North Texas is a big place with plenty of opportunities. Here is our curated roundup of contests and competitions, accelerator and recognition programs, and resource and grant opportunities for North Texas innovators.
Information is compiled by Dallas Innovates from the organizations, and things change: confirm all deadlines and details with the organization before applying. Sign up for our e-newsletter to stay in the loop. Know of a deadline coming up? Tell us about it.
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Closing Soon
Dated deadlines still ahead. Confirm every date with the organizer before you apply.
Recognition
Deadline: Wednesday, August 12, 2026
Young Professional of the Year
Recognizes young professionals trailblazing a path forward in Fort Worth, with the recipient exemplifying leadership in their industry, organization, or community. Presented annually at the Fort Worth Chamber’s YP Summit.
Contest
Regular deadline: Friday, August 21, 2026 · Final deadline September 25
20th Annual Lone Star Film Festival
Fort Worth’s premier film festival is seeking narrative and documentary features and shorts for its November program. Awards include Best of Fest, Best Texas Film, Cine-Más, and Audience Choice. International films are welcome in English or with English subtitles. A later final deadline carries a higher entry fee.
Recognition
Nomination deadline: Friday, August 28, 2026
Fort Worth Inc.’s 40 Under 40
Recognizes individuals in Greater Fort Worth who have made significant strides in their fields despite their youth. Fort Worth Inc.’s editorial team selects the final 40 honorees, revealed in the magazine’s Spring issue.
Recognition
Nomination deadline: Thursday, September 3, 2026
The Innovation Awards
Presented by D CEO, The Innovation Awards honors the disruptors and trailblazers driving a new vision for North Texas, recognizing companies, CEOs, CIOs, CTOs, entrepreneurs, and other leaders. Nominations for the 2027 awards are open now — you can nominate an individual or nominate a company. All finalists are featured in D CEO’s January/February issue, with winners revealed at an awards event in early 2027.
Contest
Applications close Thursday, September 17 · Contest Friday, September 25, 2026
Big iDeas Business Plan Competition
SMU’s annual pitch event for undergraduate entrepreneurs ready to take an idea further. Students apply with a written business plan, and once accepted prepare a deck and deliver a four-minute pitch to a panel of judges. A business plan template is provided. Winners attend E-Launch workshops, meet with the Big iDeas Entrepreneurship Fellow, and have six months to spend their funds.
Grant
Opens Tuesday, September 1 · Closes Wednesday, September 23, 2026
StartHER Startup Grant
A $5,000 grant for early-stage woman-owned businesses based in Texas. Applications open September 1 and close September 23. Recipients begin grant training on October 27, so factor that commitment in before you apply.
Contest
Applications close Wednesday, November 4 · Contest Thursday, November 12, 2026
Big iDeas Pitch Competition
SMU’s competition for undergraduates with early-stage ideas. No business plan is needed — just a clear, creative concept and a problem worth solving. Students submit a short application and, if selected, deliver a 90-second live pitch to a panel of judges. Winners attend E-Launch workshops, meet with the Big iDeas Entrepreneurship Fellow, and have six months to spend their funds.
Open Now — Rolling Applications
No fixed deadline, or a recurring one. These accept applications year-round or on a repeating cycle.
Accelerator
Rolling — apply anytime
ThinkLab, SmartStart, and FastForward
Fort Worth’s technology incubator runs an eight-week program with mentorship and takes no equity. TechFW also runs a Dallas ThinkLab cohort, and a single general application covers all of its programs.
Accelerator
Rolling
Capital Factory
Texas’ largest accelerator and startup investor, with a Dallas hub at Pegasus Park.
Resource
Ongoing
Grant and Loan Advising
Free one-on-one advising to help small businesses identify and apply for grants and loans they qualify for.
Grant
By federal solicitation cycle
SBIR/STTR Application Support
TechFW helps North Texas founders pursue federal Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer grants, which are non-dilutive.
Grant
Varies by program
Small Business Grants and Incentives
Multiple incentive programs covering up to roughly 25% of project costs. Openings vary; contact the office for what is currently available.
