The University of Maine Business Challenge has selected five finalists to pitch their ideas to a panel of judges in an attempt to win a $5,000 first-place prize.

The business plan competition, which encourages innovation and entrepreneurship, was opened to all Maine college students in 2014. In addition to the top prize, there is also a $10,000 prize for the student with the best technology-based idea. The pitch contest will be held April 23 at the University of Maine Orono, according to a release from the university.

The finalists are:

• Dan Vogel and Scott Lehman from Colby College. They are looking to provide a turnkey mobile food-ordering app for local restaurants and businesses.

• Zachariah Palmeter from the University of Maine. He plans to use software to provide a virtual reality experience to those with disabilities.

• Shaun Veilleux and Kevin Conroy from the University of Maine. They have developed an adjustable speedometer that will calibrate to the tire size on your vehicle to increase safety and reliability. The speed is transmitted using Bluetooth technology.

• Hoang Anh “Christine” Le and Andrea Cunney from the University of Maine. They are developing a smartphone application that provides one centralized management platform for organizations to promote events on campus and for students to stay current on social activities.

• Colby Kohn from Eastern Maine Community College, who founded a video production group and is focusing on creating promotional videos for use on social media.

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