MADISON – Wisconsin Business World, an affiliate of WMC Foundation, announced the three winning students of its essay contest. The program, sponsored by ITU AbsorbTech, encourages middle and high school students to research and write about how a local business is a force for good within their community.
The winners of Wisconsin Business World’s 2025 Essay Contest:
Brooke T. – Kimberly High School
Julia B. – Kettle Moraine School of Arts and Performance
Payton E. – Arrowhead High School
“We want students to see the power of entrepreneurship and the free market right in their backyards,” said Senior Director of Wisconsin Business World Michelle Grajkowski. “Our companies do so much more than create a product; they invest in their communities through providing employment, philanthropy, education programs, and economic impact. Layna, Justin, and Nicholas each captured these ideas in their essays, and we’re proud to award them a cash prize. Congratulations!”
Winning students featured Ice Cold Emergency, an ice cream truck operating in Appleton; Mama D’s, a coffee ship in Wales; and Johnsonville Sausage in Sheboygan Falls. Many other impactful businesses, large and small from across the state, were featured by other contest applicants. Each of the winning essay writers was awarded $500 thanks to ITU Absorbtech’s generous sponsorship.
Wisconsin Business World’s mission is to reach, inspire and engage students from every corner of the state and to teach them the importance of business, entrepreneurship and the free market through virtual and in-person events, all while informing them of economic opportunities in their own communities. The organization’s key message, promoted through its programming and contests, is “Business is a Force for Good.”
Learn more about Wisconsin Business World and its programs at https://www.wmcfoundation.org/wisconsin-business-world/.