Grant
By application when relocating or expanding
Texas Enterprise Fund
A cash grant awarded per qualified job, aimed at larger job-creating relocations and expansions, typically 25 to 75 or more positions.
Grant
Rolling
EmpowHer Grants
Up to $25,000 in reimbursable business support plus a network of financial, marketing, leadership, and sector advisors. The business must make a social impact through its product or model, be earning revenue, and be no more than three years old.
Contest
Weekly — apply anytime
Present Your Startup Story at 1 Million Cups
Present your business to the local entrepreneurial community over coffee and learn how the room can support your growth. North Texas has groups in Dallas, Fort Worth, Irving, Frisco, Northeast Tarrant County, and Wichita Falls.
Grant
Pitches accepted year-round
America’s Seed Fund
The NSF distributes roughly $200 million a year to small businesses with strong ideas. Project pitches can be submitted at any time; those invited to a full proposal can reach as much as $2 million in seed funding.
Resource
Applications reviewed monthly, submit between the 1st and 15th
HB Communities for Change
Pro bono legal representation for qualifying underrepresented businesses and nonprofits in under-resourced communities. The team assists with business formation, contracts, employment advice, intellectual property, and minority business certifications.
Resource
Rolling — vacancies vary
Boards and Commissions Vacancies
The city seeks residents for boards and commissions including Aviation Advisory, Board of Adjustment, Building Standards, Historical and Cultural Landmarks, Pedestrian and Bicycle Advisory, Urban Design, and Zoning. You must live in the district with the vacancy.
Resource
Rolling — 3-month, 6-month, and 1-year tracks
Mentorship Program
Experienced business leaders volunteer to advise entrepreneurs on avoiding common hurdles and accelerating growth. The DEC matches mentors and mentees by industry. There is a separate application for founders looking for a mentor.
Contest
Quarterly
Call for Code Global Challenge
A quarterly competition for teams building solutions to global sustainability problems using IBM AI technologies. Quarterly awards reach $10,000, with year-end grand prizes of $50,000. Focus areas include carbon emissions, clean energy, supply chain transparency, water, waste, biodiversity, and food insecurity.
Grant
Rolling
Corporate Grant Program
Grants for nonprofit startups focused on environmental protection, reflecting Patagonia’s commitment to organizations making a positive environmental impact.
Grant
Rolling
Historic Tax Credit Program
A federal tax credit of up to 20% of qualifying rehabilitation expenses. The building must be certified as historic by the National Park Service and a substantial amount must be spent on the rehabilitation. State Historic Preservation Offices are the first point of contact.
Grant
Annual solicitations
SBIR Program
More than $10 million a year in contracts to U.S. small businesses researching and developing innovative solutions to transportation challenges.
Grant
Monthly deadlines
Amber Grants for Women
Several $10,000 grants each month, including a general women-owned business grant, a startup grant, and category-specific grants. Monthly winners become eligible for the year-end $25,000 Amber Grants. One application covers every grant you qualify for.
Resource
Cohorts in fall and spring · Free
Tech Fundamentals Training
A free 16-week virtual program launching IT careers, with paid internships or project-based learning, industry certifications, mentoring from senior IT professionals, employment readiness workshops, and job placement assistance.
Grant
Rolling
START Program
Seed funding of up to $1 million for a percentage of ownership, open to founders with an idea through to those scaling a product. Includes support, access to debt financiers, and a community of go-to-market operators.
Grant
Rolling
Ecosystem Support Program
Grants and support for open-source projects strengthening Ethereum’s foundations, with a focus on builder tools, infrastructure, research, and public goods.
Grant
Rolling
UNICEF Innovation Fund
Equity-free grants for early-stage, open-source emerging technology solutions, favoring scalable digital public goods and solutions delivering results for children.
Grant
Monthly — fourth Monday most months
Cowtown Angels
A Fort Worth angel network connecting entrepreneurs seeking early-stage funding with local investors. A program of TechFW, the nonprofit helping regional entrepreneurs commercialize innovative technology.
