Pittsburgh Contest Offers $100,000 to "Midlife Dreamers" - Entrepreneurs Over 45 Willing to Relocate to Region

Pittsburgh is looking for Experienced Dreamers™ – people with a bit of experience under their belts and a desire to do something different with their lives. The winner of the Experienced Dreamers contest - who must be over 45 and not lived in Pittsburgh for at least 10 years - will receive a total of $100,000 pursue their dream.

Pittsburgh is a place with a long history of dreamers – pioneers in arts and culture, business, medicine, robotics, and more. It's also a place where people care about their community, with a legacy of philanthropy that rivals any region in the country. It's a place where ordinary citizens work hard to build businesses and a better community for future generations.

One visit, and it's no wonder Pittsburgh has again and again been named "America's most Livable City" by publications such as Forbes, The Economist and Places Rated Almanac. Pittsburgh is a place where we honor our past and constantly look to the future – a place that encourages dreamers to imagine what they can do here … and then to do it.

"The Experienced Dreamers contest is all about getting you to think about your dream – whatever it is you believe you were born to do – and asking if you have the courage to pick up your life, move to Pittsburgh and make it real," the contest website says. "If you've got a dream and the passion to follow it, we want to hear about it. And – for one dreamer – we're going to give you the resources to help you do it."

The winner of the contest will receive $50,000 in cash and $50,000 in the form of a charitable trust in their name.

Applications for the contest will be accepted until December 16, 2011. There's no fee to enter, but applicants must be 45 or older and you must not have lived within 100 miles of Pittsburgh in the last 10 years.

In the spring of 2012, 20 semifinalists and five finalists will be chosen based on the originality, creativity, passion and clarity demonstrated in their applications. And the winner will be chosen from among the five finalists by a vote of the people of Pittsburgh.

"The Experienced Dreamers contest truly is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to reinvent yourself – to pick up your life and chase your dreams in a new place and with a community of people who are rooting for you to succeed," the contest website says. "It's also a unique opportunity to create a lasting legacy of giving, through your own charitable trust, to improve the quality of lives for your neighbors throughout the region."

Experienced Dreamers contest is a partnership of foundations and civic and government organizations including the Benedum, Buhl, Jewish Healthcare, Pittsburgh, and R.K. Mellon foundations, the Heinz Endowments, Allegheny County, the City of Pittsburgh, and Leadership Pittsburgh, Inc.

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