A partnership between the Vermont Council on Rural Development and the Vermont Small Business Development Center has created e-NEK, a contest organized to stimulate increased use of the Internet for small business owners in the Northeast Kingdom.

There is 4 different cash prizes small business owners can win, worth up to several thousand dollars.

Laura Duey, one of the Project Managers, says there are three separate categories in which contestants can win $1,000 each, but there are requirements. The first one is "one of the most innovative new use of an internet application by a business, something that's a little different from any of the others, the second one is for the plan which the judges think will create the greatest benefit to that business", says Duey, and the third way is the plan which encourages the most other use of the Internet in the Northeast Kingdom.

"In addition to the four cash prizes are $15,000 worth of services. These won't go to the businesses but they will go to service providers that the businesses select to help them get the stuff done."

Duey also went onto say that "even though we will not be able to give prizes to everybody, the biggest prize that everyone has that has gone through the process is they now understand the internet better, what they can do for their business, and they have a plan for how to do something with it."

Bonnie Paris, the manager of the Lyndon Freighthouse, says the education seminars alone have been extremely informative and it has helped her expand her business because she now understands how to use the Internet to advance her business.

Winners of the contest will be notified on Thursday, March 18th.