The two-month 2019 China Qidong Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition attracts bright minds. It concluded on June 11. [Photo/WeChat account of Qidong Daily]

The two-month 2019 China Qidong Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition concluded on June 11. 

Since the start of the competition in April, the organizing committee has received nearly 300 entries.

Seventy contestants made it into the finals following several qualifying rounds in the event.

Organized by the government of Qidong, a county-level city in Nantong, in eastern China's Jiangsu province, the annual event has evolved to become a platform for entrepreneurs or entrepreneurs-to-be to demonstrate their start-up ideas.

After a rousing final on June 11, two entrepreneurs -- Zhu Junjie and Yang Feng -- secured the top awards and each were awarded a cash prize of 100,000 yuan ($14,453).

The entrepreneurship ideas displayed during the finals covered such areas as new materials, energy conservation, new energy, advanced manufacturing and electronic data.

The first-prize winner, Zhu Junjie, who holds a doctorate from the University of Science and Technology of China, extended thanks to the competition during a follow-up interview after the awards ceremony, saying the event gave participants the opportunity to showcase their ideas and talent.

Zhu's entrepreneurship project was about the research and development of a new type of nanometer absorbing coating materials of solar thermal collectors, which he said would be able to replace traditional solar water heaters.

Xu Yanhua, dean of the School of Environment at Nanjing Tech University and a judge of the competition, expressed his approval of the entries.

He said that he was impressed by the innovation and creativity shown by the contestants. He thought the competition would be a springboard for the entrepreneurs to realize their dreams.

Winners of the 2019 Qidong Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition pose for a photo with a cash award of 100,000 yuan. [Photo/WeChat account of Qidong Daily]

A contestant presents his entrepreneurship project. [Photo/Wechat account of Qidong Daily]