Here’s a way to celebrate National Small Business Week that could put $1,000—or perhaps even $10,000—into your small business bank account.

ShopKeep POS, the provider of cloud-based iPad point-of-sale and small business management software that we reported on here last month, announced this week that it will award a total of $15,000 to help a few winning small business owners turn their big ideas into reality.

The Small Biz, Big Ideas competition asks business owners to submit to the ShopKeep Facebook page an image of their business along with 500 characters describing the big idea they would most like to implement there.

At least for now, your odds are good. The competition, which opened yesterday, has two dozen entrants so far. Among them are small businesses seeking support for renovations, expansions, new product lines, website development, and equipment purchases. They include a children’s theater company seeking funding for audio and video equipment to make its plays more enjoyable, a pet store in need of funding to install a DIY doggie bath, and the founder of a startup that is getting ready to launch a line of vitamin vaporizers.

Official contest judges and public votes will decide the winner of a $10,000 grand prize, and five runners up will each receive $1,000.

The competition marks the launch of ShopKeep’s Counter Culture initiative—an online resource center and community dedicated to small business innovation.

ShopKeep founder and CEO Jason Richelson says, “Counter Culture represents a movement of innovative small business owners using technology to take back Main Street … The cloud has made enterprise-grade technology readily available to local business owners, who are using it to compete with the Goliaths of their industry. We’re going to help them win.”

Entries must be made by 12:00 pm EST on June 12, 2014. Only small business owners with 20 or fewer employees, in good standing, over 18 years of age, and residents of the U.S., excluding Rhode Island, may apply. For complete rules, see the ShopKeep Facebook page.

Alissa McCue

Alissa McCue

Alissa McCue has over 10 years of marketing and public relations experience working for top brands in retail and technology. As Senior Manager of Public Relations at ShopKeep, a leading iPad Point of Sale System, Alissa is focused on highlighting ShopKeep's major achievements and thought leadership in the POS and technology space for independent businesses.