Wisconsin YES! (Youth Entrepreneurs in Science), a statewide science and technology innovation contest for middle school and high school students, is now open for applications.

The annual contest allows students to turn their science innovations into business plans. Private, public and home-schooled students have until 5 p.m. March 17 to submit an initial 250-word summary of their plan. Chosen finalists will then produce a 1,000-word executive summary. The grand prize winner will announce his or her plan at the Wisconsin Entrepreneurs’ Conference in June.

Wisconsin Technology Council president Tom Still emphasized the importance of educating today’s students in the growing field of STEM education, which stands for science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

“This announcement recognizing the importance of STEM education reinforces the same spirit of the innovative efforts that students who apply for Wisconsin YES! demonstrate,” Still said in a statement.

Last year’s winner was Sara Linderman, an eighth grader who created SongJudge, a new music app that judges performance based on different musical aspects such as tempo, volume and tone.