Latest Winners Live the Small Business Contest DreamLatest Winners Live the Small Business Contest Dream

In our latest check on the never-ending small business awards season, two start-ups walk away with cash for their ideas and another business' lofty aspirations net a haul of tools and supplies.Now that GymStars Gymnastics is off on its $100,000 Total Technology Makeover adventure, what of the other contestants vying for prizes in the current slew of small business contests?

Essense Medical emerged triumphant from the four-way scrum of finalists in the $50,000 business plan competition sponsored by the The Institute for Technology Entrepreneurship & Commercialization (ITEC) at Boston University School of Management. After a live, public presentation -- American Idol style complete with judges debate and audience voting -- the four-person start up that develops disposable medical tools that offer real-time cancer treatment and diagnosis, grabbed the brass ring. Second and third place nods went to RemesaTel and AutoNAIS, respectively.

Jan Thomas of I Am Enough Bracelets was the winner of HP's "What do you have to say?" small business contest. Thomas' venture, which promotes self-esteem for young girls, bested two other youngster-oriented entrants, Ride N Zone and My Little One, to take claim the winning package of logo concept services, stationary, business cards, Web site design and a color laser printer.

Meanwhile, qcue took top honors in the business plan contest cooked up by Fortune Small Business and Rice University. The startup aims to do an end run around competitors such as StubHub, where customers/fans sell event tickets, to offer its flexible pricing software -- qcue Festival -- to event promoters. Take a look at the elevator pitch that netted the qcue troika the $327,000 prize or peruse the 35 other contest entrants.

And of course, a number of other contests are still in process -- DreamIT '08, Forbes Business Plan Competition, and the Wisconsin Governor's Business Plan Content to name a few. Stay tuned.