Everything you need to know about applying for the Brain Health Prize and turning your innovative idea into reality.
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.
We’re challenging you to design bold, innovative ideas that help your peers:
Interested? Fill out the interest form, and we'll send you to the application portal.
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 (to be completed fall 2026).
Want some inspiration? Prize Ideas →
Our panel of judges from the Brain Healthy Campus Collaborative will review all submissions, looking for creativity, feasibility and impact – asking, how will this idea drive measurable and lasting change? Our judges are seeking out ideas that build upon (but do not duplicate) existing campus initiatives.
The winning individual or team will be announced February 23, 2026, on NextGen Day during Dallas' annual BrainHealth Week.
Event Location: Center for BrainHealth, 2200 W Mockingbird Lane, Dallas, TX 75235
Winners will be notified by email one month prior, and all applicants will be invited to attend NextGen Day and the award presentation.
The winning individual or team will implement their idea on campus before the end of the 2026 Fall term.
Interest FormPrize applications open!
Optional Information Session 1 (virtual)
Optional Information Session 2 (virtual)
Application Due: Two-page summary and (optional) two-minute video pitch
Winners Notified
Winners Announced at BrainHealth Week NextGen Day
Idea Implementation Complete
Your idea doesn't need to be big or expensive – just creative, practical and impactful.
Materials must be submitted by November 21, 2025 @ 5:00 PM CST.
Clearly explains how stress affects student brain health and why it matters at your campus.
Introduces the negative mindset around stress as a challenge that is clear, relatable and relevant to students.
Your video should be creative, memorable and inspiring – something that calls students to action.
This year, UT Dallas students 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.
The 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.
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.
Representatives from the Brain Healthy Campus Collaborative will review all submitted ideas and evaluate based on creativity, novelty, feasibility and potential impact.
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.
About UsNope! We'd love to celebrate all applicants during this event. Please join us.
Contact Janet Koslovsky at janet.koslovsky@utdallas.edu with further questions.
The Brain Health Prize is launching this year, so while there aren't any examples of previous prize winners, we have provided a few examples of winning student projects from the Center for BrainHealth's Summer Scholar Program. Remember: these students had a different prompt!
Have more questions? Check out the recordings from the information sessions.
Oct 28, Information Session #1
Oct 28, Information Session #2
Complete the interest form to receive access to the application due November 21, 2025 at 5PM CT.