BNS News and Winner Magazine have officially announced the judging panel for the 2026 National Youth Entrepreneurship Challenge (NYEC), a virtual event spotlighting young innovators, entrepreneurs, and problem-solvers from organizations and educational communities such as Mensa's Gifted Youth and SLI The Sidney Ledson School.
Taking place virtually on Friday, May 29, the NYEC finals will feature students from Kindergarten through secondary school presenting original business ideas, technology concepts, social impact initiatives, and creative solutions designed to address real-world challenges. This year’s competition drew a strong pool of submissions spanning areas such as AI, healthcare, sustainability, education, consumer products, and community innovation.
The official judging panel brings together professionals from entrepreneurship, education, marketing, technology, innovation, and business strategy.
Luke Vesz joins the panel with a creative, results-driven perspective shaped by his experience with AI tools and backgrounds in finance and commercial real estate. He is the founder of SolarShield, a compliance tool for solar companies, and Vesz Web Services, a web agency specializing in websites and SEO for trades and clinics. Luke is especially interested in practical, original, and forward-looking ideas capable of shaping industries in the future.
Mia Torr is an educator, curriculum developer, and community builder with extensive experience in science communication, experiential learning, and creative education. Over the course of her career, she has taught more than 50,000 students across Ontario, British Columbia, and Alberta through hands-on programming in areas such as forest ecology, marine biology, entomology, and music. Her work has also included curriculum development, exhibit design, and education leadership with organizations including the Vancouver Aquarium and Stanley Park. Today, she continues supporting communication and innovation through her work as founder of Authentic Networker.
Yivgeni Matoussov brings experience in marketing, systems thinking, and operational problem solving as a senior marketer at Salient Medical Solutions. His work focuses on brand strategy, lead generation, digital systems, and practical AI and process improvements. He is particularly interested in ideas that demonstrate strong real-world application and scalability.
The organizers also extended special thanks to George Saltzberg, who assisted in selecting the finalists representing Mensa in this year’s finals.
George Saltzberg is a healthcare and medical aesthetics professional with more than 30 years of experience in the pharmaceutical and medical device industries. Following leadership roles with companies including Alcon, Servier, Abbott, and Allergan, he retired in 2023 as Director of Sales for Canada for the Plastic Surgery and Regenerative Medicine division. He now operates a consulting company focused on innovative surgical technologies and medical aesthetics ventures while continuing to support entrepreneurship and emerging ideas.
This year’s finals will also feature five representatives connected to the Mensa youth community whose projects advanced to the final stages of the competition.
Hosted in connection with BNS News and Winner Magazine, the National Youth Entrepreneurship Challenge was created to encourage innovation, communication skills, creativity, leadership, and entrepreneurial thinking among young people. Through competitions, interviews, media features, and the Brilliant Youth series, BNS News aims to create platforms where students can share ideas, gain recognition, and build confidence in their abilities at an early age.
Selected winners and standout participants from the 2026 NYEC finals will soon be featured in Winner Magazine’s online Brilliant Youth series and upcoming BNS News coverage, highlighting some of the country’s emerging young innovators and entrepreneurial thinkers.
As youth entrepreneurship and innovation continue gaining momentum across the nation, the NYEC finals aim to provide students with an opportunity not only to compete, but to present ideas that could one day influence industries, communities, and future generations.