Met School senior Talia Lundy presents her ideas for Lundy’s Cookies to the panel of judges and the audience on Wednesday. She was awarded $210 for her business.

The Providence Journal / Kathy Borchers

PROVIDENCE — They could be the business leaders of tomorrow.

Three Met Center students in an entrepreneurship class were selected as winners at the school’s Business Plan Competition on Wednesday. They will each receive seed money for their proposed businesses and may compete for more funding at a regional competition in May.

Senior Talia Lundy was awarded $210 for her cookie business, Lundy’s Cookies. Sophomore Michael Carlino won $835 for his candy-vending business, Carlino Vending Co. And senior Carlos Garcia won $275 for his traveling grooming business, Mobile Cutz.

About 200 people — including family members, mentors, staff adviser and entrepreneurs — were in the audience at the Met School’s Media and Arts Center to listen to the students’ presentations.

In all, 12 students in the Entrepreneurship-360 class proposed nine different businesses to a six-judge panel. The Met Center for Entrepreneurship holds competitions twice a year to select the best business plans from the fall semester class and the spring semester class. This is the second year the competitions have been held.

“We’re really proud of our kids here and their progress in taking the entrepreneurial mindset and skills incorporated in class to this level of competition,” said Jodie Woodruff, director of the center.

Students typically spend 60 hours in the classroom learning how to design a business and then putting together business plans. They use math, research and presentation skills to complete their projects. Some class members work individually. Others work in pairs.

“They get all the nuts and bolts of being a small-business owner,” said Loriana De Crescenzo, director of development and communications at the Met School. “It’s a dynamic program and one that has engaged students in a really exciting way. They take an interest of theirs and think of a way to make it work.”

The three winners from the coming spring competition in May and those from Wednesday’s contest will then vie for three places at a sub-regional competition to be held at the Met School on May 26. They will compete against students from Pawtucket and New Bedford for three places at a regional competition in Boston. The top students from the regional round will then move on to a national competition, where two winners will each receive $5,000 in seed money.

Two other business proposals presented Wednesday may get funding if students do further market research and answer questions raised by judges. They are Change on the Go, a service business proposed by sophomore Jonathan Quinonez, and The Biz, a souvenir company proposed by seniors Jamal Rose and Melvin Turcios. The student awards are financed with private investment funds.

The judges were: Brian Meath, founder and chief executive officer of Cause Investments; Barrett Hazeltine, professor emeritus, Brown University; Alan Harlam, director of social entrepreneurship, Swearer Center for Public Service, Brown University; Jamie Siminoff, founder and CEO of Phonetag.com; Chris White, founder and CEO of Gamer Graffix; and T.J. Tezlaff, coordinator of youth ventures at The Met.

akuffner@projo.com