Sustainability S$3M--Margaret Awards $1M--Autonomous Vehicle €1M

The newest grants, pitch competitions, awards, and tech summits you need to know about

Author

Diane Bailey
December 16, 2025

Hello startup people! Here’s the latest drop on Grants, Pitch Competitions, Awards, and Summits.

Yes, it’s Tuesday… I’m taking a break for the next 2 weeks and had to spend extra time gathering all the stuff through March of next year! Lots of industry events happening early next year so start planning now.

This is really cool: Pitch while you’re on a ski lift, AND, you could win $10K!

Wishing you a prosperous new year. I’ll see you in 2026!

~Diane

💪 The Biggies

Sustainability Open Innovation Challenge | 7th Edition - S$3,000,000

Now in its seventh year, the Sustainability Open Innovation Challenge (SOIC) by Enterprise Singapore invites startups and innovators from around the world to partner with leading corporates in developing practical, scalable solutions for a more sustainable future.

The Margaret Awards by JFD - $1M

The Margaret Awards reward women entrepreneurs, intrapreneurs, and girls (Margaret Juniors) whose projects and innovation meet the major challenges of our society.

Secretariat of the European Connected and Autonomous Vehicle Alliance - €1M

The action will help reinforce the competitiveness and innovation leadership of the European automotive sector and accelerate its digital transformation.

Newly Added:

🎤 Pitch Competitions

Ski Lift Pitch – $10,000
All Startups | Dec 18 | Apply Here

PIE 2026 Accelerate! Pitch Competition – Prize Money TBD
Parking Industry; Mobility; Payments; EV charging | Jan 8 | Apply Here

Albertsons Innovation Launchpad Competition – $400,000
Food & Bev; CPG; Pet products; DTC | Jan 18 | Apply Here

SiGMA Pitch South America – €500,000 in services
Sports Betting; Gaming | Jan 31 (my guess) | Apply Here

Naturally Rising Pitch Competition – Prize package
Colorado; Consumer Brands; Natural Products; Sustainable Food & Bev | Feb 6 | Apply Here

>>venture>> Startup Competition – CHF 150,000
Switzerland; All startups | Feb 25 | Apply Here

Podim Pitch Competition – Pitch at event + event tickets
CEE; All tech | Mar 15 | Apply Here

2026 SelectUSA Pitch – Pitch at Investment Summit
US expansion; All businesses | Mar 19 | Apply Here

💰 Grants

Hey Helen December Grant – $10,000
Female-led; All businesses | Dec 30 | Apply Here

Founderland Forward Grant – €10,000
UK; Europe; Female-led | Dec 31 | Apply Here

Burroughs Wellcome Fund Climate and Health Seed Grants – $50,000
Biomedical; Public Health; Urban Planning; Healthcare; Climate | Jan 22 | Apply Here

EmPower Massachusetts Clean Energy Future – $150,000
Massachusetts; Clean Energy | Mar 26 | Apply Here

Draper Richards Kaplan Social Impact Grant – $300,000
Social Impact; Health; Food | Mar 31 (rolling apps) | Apply Here

💼 Events

Crypto Expo Europe - Bucharest – 3,000 attendees + company presentations
Crypto; Blockchain; Web3 | Mar 1–2 | Apply Here

Work Truck Week - Indianapolis – 25 years; 500+ exhibitors
Mobility; Fleets; Green Tech | Mar 10–13 | Apply Here

Vision Expo - Orlando – Experiences + Education
HealthTech; Vision care; Optometry | Mar 11–14 | Apply Here

EV Charging Summit & Expo - Las Vegas – 5,000+ attendees; Apply to Speak or Exhibit
EV; New Mobility; Infrastructure | Mar 17–19 | Apply Here

UNLEASH America - Las Vegas – Keynotes & Case studies; Apply to Speak
HR; Future of Work | Mar 17–19 | Apply Here

American Manufacturing Summit - Chicago – Senior Execs and Solution providers
Industry 4.0; Automation; Robotics | Mar 17–18 | Apply Here

International Convention for Aerospace & Defense - Seattle – 1,200+ attendees; Workshops
SpaceTech; DefTech; Dual use | Mar 18–19 | Apply Here

Future Food-Tech – 1,200+ Attendees; Demos
FoodTech; CPG; Supply Chain | Mar 19–20 | Apply Here

