There are three very nervous small business owners tapping their old-fashioned pencils against their aging PCs at this minute, waiting to see if they have won the coveted $100,000 Microsoft and Dell are offering to the small business with the greatest need through its Microsoft Total Technology Makeover contest.

All three businesses—Gymstars Gymnastics, MouCo Cheese and Sid's Bikes NYC—are vying for the prize, due to be awarded with fanfare on March 24 at the Microsoft Small Business Summit.

To compete, a business must have between five and 49 employees and have been in business for more than two years. In addition, it must show consistent growth but demonstrate a need for technology upgrades to meet business goals or reach the next level of growth, said Cindy Bates, Microsoft's general manager of U.S. small business.

Along with an application, contestants were required to submit a 2-minute video that explained why they should win the contest. Videos can be viewed at http://www.sbsummit.com/Tech-Makeover.aspx.

The finalists have been chosen from a field of about 400 entrants, and the voting is drawing to a close. Votes, which can be cast online at the site mentioned above, are accepted through 11:59 pm PDT on March 11. The final decision will be based 50 percent on the online voting results and 50 percent on the opinions of official judges.

The contestants aren't leaving anything to chance. The first screen a user sees when accessing the Sid's Bikes Web site, for example, is a letter from the owner, Allen Schulmann, explaining the contest and why he thinks he should win, along with a link for users to cast a vote. Sid's Bikes is a New York-based chain of two bike stores that desperately needs to update its computer infrastructure, software and Web site if it is to continue growing and competing effectively.

Another contestant, MouCo Cheese, of Fort Collins Colo., has tried to further its chances by posting a video on YouTube, complete with catchy background music. The video starts by showing the company's cheesemaking process, moves to a display of the company's manual recordkeeping processes and outdated technology, and ends with this: "We are technologically savvy, but we lack equipment-wise."

And Chris Curtis, vice president of IT at GymStars, a Stockton, Calif.,  children's gymnastics center, posted a message on a gaming Web site explaining the contest and asking for votes, along with a link for voting. GymStars is seeking the prize to replace an aging computer system and outdated procedures.

The winner will receive up to $40,000 in Dell hardware, up to $25,000 in Microsoft software and up to $35,000 in funding for consultation services from a Microsoft small business specialist. The two runners-up will get up to $5,000 in Dell hardware and up to $5,000 in Microsoft software.