JA Americas Celebrates 15th-annual Company of the Year Competition
December 1, 2023
JA Americas held its 15th-annual Company of the Year Competition (COY) this week in Buenos Aires, hosted by JA Argentina. Twenty-one teams from nine countries around the region traveled to Argentina’s capital city to demonstrate the entrepreneurial skills they learned through the JA Company Program in the region’s top competition.
Each student company in attendance represents the best of their country’s JA student company program from that year. The JA Americas COY requires students to complete several tasks as part of the competition, including submission of a company report one month prior to the in-person event, a business presentation, an interview session with COY judges, and participation in a JA student company trade fair. Each step of the competition challenges students to demonstrate the knowledge and skills they learned through the JA company program.
In addition to first and second place, student companies that attend seminars held on the first day of the event are eligible for three signature awards: the FedEx Global Possibilities Award, the Delta Social Impact Award, and the Project Management Institute Educational Foundation (PMIEF) Project Success Award.
Meet the Teams
Argentina: Biohmec JAC aims to educate people about hygiene by offering a practical solution: biodegradable cotton wipes.
Argentina: Ecoclean demonstrates its founders commitment to environmental sustainability by promoting natural products and reducing the use of chemicals and toxins.
Argentina: Kalos offers solid conditioner and shampoo in recycled packaging, aiming for a cleaner future through sustainable practices.
Argentina: Manik produces sugar-free, healthy snacks for sustainable eating.
Brazil: Bee Hug encourages consumers to reduce plastic waste through its bees-wax wraps, an eco-friendly alternative to plastic wraps.
Brazil: Mantec sells a versatile three-in-one winter product comprising a collar, cold mask, and cap.
Brazil: Salvei’s innovative cup holders prevent spills and keep classrooms tidy.
Canada: Wonder creates and sells handmade bracelets representing diverse parts of the world to advocate for sustainability and inspire people to take positive environmental actions.
Ecuador: Jukúa offers relaxation kits featuring glycerine soap and moisturizing body oil.
Ecuador: PLUVIARI JA sells waterproof ponchos that transform into fanny packs that promote Ecuadorian culture and sustainability.
Guatemala: RE-DO utilizes plastic bags to create "plarn," a material they use to create tote bags.
Jamaica: Sueno Verde transforms discarded plastic bottles into eco-friendly water fountains to merge artistry with environmental responsibility.
Mexico: BetterWith offers natural skincare products that prioritize eco-friendly formulars. Its product SABIALIV is made from aloe vera.
Peru: LifeSavers produces safety bags, containing innovative items for safety and assistance, for emergency use during natural disasters.
Peru: Maxjan focuses on revolutionizing fashion by promoting sustainable and ethical clothing practices.
Peru: Nabani sells toma-todos with activated carbon filters for clean and healthy drinking water.
Uruguay: Cibate developed yerberas and tapamates that enhance the experience of drinking mate.
Uruguay: Cooksy, an online recipe service, promotes environmental sustainability by reducing food waste and offering economical, healthy meal options.
Uruguay: Wonderkids creates inclusive toys and items for neurodivergent individuals to encourage development and fun learning.
Uruguay: Ferices markets Californian worm nuclei and organic biofertilizers for at-home composting.
The Competition
On Day 1, students attended the three Signature Award seminars from FedEx, Delta, and PMIEF, and capped off the day with a rooftop welcome dinner. Day 2 was all about the trade fair. Each JA student company set up its own booth at the San Martín Cultural Center. In addition to competition judges, members of the public joined the expo and spoke with students to learn about their companies. Day 3 kicked off with interviews with the judges, during which competition judges can ask any questions about the student company’s performance as well as any questions they may develop after reading business reports and visiting trade fair booths. The day capped off with the awards ceremony and gala.
The Awards
The FedEx Global Possibilities Award honors the JA student company that best exhibits global accessibility. The winning student companies have opened up to new markets and are conscious of the environment and social issues.
Winner: Salvei from JA Brazil
The Delta Social Impact Award recognizes the top JA student company working toward social good through entrepreneurship.
Winner: Ecoclean from JA Argentina
The PMIEF Project Success Award recognizes the JA student company that best exhibited a mastery of project management skills throughout the competition.
Winner: Maxjan from JA Peru
Second place: BetterWith from JA Mexico
First place, JA Americas Company of the Year: Manik from JA Argentina
What’s next?
As JA Americas Company the Year, Manik will join JA Europe Company of the Year Isometricks, Junior Achievement USA champion Youthful Thinkers, JA Asia Pacific Company of the Year SIEVASCO, and the top student companies from INJAZ Al-Arab JA MENA and JA Africa to compete for the De La Vega Global Entrepreneurship Award in early 2024.