NFL Partnerships | NFL.com
Innovating the Game—On and Off the Field
We're building a scalable pathway from promising concept to integration-ready MVP—with clear gates for visibility, validation, and pilot exploration across the League. The program embeds opportunity, diversity, partnership growth, and sponsor visibility by design.
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Why this challenge?
Challenge Categories
Fan Journey & Personalization
Deliver personalized, seamless fan experiences across every touchpoint—from planning to post-event engagement.
- AI-powered fan planning + concierge journeys
- OnePass-connected identity + personalized experience
Local Monetization & Commerce
Enable frictionless, local-first commerce that helps fans discover, purchase, and benefit before, during, and after NFL events.
- OnePass-enabled wallet, offers + rewards
- Local discovery + frictionless in-venue commerce
Event Discovery & Global Engagement
Make it easier for fans to discover NFL events, plan confidently, and stay connected globally through personalized content and community.
- Personalized event discovery + smart planning
- Global content experiences + community engagement
How it Works
Eligibility & Rules
The Challenge is open to technology teams, organizations, and individuals with working products and demonstrated capabilities, including entities from adjacent industries that can adapt solutions to the NFL ecosystem, whose submissions align to the Challenge Categories, and who meet all requirements listed in the Official Rules document. Applicants must be able to demonstrate a validated demo or working product at the time of submission. Participation is subject to program rules and any applicable eligibility requirements.
- Participants must submit a validated demo or working product (no idea-only submissions).
- Participants must be available to partake in scheduled review milestones (virtual-first).
- Final eligibility is subject to the official rules and review process.
Submission Requirements
Submissions should clearly demonstrate what you've built, how it works, and why it matters. We are prioritizing solutions with a validated demo or working product that can be evaluated for readiness, impact, and fit for pilot exploration.
Required:
- Team name + primary contact
- Category selection
- 2–3 sentence solution summary
- Demo link (preferred) or product walkthrough video link
- What problem you solve + target user
- Current state of build (what's live today)
- Any proof of validation (users, pilots, metrics, partnerships)
Optional:
- Pitch deck link (PDF)
- Technical overview (architecture/API readiness)
- Security/privacy considerations (if relevant)
Judging Criteria
Submissions will be evaluated by League and program stakeholders based on solution readiness, impact, fit for the Hub Challenge pipeline, and alignment with the NFL's OnePass ecosystem.
- Readiness: working product/demo quality, clarity, and completeness
- Impact: measurable improvement to fan experience, engagement, or outcomes
- Feasibility: implementation practicality, timeline realism, operational constraints
- Innovation: differentiated approach and meaningful value-add
- Scalability: ability to expand across markets/venues/events
- Fit: Alignment to Challenge Categories and League priorities
FAQ
Why the Draft theme?
The Draft theme creates a shared language for innovation built on readiness, performance, and fit. It clarifies the review process, highlights progress across phases, and helps fans and stakeholders follow teams on the path to finalist recognition.
Who should participate?
The Challenge is open to technology teams with working products and demonstrated capabilities, including companies from adjacent industries that can adapt their solutions to the NFL ecosystem.
Does winning guarantee a pilot or deployment?
No. Draft recognition qualifies teams for further exploration and discovery. Any subsequent testing or pilots will be solely at the NFL's option.
Do I need a working product to apply?
Yes—this challenge prioritizes teams that can submit a validated demo or working product for evaluation.
Can I apply with an idea or prototype only?
Not for this cycle. Submissions should demonstrate readiness for review and potential showcase.
What counts as a “validated demo”?
A live demo link or walkthrough that clearly shows functionality, along with evidence of real testing (users, pilots, metrics, or adoption).
Are there age restrictions?
Yes. Participants must be 18 years or older at the time of entry. See the Official Rules for full eligibility details.
Is the challenge virtual or in-person?
The program is virtual-first, with a select group of top innovators moving on to on-site presentations at the 2026 NFL Draft in Pittsburgh, PA.
Can I submit to more than one category?
Choose the category that best fits your solution. If your solution spans multiple, note it in your submission.
What happens after I submit?
You'll receive a confirmation and, if selected, next steps for deeper review aligned to the program timeline.
Will my IP be protected?
Applicants retain ownership of their IP; submitted materials are licensed to the NFL/Organizer as described in the Official Rules and Participant Agreement. Any future pilot or deployment discussions will be handled through separate agreements and processes. Applicants must be ready to demonstrate full ownership of their solution and submission materials in order to move forward in the challenge.
How and when will teams be notified?
After submission, you'll receive a confirmation and, if selected, next steps aligned to the program timeline.
Where do I submit questions and how quickly will support respond?
Need help with your submission or have program questions? Reach out to the support team at hubchallenge@nfl.com and they'll respond within 2 business days.