Shoptalk Spring - Las Vegas – 10,000+ attendees; Apply to Speak
Retail; Consumer Brand; CPG | Mar 24–26 | Apply Here

Global Pet Expo - Orlando – 22,000+ attendees; Apply to Exhibit
Pet Tech; CPG | Mar 25–27 | Apply Here

ABA TECHSHOW - Chicago – Legal professionals + technology
Legal Tech; RegTech | Mar 25–28 | Apply Here

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

🔨 Challenges

Amarillo EnterPrize Challenge – $100,000
Texas; All businesses | Jan 23 (my guess) | Apply Here

Sustainability Open Innovation Challenge 7th Edition – S$3,000,000 for pilot
Singapore; Renewable Energy; Green Industries; Sustainable Materials | Jan 30 | Apply Here

European Connected and Autonomous Vehicle Alliance – €1,000,000
Europe; Mobility and Transport | Mar 3 | Apply Here

🏆 Awards

Lighthouse Tech Awards 2026 – Recognition; Showcase at UNLEASH event
HR Tech; Future of Work | Jan 9 | Apply Here

Global Food Tech Awards – Pitch + VIP Pass to Global to Future Food-Tech
FoodTech; Food & Bev; Supply Chain; AI; Packaging; CPG | Jan 12 | Apply Here

2026 Top 25 Women of Influence – Recognition
Canada; Female-Led | Jan 16 | Apply Here

The Margaret Awards by JFD – €1,000,000 in services
Female-led; AI | Feb 27 | Apply Here

EY Entrepreneur of the Year 2026 – Recognition
Ambitious, Visionary Founders | Feb 27 | Apply Here

WIPO Global Awards – Mentoring; global recognition; ceremony in Switzerland
IP-backed innovation; UN SDGs | Mar 31 | Apply Here

Closing Soon! Last Chance!

🔨 Challenges

Miami Public Innovation Challenge – $100,000 investment
Emergency Operations; Data | Dec 18 | Apply Here

TechCon SouthWest - Request for Speakers – Speak at Event
All tech | Dec 31 (my guess) | Apply Here

Startup Innovation Challenge – €50,000
AI; Avatars; Renewable Energy; Energy Audits | Jan 4 | Apply Here

🎤 Pitch Competitions

Ski Lift Pitch – $10,000
All Startups | Dec 18 | Apply Here

2025 Social-Impact Investment Pitch Competition – $500,000 investment
Social Impact; Economic Development; Mobility | Dec 19 | Apply Here

EGYPES Start-Up Pitch Competition – $35,000 + pitch at EGYPES 2026
AI; Energy; Sustainability | Dec 20 | Apply Here

ABA 2026 Startup Alley Pitch Competition – Pitch at ABA TECHSHOW + booth space
LegalTech; RegTech | Dec 26 | Apply Here

SusHi Tech Challenge Pitch Contest – ¥10,000,000
Sustainability; Smart cities | Dec 31 | Apply Here

Web Summit Vancouver PITCH – Recognition
All tech | Dec 31 (my guess) | Apply Here

Startup Innovation Showcase – Pitch at TechCon SW + booth
All tech | Dec 31 (my guess) | Apply Here

Regulating the Game PITCH! – Pitch to audience
RegTech; Payments; Risk and Compliance; Blockchain | Dec 31 (my guess) | Apply Here

💰 Grants

Hey Helen December Grant – $10,000
Female-led; All businesses | Dec 30 | Apply Here

Nebraska Prototype Grant – $150,000
Nebraska; new products | Dec 31 (my guess) | Apply Here

Founderland Forward Grant – €10,000
UK; Europe; Female-led | Dec 31 | Apply Here

🚀 Accelerators

Imagine H2O Accelerator – Pilot awards; present at events
Global; Water; Sustainability | Dec 19 | Apply Here

🏆 Awards

2026 RBR50 Robotics Innovation Awards – Demo @ Robotics Summit & Expo
Robotics; Automation | Dec 22 | Apply Here

2025 E+E Leader Awards – Recognition
Sustainability; Energy | Dec 31 | Apply Here

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🚪 Beyond the Deal Room curates grants, pitch competitions, awards, and tech summits for 13,000+ founders, VC’s and startup organizations. Over $60M global opportunities, mostly non-dilutive, are available across all verticals each year.

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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