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Sam Harradine. Amy Matthews, Alice Atkey, Alex Martin, Mark Empson, Ashley Finch of Ringwood school

YOUNGSTERS from Ringwood School have won the top prize in an innovative business competition.

The school's entry was a futuristic plan to give music lovers the chance to see their heroes play live via sophisticated holograms.

The annual BISK-IT contest, organised jointly by the University of Southampton School of Management, city technology company NXP and Solent Skill Quest with the support of Roke Manor Research Ltd and IBM in the judging. The final was held at Intech in Winchester.

Students at competing schools had to draw up a business plan for a technology project of interest to young people and then to face challenging questions from a panel of judges, "Dragon's Den" style.

Ringwood School also won the prize for the best business plan sponsored by the University of Southampton School of Management.

Teacher Elaine Parfitt from Ringwood School said: "By chance our students happened upon a newspaper article detailing the Prince of Wales addressing the Earth Summit as a holographic projection.

"The students immediately saw the business potential of having music videos shown as holographic projections.

"They also saw the future possibilities of expanding this idea to include projecting football matches and other sporting events."

Pupil Ashley Finch from Ringwood School added: "We put a lot of effort into our entry getting together every week to work on the application.

"It was a real challenge and we learned a lot from it"

Fellow team member Mark Empson added: "The most difficult part was the Dragon's Den, we got a grilling and a half but had the answers to almost all their questions."

Dr Lorraine Warren from the University of Southampton School of Management said: "It was great to see how all the schools were able to come up with far-reaching and imaginative ideas and begin translating them into realistic business propositions."

10:47am Saturday 10th May 2008

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