Ogden City is sponsoring a contest - and a $20,000 first prize - to encourage a Utah-based inventor or small business to come up with a product or service that will benefit the city's outdoor recreation industry. The "Concept to Company" contest is co-sponsored by Zions Bank, Grow Utah Ventures and USTAR (the Utah Science Technology and Research initiative). It is designed to spur innovation in the industry, which has established a foothold in Ogden through the presence of Amer Sports' winter divisions, Descente North America, Goode Ski Technologies, Kahuna Creations, Scott USA, Nidecker and SnowSports Interactive.

"Ogden has gained a reputation as an outdoor industry-friendly town," said Ogden Mayor Matthew Godfrey. "We want to further that reputation by encouraging product development that could impact a wide-range of sports."

He said entries should focus on skiing, snowboarding, cycling, climbing, hiking, paddling and other nonmotorized, nonfishing and nonhunting activity. The idea or invention "must not be introduced into the market yet and must have no sales revenue," Godfrey added. To be eligible, small businesses must have less than $5 million in annual revenues.

Curt Roberts, USTAR's northern Utah regional technology outreach director, said product innovation contests exist elsewhere, "but to the best of our knowledge, this is the first to foster new ideas in outdoor recreation." Added T. Craig Bott, president of Grow Utah Ventures, a nonprofit that promotes entrepreneurial talent and early stage business opportunities: "Contest winners will get attention from the outdoor recreation industry, and that could lead to increased opportunities in licensing or in the actual launch of some new businesses - our ultimate goal."

Ideas will be evaluated by an outdoor industry panel based on innovation and marketability. Winners will be announced Sept. 27 at the city's "Mountain to Metro" festival.

Prizes will be in cash plus consulting or prototyping services that could bring an idea to reality, Godfrey said. Besides the $20,000 top prize, the contest offers $10,000 in awards to two runners-up.

Contest supporters include Amer Sports, Backcountry.com, Black Diamond Equipment Ltd., Deer Valley Resort, Descente North America, Goode, Mountain to Metro, Ogden City, Outdoor Industry Association, Ogden Climbing Park, Petzl America, Rossignol Group North America and Seed Weber Davis Morgan. - Mike Gorrell