Think you have an innovative business idea? This is your chance to put it to the test and give your idea the opportunity to become a reality.

The Million Dollar Idea is a start-up competition taking place at Microsoft Innovation Centre, SkyParks, Luqa between Friday, 31 March and Sunday, 2 April. The competition is open to people from any academic background and participants can take part as individuals or as a team with a maximum of five players. Participation is free.

During this weekend, workshops will be hosted to enrich participants' entrepreneurial and business modelling skills, focussed on Idea Generation and Validation by Ing. Edward Portelli, as well as Business Models, Timelines and Budgets by Konnekt, and ending with Perfecting your Pitch by Prof. Russell Smith, Centre for Entrepreneurship and Business Incubation.

The winning idea will receive a start-up package to continue to improve the idea. The package consists of an eSkills Malta Foundation cash prize of €500, a three-month free Takeoff Business Incubator membership and mentorship from James Cassar, director at Event Planner Co. Ltd. The runner-up shall receive a cash prize of €300, partly funded by Konnekt. Work spaces will be available for the participants at the venue, with the possibility of sleeping overnight also available. Alternatively, participants can work from home, however, final presentations must be given from the venue.

Mentors this year are Dr Chris Porter, Ing. Edward Portelli, Dr Godwin Caruana and Dr Peter A. Xuereb. And they will be available on Saturday to advise and point the teams in the right direction.

Participants will present the ideas they have worked on throughout the weekend to a panel of expert judges comprised of Prof. Russell Smith, Dr Nathaniel P. Massa, Dr Adrian Francalanza, Carmel Cachia and Marcel Cutajar.

For more information visit http://www.tmdi.ictsamalta.org/ or visit the Facebook event http://bit.ly/TMDI-17