How to enter startup competitions on YouNoodle
TL;DR
YouNoodle is the application and evaluation software that universities, corporates and foundations use to run startup competitions, accelerators and grant calls. Founders apply to open programmes through a public page, and the organisers pay for the software. It suits early-stage founders hunting for prize money, mentoring and judges' attention.
What is YouNoodle?
YouNoodle says it is trusted by 6,000+ programmes and 400K+ entrepreneurs and has served organisers for more than 15 years. Organisers use it to collect applications, score them with judges and pick winners. Each programme gets its own page with the brief, eligibility rules, prizes and deadline.
Founders see the other side: the public YouNoodle application page, titled "Apply to funds, grants, and opportunities around the world", with search and filters. On 29 October 2026 it held about 60 programme pages, open and closed. Open calls included:
- 10th Fundación MAPFRE Awards for Social Innovation, with IE University: €100,000 for the winner and €10,000 for each of three other finalists, deadline 1 December 2026.
- Silicon Valley Innovation Challenge 2026, San José State University, deadline 8 November 2026.
- ChemoStart by Insud Pharma, deadline 20 November 2026.
- Bright Ideas Competition 2027, Kingston University, deadline 9 December 2026.
- Gulleggið 2027, KLAK Icelandic Startups, deadline 28 January 2027.
Who should apply through YouNoodle?
- Early-stage founders who want prize money, mentoring or a place in an accelerator.
- Social impact, health and student startups: the open calls on 29 October 2026 included programmes aimed at each of them.
- Skip it if you want a permanent public profile or a backlink. The public page lists programmes, and YouNoodle has no public startup profiles.
How much does YouNoodle cost?
- For founders: the programme pages we checked mention no application fee. Each organiser sets its own rules, so read the page before you apply.
- For organisers: Starter $199 a month or $999 a year, Premium $299 a month or $2,499 a year, Premium Plus $499 a month or $3,999 a year, and Enterprise on request.
How do you share your startup on YouNoodle?
- Open the YouNoodle application page and filter for open programmes that match your sector, region and stage.
- Read the programme page: eligibility, judging criteria, prizes, deadline and any info session. The MAPFRE awards, for one, hold an info session on 17 November 2026.
- Click Apply now, which opens the programme's form on apply.younoodle.com, and submit before the deadline. Deadlines carry a time zone, such as 11:59 PM GMT+1.
- If you run your own competition or accelerator, compare plans on the pricing page or book a demo.
Tips to get more out of YouNoodle
- Answer the judging criteria line by line. Judges score inside the platform, so map each answer to a stated criterion.
- Look for programmes for women founders. On 29 October 2026 the page listed PRO NETWORK (Mujeres PRO) with rolling applications.
- Keep one master application with your problem, traction numbers, team and use of funds, and adapt it per call.
- Check the dates and the year in each title. The page mixes open and closed programmes, and some older calls still show as open.
- The DA of 60 belongs to younoodle.com. The real return is prize money, mentors and judges who remember your name.
Our verdict
YouNoodle is a doorway to dozens of competitions run by serious organisers, and on the pages we checked, applying costs founders nothing but time. It gives you no public listing, so treat it as a funding and mentoring channel and pair it with launch directories for visibility.
More options: see all startup directories and launch sites. Planning the launch around this listing? The Fe/male Switch startup game walks women founders from idea to first customers.