Grant
Rolling
Growth Grant
Business development grants of up to $4,000 for members taking the next step, covering hiring and training, marketing, or new equipment and software.
Grant
Rolling
Skills Development Fund
Grants for customized workforce training, applied for in partnership with a public community or technical college, the Texas Engineering Extension Service, or a qualifying nonprofit. Employers must help design the training and pay trained workers at or above the local prevailing wage.
Accelerator
Rolling
The Accelerator Powered by Nestlé R&D
Six months to take a product from idea to shop shelf, with help on design, packaging, innovation, regulatory and legal issues, plus a prototype kitchen with resident chefs and a budget for operational expenses. Three U.S. locations, including Nestlé’s Arlington, Virginia headquarters.
Grant
Rolling — funding in as little as 48 hours
EnrichHER Funding
Affordable, non-dilutive capital for revenue-generating women-led businesses. Applications take under five minutes and funding can arrive in as little as 48 hours.
Grant
Rolling
Flash Funds
Loans up to $25,000 with low interest rates and fees, built around a streamlined application and quick turnaround.
Grant
By formal Request for Applications
CPRIT Funding
CPRIT has funded more than $3 billion in cancer-fighting research, therapeutics, devices, and tools since 2010, and invests in startups and early-stage companies. All opportunities are announced through formal Requests for Applications.
Resource
Rolling
Inventor Mentorship
Get matched with a mentor in your field for advice on patents and filing, research, strategy, and commercialization.
Grant
Rolling
State Farm Ventures
State Farm Ventures invites pitches through its public site, which lists current investments and priority areas including senior living, home safety, and drones.
Grant
Rolling
Mockingbird Ventures and UT Dallas Seed Fund
The UT Dallas Seed Fund works with Mockingbird Ventures to identify its next seed-stage investment, made on a standard SAFE agreement.
Contest
Rolling — chapter rounds feed the grand final
Pitch.Tech
An idea-stage competition where entrepreneurs first compete at their local chapter to qualify for the grand final. The winner takes $10,000 equity-free plus more than $100,000 in startup benefits through Startup Grind membership.
Watch for the Next Cycle
Closed for this round but recurring. Note the timing so you are ready when applications reopen.
Accelerator
Applications typically March to May · Program runs September to November
Health Wildcatters Accelerator
A 10-week Dallas program taking 8 to 12 startups a year, with up to $350,000 in follow-on available. The 2026 application window has closed; watch F6S and Gust for the next cycle.
Accelerator
Window typically May to July · 2027 dates to be announced
CometX Accelerator
A six-week co-curricular program with mentoring and a pitch week. Check the site for the next application window.
Accelerator
Annual — check site for the next cohort
MassChallenge
A four-month equity-free program with Dallas and Texas operations, including a HealthTech track.
Accelerator
Cohort-based — check site
Dallas Accelerator Program
The Empowered CEO curriculum, delivered through workshops and one-on-one coaching in partnership with the City of Dallas.
Recognition
Next nomination window to be announced
Dallas Business Journal 40 Under 40
The 2026 class has already been named. The nomination window shifts each year, so watch the DBJ site for the next call.
Contest
Opens late January · Deadline mid-March
Innovate UNT Pitch Competition
A business-model submission, video, and live pitch. The 2026 cycle has closed; the next opens in January.
Contest
Annual — check site
CodeLaunch
The Plano-based competition pairs early-stage startups with development teams to build and present a prototype, and has held its World Championship in Dallas.
Contest
Applications open early November · Deadline end of January
Rice Business Plan Competition
Texas’ largest student startup competition. Houston-based rather than North Texas, but worth the trip for eligible teams.
Contest
Annual — regional rounds feed the global finale
TiE Women Global Pitch Competition
Regional rounds feed a global finale, with a $50,000 equity-free grand prize.
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R E A D N E X T
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Cait Brumme says the event at Dallas' Pegasus Park on Nov. 6 will explore the technologies and economic forces defining the future for entrepreneurs and innovators.
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North Texas has plenty to see, hear, and watch. Here are our editors' picks. Plus, you'll find more selections to "save the date."
