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A contest for woman-owned businesses is open for submissions now.

KeyBank, Micro Enterprise Services of Oregon (MESO), and the Portland Thorns FC are collaborating to host a business pitch contest for woman-owned businesses located in specific counties in Oregon and Southwest Washington. Cash awards will total $50,000, including $20,000 for the grand prize winner.

To be eligible, businesses must be at least 51 percent owned, controlled, operated and managed by women. They must also be headquartered in either Oregon (Multnomah, Clackamas, Washington, Columbia, Hood River, Yamhill or Marion counties only) or Washington (Clark, Cowlitz or Skamania counties only). Applicants can be an entrepreneur with a new business idea or an owner of an existing business (with annual sales of less than $3 million) seeking a new product or service to spur growth.

Criteria used to determine winners will include presentation quality, clarity of business vision and mission, economic impact of the idea, and soundness of value proposition.

Free application workshops with MESO advisors will take place on July 25, Aug. 2 and Aug. 5.

The application deadline is at 11:59 p.m. on Aug. 31. Ten finalists chosen by host representatives will be announced on Sept. 18.

Each finalist will present a four-minute pitch to a panel of five judges and then field questions for six minutes during an event from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Nov. 16 at Providence Park in Portland. Winners will be announced the following day.

To learn more about contest rules and specifics, including eligibility, the application, and submission requirements, visit .