Your Idea. Your Campus. Your Impact

Everything you need to know. Turning your innovative idea into reality.

Does just thinking about stress make you even more stressed?

Racing thoughts, sweaty palms or a pounding heart can leave you wondering if you’re cut out for the challenge.

The good news is neuroscience shows the right amount of stress can actually sharpen your focus, boost motivation and fuel productivity. Plus, we ALL have the power to manage our stress when it gets out of control by understanding our triggers and equipping ourselves with the right tools.


2027 Prize Theme: Stress for Action

We’re challenging you to design bold, innovative ideas that help your peers:

Reframe stress and anxiety as potential superpowers.

Build mindsets that turn pressure into performance.

Spark a shift on campus about how students think and talk about stress.

Chris Hemsworth on Turning Stress into a Superpower

Application Process

1. Submit Your Idea

Individuals or your Team Lead (up to 4 current students per team): Complete the online application — communicating your plan to transform stress into positive action on campus. Your idea can focus on your full campus, specific campus groups or a campus event.

Submission requirements: Include a brief description of your concept (up to 2 pages), highlighting how it addresses the theme "Stress for Action," and a proposed implementation plan and budget.

Want some inspiration? See Past Ideas →

Application deadline: November 2027

2. Campus-Level Review

Your campus's own panel of judges will review all local submissions, looking for creativity, feasibility and impact — asking, how will this idea drive measurable and lasting change? Judges are seeking out ideas that build upon (but do not duplicate) existing campus initiatives.

3. Local Winner Announced

Your campus selects one individual or team to advance. The local winner receives a $1,000 travel stipend to help fund their trip to the national round.
Campus-level winners will be notified in December 2027

4. Live Presentations at BrainHealth Week in Dallas, Texas

Advancing teams present their idea in person to a panel of judges from the Brain Healthy Campus Collaborative at BrainHealth Week in Dallas, TX.
This is a live pitch, not a written review — be ready to present your idea and answer questions on the spot.

February 2028

Event Location: Center for Brain Health, 2200 W Mockingbird Lane, Dallas, TX 7523

5. National Winner Announced

February 2028

6. Idea Implementation on Campus

The winning individual or team will implement their idea on campus Fall 2028

Prize Timeline

Prize applications open!

September 2027

Optional information session (virtual)

Date TBD

Optional information session 2 (virtual)

Date TBD

Application Due

Two-page summary and (optional) two-minute video pitch

October 2027

Campus-Level Winners Notified

December 2027

Winners Announced

Winners Announced at BrainHealth Week NextGen Day

February 2028

Idea Implementation Complete on Your Campus

Fall 2028

💡 Reminder

Your idea doesn't need to be big or expensive, just creative, practical and impactful.

Submission Guidelines

Materials must be submitted by October 2027

  • Completed by DATE TBD

  • Written Submission (2 pages)

    Challenge:

    Clearly explains how stress affects student brain health and why it matters at your campus.

    Solution:

    • Shows how your idea reframes stress as a tool to enhance focus, resilience or action or proposes a novel way to manage chronic stress.

    • Provides neuroscience and other evidence to support your approach.

    • Achievable by the end of fall 2026, with campus support.

    • Likely to lead to measurable habit change among your peers.

    Target Audience & Engagement:

    • Identifies specifically who will benefit and why.

    • Explains how students become and stay engaged.

    • Shows inclusivity across majors, backgrounds and experiences.

    Value Proposition:

    • Presents an original idea that stands out from existing campus programs.

    • Explains why this approach is different, impactful and sustainable.

    • Details potential for success, showing how your proposal reframes stress as a tool for productivity or proposes a novel way to manage chronic stress.

    Cost of Implementation:

    • Provides a realistic budget.

    • Explains what the prize money (implementation funds) will accomplish.

    • Lists desired mentors and campus partners.

    • Demonstrates wise use of resources.

  • Challenge:

    Introduces the negative mindset around stress as a challenge that is clear, relatable and relevant to students.

    Solution:

    • Defines brain health and why it is relevant to students.

    • Communicates how stress impacts student brain health.

    • Showcases your idea – focusing on feasibility and impact.

    Engagement:

    Your video should be creative, memorable and inspiring – something that calls students to action.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • This year, students at qualifying campuses in good standing can compete for the prize. All years (undergraduate and graduate) and majors are encouraged to apply!

  • Nope! We encourage students from all backgrounds to apply. You are welcome to submit ideas that relate to your major or explore new areas of interest.

    If you're a computer science major with an awesome app idea – submit your idea!

    Teams can share a major or combine different areas of study to get many perspectives.

  • Yes, you are eligible. If you win, you will serve as the Project Manager to implement your idea on campus.

  • $1000 will be awarded to the winning team of each campus round as a travel stipend to get to Dallas, Texas and present live to a panel of judges for a chance at winning the $5000 Grand Prize.

    The Grand Prize money is divided into a personal stipend and implementation funds.

    The personal stipend is $2,500 for an individual winner or a winning team (up to 4 members), personal stipend will be split equally among team members. Personal stipends are for personal use.

    Implementation funds $2,500 is available to help you implement the winning idea on campus.

    Sponsored by xponetiq, your brain health companion.

  • The local prize money should be used by you and your team to fund travel to Dallas, Texas and compete at BrainHeath Week’s NextGen Day.

    Personal stipends ($2,500 for individual or divided among team members) can be used however a student chooses.

    Implementation funds ($2,500) can be used for anything that concretely works towards your goal (hosting events on campus, creating a webpage or app, etc.) Your imagination is the limit!


  • If students use the personal stipend for a qualified education expense (tuition, fees, books, required course supplies/equipment), those funds will be tax-free. However, if used for any other purpose (including living expenses or optional equipment, like a computer), the personal stipend is taxable, and the recipient is responsible for reporting it on their federal income tax return.

  • Implementation Funds will be distributed in $1,000 increments. Winners will be required to account for their expenses before additional funds are allocated. If implementation does not require all the available funds, they will be used to support runner-up ideas.

  • Big mindset change takes time, so we recommend splitting your idea into smaller goals that can be achieved by the end of the Fall 2026 semester.

    While prize funding will end at that time, students can apply for the prize again if they add something new to the idea.

  • The Brain Healthy Campus Collaborative will help match students with experienced campus facilitators who can best support the winning idea.


  • Judging will first take place at the campus level by selected administrators and faculty based on creativity, novelty, feasibility and potential impact.


    At the national level, Representatives from the Brain Healthy Campus Collaborative will review all submitted ideas and evaluate based on the same criteria.

  • Your idea should not "copy/paste" an existing initiative on campus. However, you can add a new component to an existing program, if you can demonstrate added value.

  • Yes! We encourage students to leverage educational content, whether from our partners or another research-backed source.

    Some examples of how to utilize the Brain Healthy Campus Collaborative's resources:

    Center for BrainHealth: Use their YouTube or website content to inspire habit change.

    xponetiq App: Imagine a feature that guides students to assess stress-level in real-time.

    Hilarity for Charity: Create a social campaign or Public Service Announcement that normalizes stress and spotlights its benefits.

    RADical Hope Foundation: Propose an online module that counters the "all stress is bad" narrative with practical tools.

  • Nope! We'd love to celebrate all applicants during this event. Please join us.

  • Contact Janet Koslovsky at janet.koslovsky@utdallas.edu with further questions.

  • Yes! The Brain Health Prize had its first prize winners in 2026, so here are some examples of projects from that time.

    Prize examples (hyperlink to BrainHealth Prize 2026 page)

Interest Form Coming Soon