Windstream Invites the Public to Vote in the Final Round of Smart Tomorrow Start-Up Challenge

LITTLE ROCK, Ark., Jan. 20, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Windstream (NASDAQ:WIN), a leading provider of advanced network communications, has launched the final round of the Smart Tomorrow Start-Up Challenge in partnership with Inc.com to give the public a vote in selecting the winning student start-up concept.

Until January 25, people can visit http://www.inc.com/smarttomorrow to watch and vote for their favorite start-up video from each of the three finalists from Lexington, KY; Lincoln, NE; and Sugar Land, TX. The public vote, in partnership with Inc.com, represents one of three final votes that will determine the winner. Jessica Peltz-Zatulove, Principal at kbs+ Ventures, and Windstream, will award the other two votes. The video with the majority vote will be named winner.

The three finalists include:

• Thought Bubble: A mobile application designed to create a collaborative, real-time brainstorm space. (Carter Knopik at Southwest High School; Lincoln, NE)
• Nextile: An eco-centric company focused on the production of textiles made from recycled papers and discarded books. (Anne Brooks and Josh Adams at Montessori School of Kentucky; Lexington, KY)
• InnovaTech: A ride-sharing service that works in the place of ambulances to reduce wait times for people who need to get to a hospital with non life-threatening injuries. (Ahsan Zafar and Anya Arambulo at Hightower High School; Missouri City, TX)  
  
  

“We’re extremely impressed with the quality of submissions from all the students that participated in this year’s Smart Tomorrow challenge,” said Sarah Day, president of consumer and small business at Windstream. “This year we wanted to create a challenging, real-life scenario that encouraged creative thinking, and there’s no question students rose to the occasion by delivering ideas that were truly smart and inspiring.”

The Smart Tomorrow Start-Up Challenge is a $40,000 entrepreneurship contest for high school students in Lincoln, NE, Lexington, KY and Sugar Land, TX. Divided into local and final rounds, the competition challenges students to design a start-up business offering a product or service that can improve our communities and the way we live.

For the local round, students were challenged to design a WordPress website for a start-up business offering a product or service that can improve their communities. Finalists were chosen based on judging criteria that assessed innovativeness, critical thinking, presentation, name & logo and overall “WOW” factor behind their start-up idea.

The winning student(s) will receive $20,000 with an additional $20,000 for their school's affiliated organization. The two runners-up will also receive $5,000 and matching donation of $5,000 for their school’s affiliated organization.

For more information about the contest, visit www.windstream.com/startupchallenge. Questions can also be sent to [email protected].

About Windstream

Windstream Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:WIN), a Fortune 500 company, is a leading provider of advanced network communications and technology solutions for consumers, small businesses, enterprise organizations and carrier partners across the U.S. Windstream offers bundled services, including broadband, security solutions, voice and digital TV to consumers. We also provide data, cloud solutions, unified communications and managed services to business and enterprise clients. The company supplies core transport solutions on a local and long-haul fiber-optic network spanning approximately 121,000 miles. Additional information is available at windstream.com. Please visit our newsroom at news.windstream.com or follow us on Twitter at @WindstreamNews.

Media Contact:
Michael Teague, 501-748-5876
[email protected]