Hello startup people! Here’s the latest drop on Grants, Pitch Competitions, Awards, and Summits.
~Diane
💪 The Biggies
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Newly Added:
🏆 Award
Next Innov 2026 Award – €10,000
France; All startups | Apr 10 | Apply Here
NN Social Innovation Startup Award – €100,000
Europe; Japan; Impact-focus | Apr 14 | Apply Here
EY Entrepreneur of the Year Award – Recognition
Australia; All businesses | Apr 17 | Apply Here
🎤 Pitch Competitions
Sloss.Tech/Ideas Pitch Competition – $100,000
Southeast US; AgTech; Health Tech; more | Apr 10 | Apply Here
Startupfest Startup Showcase – Pitch to investors
All startups | May 7 | Apply Here
SLINGSHOT 2026 – Grant prizes
Deep Tech | Jun 30 | Apply Here
IGNITE Rural Business – $50,000
Kansas; All Startups | Jul 1 | Apply Here
💰 Grant
BMO Celebrating Women Grant – $10,000
Impact-focused | Apr 23 | Apply Here
💼 Event
WWDC26 – Keynotes; Group labs
All things Apple | Jun 8-12 | Apply Here
🔨 Challenge
2026 Housing Affordability Breakthrough Challenge – $2,000,000
Residential Construction; FinTech; PropTech | May 15 | Apply Here
$1M WellWithAll Prize – $1,000,000 total pool
AI; Healthcare | May 29 | Apply Here
Startup Innovation Challenge – ₦5,000,000 + AWS credits
Nigeria; AWS | May 31 | Apply Here
Sugar Land Starts Innovation Fund – $150,000
Move to Texas | Jun 30 (my guess) | Apply Here
Closing Soon! Last Chance!
🎤 Pitch Competitions
Startup World Cup Nigeria Challenge – Regional Finals for $1,000,000 investment
Nigeria; All startups | Mar 31 | Apply Here
Moonshot AZ Pitch Competition – $10,000
Arizona; All startups | Mar 31 (many entries) | Apply Here
AWS AI Pitch Competition – $50,000 in services
Arkansas; AI | Mar 31 (my guess) | Apply Here
2026 Agora Venture Competition – $10,000
Women-led; DC area | Mar 31 | Apply Here
Missouri Startup Weekend Pitch Competition – $10,000 + share of $100K investment
Missouri: All startups | Mar 31 (my guess) | Apply Here
Morrison Foerster Open Call for Pitch Decks – Pitch to Investors at MBC BioLabs
Research tools; Medical devices; Diagnostics | Apr 3 | Apply Here
MN Cup 2026 – $100,000
Minnesota; All startups | Apr 3 | Apply Here
💰 Grant
Draper Richards Kaplan Social Impact Grant – $300,000
Social Impact; Health; Food | Mar 31 (rolling apps) | Apply Here
Arch Grants Startup Competition – $100,000
Missouri; early-stage startups | Mar 31 | Apply Here
💼 Event
EthCC 9 - Cannes – 6,500+ attendees; Apply to Speak
Ethereum; Blockchain | Mar 30 - Apr 2 | Apply Here
FinTech Meetup - Las Vegas – 1,000+ attendees; Meetings program
FinTech; Banking | Mar 30 - Apr 1 | Apply Here
World Urban Forum Expo – Booth at event for world organizations, UN
Sustainability; Urban mobility; Climate Tech | Mar 31 | Apply Here
🔨 Challenge
MD4 Open Innovation Challenge – $250,000
Food security; AgTech | Mar 30 | Apply Here
FLOSS/fund Open Source – $100,000
India; Open Source | Mar 31 (my guess) | Apply Here
TechCrunch - Call for speakers – Speak at Audience Choice program
All startups | Mar 31 (my guess) | Apply Here
Travel Investor Day - Call for Startups – Pitch to investors
Travel; Tourism | Mar 31 | Apply Here
Walmart Open Call – Pitch to Walmart
CPG; Pet products | Mar 31 (varies) | Apply Here
Verizon Frontline App Developer Challenge – $25,000
First Responders; Apps | Apr 2 | Apply Here
🏆 Award
WIPO Global Awards – Mentoring; global recognition; ceremony in Switzerland
IP-backed innovation; UN SDGs | Mar 31 | Apply Here
Global Sustainability Awards Atlanta – Recognition
US-based; UNSDGs | Mar 31 | Apply Here
Rising Digital Award – €30,000
Europe; Less than 24 months in business | Mar 31 | Apply Here
Beyond the Deal Room curates grants, pitch competitions, awards, and tech summits for 13,000+ founders, VC’s and startup organizations. Over $100M global opportunities, mostly non-dilutive, are available across all verticals each year.
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Disclaimer: I receive no compensation for promoting any of these events. While I try to be as accurate as possible when posting requirements such as deadlines, it’s your responsibility to confirm all requirements.
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