Newport High student wins $2,500 at 2026 “pitch night” for young entrepreneurs

Newport High School student Chris Vono took away two checks totaling $2,500 last week after winning awards for her business idea in the 2026 Youth Entrepreneurship Program Pitch Night.

Vono’s business produces locally made, natural, non-toxic clay-based paints. Vono also tied for the audience favorite award, earning an additional $500 sponsored by First Security Bank.

Vono was one of five student entrepreneurs from across Lincoln County who presented creative business ideas and competed for startup funding Wednesday, May 13, during the event hosted by Oregon Coast Community College’s Small Business Development Center.

Other winners were:

• Jacob Stark of Angell Job Corps, second place and a $1,500 award, for his mobile music-lesson business designed to bring instruction directly to students;
• Gavyn Paulsen and Henry Vono of Newport High, third place and $1,000 for their business manufacturing handmade fishing lures and jigs designed specifically for coastal waters;
• Griffin Purdom of Waldport, fourth place and $500 for his cookie-delivery business proposal to serve customers in south Lincoln County. Purdom also tied for the audience favorite award and received an additional $500 from First Security Bank; and
• James Pearson of Siletz Valley School, fifth place and $500, for his business centered on creating custom slide deck presentations.

The youth entrepreneurship program provides high school students with hands-on instruction in entrepreneurship, business planning, marketing, and public presentation skills. The program culminates each spring with “Pitch Night,” where students present their ideas before judges and community members.

“This program continues to showcase the creativity, determination, and problem-solving abilities of young people across Lincoln County,” said Kelliane Parker, founder of the program and assistant director of the OCCC Small Business Development Center.