Blab Business
14-Year-Old Mentor Student Wins $5,000 at National Mott Million Dollar Challenge
A 14‑year‑old student from Mentor, Ohio, earned a $5,000 prize at the national finals of the Mott Million Dollar Challenge, a pitch competition for K‑12 students funded by the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation.
Delayna Sotock, then an eighth‑grader at Shore Middle School, presented a sports shoe cover that allows athletes to wear cleats on hard surfaces without damaging the spikes. The idea, which Sotock had been developing for some time, was submitted as a short video for the competition’s first round. According to the student, she learned she had advanced to the national finals while at track practice on June 15, 2026.
The Mott Million Dollar Challenge is part of the foundation’s centennial celebration. More than 5,300 students from all 50 states and Washington, D.C. entered the competition, submitting over 3,700 business and social‑solution ideas. From those entries, 1,500 were selected for the first round, and 60 semifinalists were chosen to compete in Flint, Michigan, on June 15 and 16.
Sotock’s prototype began with a rubber shoe sole. For the finals she used a 3‑D printer to produce a more advanced model. She was grouped with other students in grades 5‑8 and pitched in the business category. The competition format requires participants to present their ideas to a panel of volunteer judges, many of whom are entrepreneurs, former athletes or community leaders.
In the finals, Sotock spoke about the practical benefits of her shoe cover and the potential market for athletes and schools. She said the experience gave her a chance to meet people from different fields and to learn more about turning an idea into a product.
The Mott Million Dollar Challenge awards a total of $1 million in cash prizes. The $5,000 award that Sotock received is one of several prizes distributed at the national finals. The competition is administered by the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE) in partnership with VentureLab, the Young Entrepreneur Institute, the Afterschool Alliance and Collaborative Communications.
Sotock will attend Mentor High School as a freshman and plans to continue developing her shoe‑cover idea, using the prize money to support further prototyping and market research. The student also expressed enthusiasm for the networking opportunities the competition provided.
The Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, founded in 1926 by the industrialist who helped build General Motors, supports a range of nonprofit programs in the United States. In 2022 the foundation had assets of $3.7 billion and granted $190.6 million to organizations across the country.
The Mott Million Dollar Challenge is one of several initiatives the foundation sponsors to encourage innovation among young people. The competition’s 2026 edition was held in Flint, Michigan, a city that has been the focus of several foundation projects.
Sotock’s success illustrates the potential impact of the Mott Million Dollar Challenge on individual students and local communities. The competition’s structure—requiring students to develop a business plan, create a prototype and pitch to judges—provides a practical learning experience that can inspire future entrepreneurs.
The student’s story also highlights the role of technology in youth innovation. The use of a 3‑D printer to refine a prototype demonstrates how accessible manufacturing tools can help students bring ideas to life.
At this time, there are no announced plans for Sotock to commercialize her product. The student intends to use the prize money to continue development and to seek mentorship from the entrepreneurs she met at the finals.
The Mott Million Dollar Challenge will continue to award prizes in the 2026 competition, with finalists announced in the coming months. The foundation has not yet disclosed any additional funding or partnership announcements related to Sotock’s project.
The competition’s next phase will involve coaching participants to strengthen their business plans before the final round of pitches. The foundation has not yet released a schedule for the next round.
Sotock’s achievement underscores the importance of youth‑focused innovation programs and the tangible benefits they can provide to students who turn ideas into viable products.
Delayna Sotock, then an eighth‑grader at Shore Middle School, presented a sports shoe cover that allows athletes to wear cleats on hard surfaces without damaging the spikes. The idea, which Sotock had been developing for some time, was submitted as a short video for the competition’s first round. According to the student, she learned she had advanced to the national finals while at track practice on June 15, 2026.
The Mott Million Dollar Challenge is part of the foundation’s centennial celebration. More than 5,300 students from all 50 states and Washington, D.C. entered the competition, submitting over 3,700 business and social‑solution ideas. From those entries, 1,500 were selected for the first round, and 60 semifinalists were chosen to compete in Flint, Michigan, on June 15 and 16.
Sotock’s prototype began with a rubber shoe sole. For the finals she used a 3‑D printer to produce a more advanced model. She was grouped with other students in grades 5‑8 and pitched in the business category. The competition format requires participants to present their ideas to a panel of volunteer judges, many of whom are entrepreneurs, former athletes or community leaders.
In the finals, Sotock spoke about the practical benefits of her shoe cover and the potential market for athletes and schools. She said the experience gave her a chance to meet people from different fields and to learn more about turning an idea into a product.
The Mott Million Dollar Challenge awards a total of $1 million in cash prizes. The $5,000 award that Sotock received is one of several prizes distributed at the national finals. The competition is administered by the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE) in partnership with VentureLab, the Young Entrepreneur Institute, the Afterschool Alliance and Collaborative Communications.
Sotock will attend Mentor High School as a freshman and plans to continue developing her shoe‑cover idea, using the prize money to support further prototyping and market research. The student also expressed enthusiasm for the networking opportunities the competition provided.
The Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, founded in 1926 by the industrialist who helped build General Motors, supports a range of nonprofit programs in the United States. In 2022 the foundation had assets of $3.7 billion and granted $190.6 million to organizations across the country.
The Mott Million Dollar Challenge is one of several initiatives the foundation sponsors to encourage innovation among young people. The competition’s 2026 edition was held in Flint, Michigan, a city that has been the focus of several foundation projects.
Sotock’s success illustrates the potential impact of the Mott Million Dollar Challenge on individual students and local communities. The competition’s structure—requiring students to develop a business plan, create a prototype and pitch to judges—provides a practical learning experience that can inspire future entrepreneurs.
The student’s story also highlights the role of technology in youth innovation. The use of a 3‑D printer to refine a prototype demonstrates how accessible manufacturing tools can help students bring ideas to life.
At this time, there are no announced plans for Sotock to commercialize her product. The student intends to use the prize money to continue development and to seek mentorship from the entrepreneurs she met at the finals.
The Mott Million Dollar Challenge will continue to award prizes in the 2026 competition, with finalists announced in the coming months. The foundation has not yet disclosed any additional funding or partnership announcements related to Sotock’s project.
The competition’s next phase will involve coaching participants to strengthen their business plans before the final round of pitches. The foundation has not yet released a schedule for the next round.
Sotock’s achievement underscores the importance of youth‑focused innovation programs and the tangible benefits they can provide to students who turn ideas into viable products.
