FUTURE BUSINESS LEADER
Future Business Leader is FBLA’s premier event recognizing members who exemplify leadership, business knowledge, and active involvement in the organization. Competitors are evaluated through pre-judged assets, an objective test, and a presentation (interview), showcasing their readiness for success in business and leadership roles.
Event Overview
Division: High School
Event Type: Individual
Event Category: Presentation
Event Elements: Pre-judged Materials, Objective Test & Presentation (Interview)
Pre-judged Component: Resume & Cover Letter due by date specified in State Conference registration packet
Objective Test: 50 minutes, 100 questions
Presentation Time: 10-minute interview
Career Cluster Framework Connection: Management & Entrepreneurship
NACE Competency Alignment: Career & Self-Development, Critical Thinking, Communication, Leadership, Professionalism
Items Provided by Competitors: Pencil for objective test, Photo Identification, Conference provided nametag, Attire that meets the Florida FBLA Dress Code, copy of resume and cover letter in a folder for both preliminary and final interview
Equipment Provided by FBLA: One piece of scratch paper per competitor for objective test
Objective Test Competencies
There is no test composition available for this objective test. Visit www.fbla.org for access to information about FBLA.
· FBLA Organization
· FBLA Bylaws & Handbook
· FBLA National Competitive Event Guidelines
· FBLA National Publications
· FBLA Mission, Pledge and Goals
· General Business Knowledge (including, but not limited to, accounting, banking, law, entrepreneurship, marketing, international business, management, organizational leadership)
District
Check with your District leadership for District-specific competition information.
State
Eligibility
· FBLA membership dues are paid by 11:59 pm Eastern Time on December 1 (or earlier date specified by District Director) of the current program year.
· Members may compete in an event at the State Leadership Conference (SLC) more than once if they have not previously placed in the top ten of that event at the National Leadership Conference (NLC). If a member places in the top ten of an event at NLC, they are no longer eligible to compete in that event.
· Members must be registered for the SLC and pay the state conference registration fee in order to participate in competitive events.
· Members must stay within the official FBLA housing block of the official FBLA hotel in order to compete.
· Each district may be represented by participant(s) based on the Florida FBLA scaled quota system found on the Florida FBLA website.
· Each competitor can only compete in one individual/team event and one chapter event (Community Service Project, Local Chapter Annual Business Report).
· Identification: Competitors must present valid photo identification (physical) that matches the name on their conference name badge. Acceptable forms include a driver’s license, passport, state-issued ID, or school ID.
· Only competitors are allowed to plan, research, prepare their pre-judged component.
· Each competitor must compete in all parts of an event for award eligibility.
· If competitors are late for an objective test, they may be either disqualified or permitted to begin late with no extension of the time as scheduled. If competitors are late for a presentation time, they may be disqualified or placed later in the schedule. The decision is solely up to the judges.
· Participants must adhere to the Florida FBLA dress code established by the Florida Board of Directors or they will not be permitted to participate in the competitive event.
Recognition
· The number of competitors will determine the number of winners. The maximum number of winners for each competitive event is 5.
Event Administration
· This event has four phases: pre-judged, objective test, preliminary presentation (interview), and final presentation (interview)
· Pre-judged Materials
o Submission Deadline: A PDF of the cover letter and resume must be uploaded in the conference registration system by date specified in the State Conference registration packet.
o Cover Letter
§ Not to exceed one page.
§ Should clearly state why the competitor is deserving of this award.
§ Address letter to: Jennifer Woods, President and CEO, Future Business Leaders of America, 12100 Sunset Hills Drive, Suite 200, Reston, VA 20190
o Resume Specifics
§ Not to exceed two pages.
§ Should list the competitor’s education, extracurricular activities, awards/honors, FBLA activities/ involvement, and work/volunteer experience.
§ Photographs are not allowed
o Competitors must prepare resume & cover letter. Advisers and others are not permitted to write the resumes & cover letters. Resumes and cover letters must be original, current, created specifically for this competition, and not submitted for a previous NLC.
o Pages must be formatted to fit on 8 ½” x 11” paper.
o Links and QR codes are not permitted.
o Advisers or others may not assist in preparing the asset. It must be created entirely by the competitor(s).
o Note: The assets do not need to follow the FBLA Production Test Reference Guide, formerly known as the FBLA Format Guide.
o The pre-judged materials are judged before the SLC.
o Pre-judged materials will not be returned. All submitted projects become the property of FBLA and may be published or reproduced for promotional purposes.
· Objective Test
o Test Time: 50 minutes, 100 questions
o This objective test is administered at the SLC. There is no objective test composition/question breakdown available for this competition.
o No reference or study materials may be brought to the testing site.
o No calculators may be brought into the testing site.
· Preliminary Presentation – The Interview
o Interview Time: 10 minutes (one-minute warning)
o Internet Access: Not provided
o The presentation (interview) is judged at the SLC. Preliminary presentations are not open to conference attendees.
o Competitors/teams are randomly assigned to sections.
o No technology or materials can be brought to the interview.
· Final Presentation – The Interview
o Interview Time: 10 minutes (one-minute warning)
o Internet Access: Not provided
o An equal number of competitors from each section in the preliminary round will advance to the final round. If there are no more than 15 entries in the event, the final round will be eliminated.
o Final presentations are not open to conference attendees.
o No technology or materials can be brought to the interview.
Scoring
· The pre-judged, objective test and preliminary presentation (interview) scores will be added together to determine the finalists (or winners if no more than 15 entries).
· The final presentation (interview), if needed, score determines the top winners.
· Pre-judged asset scores will be used to break a tie.
· All judging decisions are final. Results announced at the State Leadership Conference are considered official and will not be changed after the conclusion of the State Leadership Conference.
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
· FBLA complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) by providing reasonable accommodations for competitors. Accommodation requests must be submitted through the conference registration system by the official registration deadline. All requests will be reviewed, and additional documentation may be required to determine eligibility and appropriate support.
Recording of Presentations
· No unauthorized audio or video recording devices will be allowed in any competitive event.
· Competitors in the events should be aware FBLA reserves the right to record any presentation for use in study or training materials.
Penalty Points
· Competitors may be disqualified if they violate the Competitive Event Guidelines or the Honor Code.
National
If you are competing on the National level, be sure to see the National guidelines at https://www.fbla.org/divisions/fbla/fbla-competitive-events/