ANN ARBOR ? Rapid BioSense, which makes a sensor that could be used in the fight against terrorism, won the grand prize of $25,000 Wednesday night at the Great Lakes Entrepreneur?s Quest business-plan writing contest ? the highlight of a night that saw more than $60,000 in cash and in-kind contributions given to promising Michigan technology start up companies.

Runner-up in the Emerging Company category ? companies that already are running versus just concepts ? was Space Weather Forecasting, which developed a University of Michigan technology to help companies with orbiting satellites protect them against solar storms. Space Weather received a check for $5,000.

A new wrinkle this year was two specialty awards given by Automation Alley and Next Energy – $12,500 cash investment plus in-kind services. Check the Crib, an industrial spare parts solution improving MRO processing for manufacturers and suppliers, nabbed the Automation Alley prize, while EnVironmental Transportation Solutions, an electric-powered vehicle aimed at government customers like meter readers and postal delivery folks, won the NextEnergy award.

Winners in the early-stage New Business Idea category were:

1st Place – $5,000 cash and in-kind services. Blizzard Boost – Next-generation all electric hybrid intercooler/supercharger.

Runner-up – $1,000 cash

Blaze – Develop and market blood analysis devices;

Intelligun – Design and sell a patented safety system for firearms;

and Eventrue – Coupon-on-paper-system online.

Originally, Clear Eye, a Lansing company that produces a product to eliminate itchy eyes, was selected as the runner up. But under GLEQ rules, winners must be present to qualify. No one from Clear Eye was present and a hasty decision was made to award a check for $1,000 each to the three honarable mentions.

The in-kind portion of the package is consulting time and business advice provided by the Michigan Venture Capital Association, Butzel Long, Miller,Canfield PC; Barnes & Thornburg, Eiler Communications, Lambert Edwards Associates, Plante Moran and Net Portfolio. MItechnews.Com was the media sponsor.

The six Emerging Business finalists had to give three-minute elevator pitches Wednesday night that were evaluated by a panel of four judges from the Michigan Venture Capital Association. The presentation counted for 25 percent of the team?s final score. Judges included Mina Sooch, Apjohn Ventures; Pete Farner, TGAP Ventures; Darrin Eaton, Oracle Capital Partners; and Tom Porter, EDF Ventures.

While the judges tabulated the scores, John Barfield, Founder and Chairman Emeritus of The Bartech Group, told the story of how a 10th grade drop out whose first job was scubbing walls at the University of Michigan built an entrepreneurial empire that has culminated in Bartech Group, which is among the nation?s largest, independent professional staffing services and outsourcing firms, specializing in the placement of engineering and information technology professionals, and managing the staffing requirements of multi-national corporations on an outsourced basis.

Barfield also announced his company this week landed a $150 million jobs outsourcing contract with Delphi, the former General Motors parts subsidiary that is now in chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.

After the Barfield talk, GLEQ organizers presented a special award to the Ann and Carman Adams Fund for the Community Foundation for Southeastern Michigan, which brought GLEQ back from the dead last summer when funding from previous sponsors, including the Michigan Economic Development Corp., was not forthcoming. MEDC founded the contest in 2000.

For more information, click on GLEQ.Org