Applications for the 2009 Rhode Island Business Plan Competition can now be submitted online.

A new online application tool developed by Pawtucket-based Embolden Design allows applicants to establish a secure account and then work on their application at their own pace, updating and adjusting it as often as they want.

“This online submission capability will help people develop their applications over time by letting them save their work until they are ready to submit,” said Garrett B. Hunter, a competition co-chair and president of the Business Development Company of Rhode Island. “It’s an important step forward for the competition.”

The Rhode Island Business Plan Competition will award up to $150,000 in prizes when the winners are announced on May 5 at Business Expo 2009, which is sponsored by the Greater Providence Chamber of Commerce.