where the winner of The Pitch 2010 will be decided in a live grand final.

4. It’s not all about the winner: We are keen to ensure that all entrepreneurs who get involved in The Pitch pick up at expert business advice and pointers in the right direction. Videos of all the regional pitches will also be uploaded to BusinessZone.co.uk so everyone will get to pick up some pitching tips!

5. Morale boosting: There's no doubt about it, times are tough. However, what better way to boost your own and your employees' morale than with an award win?

So if you want to be part of something massive, click here to apply for The Pitch 2010 today.

Here's a film showing how Anthony Lau, founder of Cyclehoop, won The Pitch 2009: