Startup Awards Calendar · Award or list
SBJ Forty Under 40: deadline and how to prepare
The definitive recognition in the sports business world, and the one that matters for founders selling into teams and leagues.
The short version
The next deadline has not been announced yet. Check the official page before you enter: rules and dates change each cycle.
| Next deadline | Not yet announced |
| Competitiveness | Extremely High |
| Reach | National |
| Who can enter | Members |
| How to enter | Members |
| Entry fee | Members |
Eligibility, how to enter and the entry fee for every program are in the member calendar, with reminders before each deadline.
When is the deadline?
The next deadline has not been announced yet.
2027 cycle not announced; Estimated spring 2027 and unverified. The 2026 class was announced 21 July 2026. Gala 20 November 2026 in New York.
How competitive is it?
SBJ Forty Under 40 is one of the hardest lists to make. Most honorees already have a clear record: revenue or user growth with dates, a notable customer or round, and outside coverage an editor can find. If you are earlier than that, use this cycle to build the record and aim for the next one. It carries national recognition, the kind investors and reporters in that market know by name.
A plan to prepare your entry
The next deadline has not been announced. Programs like this one usually open on a similar schedule each year, so start the work below now and you will be ready when the form opens. Members get a reminder when the date is confirmed.
- Now: collect your proof: growth numbers with dates, customers or partners willing to be named, and links to any coverage.
- When the form opens: write the core answers: what is new, why now, and the three facts that prove it.
- Two weeks before the deadline: have someone outside the company read it cold, then cut anything that cannot be checked.
- A few days early: check the official rules again and submit before the last-day rush.
What makes an entry stand out
- Lead with three facts you can prove, each with a number or a name: growth over a stated period, a named customer or partner, a round and who led it.
- Say what is new in one sentence: what you do that others in your field do not, and why it matters now.
- Link to proof wherever the form allows: coverage, product pages, published results.
- Write for a tired reader. Judges and editors read hundreds of entries. Plain and specific beats long and polished.
Coverage makes the entry easier
Judges and editors search your name before they decide. A story in the right outlet is proof that is hard to fake, and it starts with the right reporter. Describe your company in one sentence and see the 3 reporters most likely to cover it, with the angle to pitch each one. Free, no card.
See my 3 reportersOther deadlines coming up
- Forbes Fintech 50: next deadline 12 November 2026
- SXSW Pitch: next deadline 13 November 2026
- RSAC Innovation Sandbox: next deadline 14 November 2026
- Tory Burch Foundation Fellows: next deadline 17 November 2026
See the full Startup Awards Calendar: 70+ awards and lists with deadlines.
SBJ Forty Under 40 is run by its organizer, not by Earned. Earned is not affiliated with or endorsed by the organizer. Dates marked estimated are based on the last cycle; always confirm on the official page.