Charles & Miriam Nelson Poster Competition

All USNH students can enter!

• All USNH students are eligible to compete in the Charles & Miriam Nelson Poster Competition.
• All teams entered in the Paul J. Holloway Prize Innovation to Market Competition are encouraged to participate.
  • This is a great warm up for the Bud Albin Challenge! 
• You may enter your URC poster in the Nelson Poster Competition. 
   

Register for the Nelson Poster Competition by emailing holloway.prize@unh.edu

creating your poster

Posters entered in the Nelson Poster Competition should follow the URC Printing Requirements. 

Judging criteria

Judges will evaluate the posters based on the following criteria:

1. ability to generate enough interest in the concept through a stand-alone poster without verbal explanation of the concept
2. ability to generate enough interest from a hypothetical venture capitalist for them to consider asking for a formal business plan for the concept. See guidelines for additional information. Teams must register by the deadline.

Judges will score your poster and oral presentation on the following factors using a seven point scale:

• Poster Quality – Clarity of message, attractiveness, professionally prepared.  Does the poster generate interest in the concept without verbal explanation?
• Presentation Quality – Is the team/poster informing or persuading?  Were they convincing, knowledgeable, in command of the situation and on top of the information? Have they presented enough information and explanation to justify their ideas?
• Professional Presence - Was the team dressed in business attire?  Did they conduct themselves in a professional manner?
• Judges' Impressions – Why should a judge (potential business investor) care about this proposal?  Did the poster and presentation convey enough important insights into the business proposition that a potential investor would want to see more and/or ask the team to come back to present a complete business plan?
• Intangible or WOW factor – Did the team and poster leave a lasting impression?
• Overall

Either through your poster or in answering the judges’ questions you should be able to communicate the following information (this is only a guide for judges, they may or may not ask you these questions):*

• Who are you? (company or team)
• Need – Explain the problem your customers face.
• Solution – How do you solve this problem?  Don’t describe any technical details.
• Market – Tell the judges how many people need your product or service.  If you know the market dollar value, tell the judges that, too.
• Business Model – Explain how you make money.  Do you sell the product to wholesalers for a flat fee?  Do you charge a subscription?  Do you split revenues with a partner?
• Finanials – How much money do you need?  What makes this an attractive investment?  Some teams will still be working out the specifics.

*Adapted from Duke Start-Up Challenge 2008 Elevator Pitch

Note: Information on the 2022 Competition will be added as confirmed.

After nearly 15 years of various domestic and international sales and marketing experience at a Fortune 500 corporation headquartered in Framingham, MA, Charles W. Nelson '66 resigned to pursue his goal of establishing an organization that could fulfill a recognized void in the marketplace.

In July of 1984 Charles and Miriam Nelson '68 founded Nelco Products, Inc. Coupling Charlie's previous experience with Miriam's administrative leadership, they have built one of the region’s largest manufacturing, supply, and distribution companies for zip ties and wire bundling accessories.

Nelco has pioneered innovative internet marketing strategies, growing their following and dedicated customer base. They are able to leverage their digital marketing work and drive global prospect interest to the company's sales organization and initiatives.

Nelco has grown rapidly over 35 years, and now has locations in MA, NJ, FL, AL, and CA. Their portfolio of clients and products has grown over the years, but one thing hasn’t changed – their commitment to providing the highest quality zip tie products, over-the-top professional service, fair and very competitive prices