What is Hult Prize Competition?
The Hult Prize is a global startup program that challenges young people to build for-profit businesses that create measurable social and environmental impact. Since 2010, it has grown into one of the world’s most significant student movements in social entrepreneurship, engaging millions of participants worldwide.
The Hult Prize inspires student entrepreneurs to solve the world’s biggest challenges through innovative social enterprises with a positive global impact. Finalists pitch their businesses to a panel of expert judges, and the winning team receives $1M USD in funding to bring their idea to life.
Overview
We are proud to announce that UTD’ Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneruship is now an official campus host for the Hult Prize Qualifier Round. For the first time, UTD students have the opportunity to compete on campus and reach the national and global stage.
We invite our student founders to register and compete in our Qualifiers in February 2026.
Application and Eligibility
Basic Eligibility
All members of the team must currently be students enrolled in a degree-seeking program at any university or college.
Teams must be between 2-4 members.
All members of the team must be at least 18 years of age by February 28th, 2026, to compete!
Timeline
Stage One – Qualifiers : Sept 2025 – Feb 2026
UTD Qualifier Timeline
Nov. 17 Applications open (Online)
Jan. 22 Applications closed (Online)
Jan. 26 Review of applications (Online)
Jan. 27 Final presentations (Announced via email)
Feb. 13 UTD Campus Qualifier Final (On-campus – DGAC)
Stage Two – Nationals: April 2026 – May 2026 (Hosted by Hult)
Stage Three – Digital Incubation: June 2026 – July 2026 (Hosted by Hult)
Stage Four – Global Accelerator : August 2026 (Hosted by Hult)
Stage Five – Finals: September 2026 (Hosted by Hult)
Competition Format
| Competition | What It Means |
|---|
| Qualifiers (campus-level or open application) | Pitch your idea — UTD’s OnCampus event will serve as this first step. |
| Nationals | Qualifier winners from across a country compete in national rounds. |
| Digital Incubator | Selected teams receive mentorship, resources to refine their idea, build MVPs / proofs-of-concept, and test viability. |
| Global Accelerator | Top startups from incubator get an intensive 4-week accelerator experience (including mentoring, investor exposure, strategy refinement) |
| Global Finals | Finalists pitch to an international panel of distinguished judges — with a shot at the USD 1M funding and global scale launch. |
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