Schedule and Deadlines
Babson undergraduate students, graduate students and alumni will compete for cash prizes, plus donations of in-kind services from corporate sponsors, in the 2026 B.E.T.A. (Babson Entrepreneurial Thought & Action®) Challenge. The Babson community, and beyond, is invited to witness the innovation and entrepreneurial spirit during the semifinal and final events.
Week of January 5, 2026
Application portal opens.
Wednesday, January 14 and Wednesday, January 21, 2026
B.E.T.A. Challenge Info Sessions
Friday, January 30, 2026 at 11 a.m. ET
Faculty sponsor deadline (undergraduate and graduate student applicants only) – faculty sponsor information must be successfully entered through the application portal. This is optional for alumni applicants. For more information, please view Eligibility & Guidelines and Faculty Sponsor Responsibilities.
Monday, February 9, 2026 at 11 a.m. ET
Application deadline – files (executive summary and slide deck) must be successfully uploaded through the application portal. An email confirmation from the application portal must be received by the applicant in order for the application to be considered for the B.E.T.A. Challenge. For more information on application requirements, please view Eligibility and Guidelines.
Monday, February 16 - Friday, February 27, 2026
Alumni evaluators review and score applications online. The scores from all evaluators will be averaged and the top applicants in the undergraduate, graduate, and alumni tracks will be selected based on the highest average score.
Friday, March 6 - Friday, March 13, 2026
Faculty review of the top applicants in the undergraduate, graduate and alumni tracks will take place, and they will be narrowed down to the top six semifinalists in each track.
Monday, March 23, 2026
Semifinalists will be notified.
Monday, March 30, 2026 at 11 a.m. ET
Semifinalists deadline – semifinalists will be required to submit updated materials. Guidelines will be provided by The Arthur M. Blank Center for Entrepreneurship. All materials must be emailed to the Blank Center team at blankcenter@babson.edu by 11 a.m. EST (no exceptions made).
Wednesday, April 15, 2026, at 4 p.m. ET
Semifinalists will compete in the semifinal event with a panel of faculty judges. Judges will determine the three finalists from each track who will present in the finale. The finalists will be announced following the semifinals.
Thursday, April 16, 2026, at 5 p.m. ET
B.E.T.A. Challenge Finale – Finalists will pitch to a panel of judges and answer Q&A.