Critical Suppliers Prize Competition

Critical Suppliers Prize Competition is sponsored by U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA). This national competition aims to strengthen U.S. manufacturing and critical industry supply chains by expanding capacity at key chokepoints. It offers non-dilutive capital to small businesses that can rapidly scale domestic production and deliver measurable, enduring supply chain solutions.

'Energy Systems, Energetics and Components' is a critical industry supply chain priority, directly relevant to transformer supply chain resilience.

Critical Suppliers Prize Competition - Small Business Administration to the . gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Critical Suppliers Prize Competition SBA is offering up to $20 million in prize awards to help expand capacity in areas identified as critical supply chain chokepoints. SBA is offering up to $20 million in targeted and mission-aligned prize awards that will bring innovation to our manufacturing base and rapidly expand production capacity in areas identified as critical supply chain chokepoints.

The overall objective is to deliver measurable, near-term improvements by directing resources toward: Existing suppliers with the ability to scale High-impact supply chain gaps or chokepoints Actions that achieve defined milestones or produce tangible output within a defined timeframe Small businesses comprise 98% of all manufacturing in the United States and account for approximately half of our GDP.

A significant portion of the U.S. manufacturing base was offshored in the last several decades. There is now a concerted effort to bring back this base and strengthen our critical supply chains, however, we cannot simply reshore dated manufacturing production processes and technologies.

In restoring our manufacturing base, we must also bring innovation that will drive efficiencies and scale at a rate to effectively compete with our nation’s adversaries.

Awards will be made to small businesses based on a detailed review of each submission for factors including a demonstrated operating history, proven technical capability, relevance to identified supply chain gaps and chokepoints, creditworthiness, and the ability to achieve measurable outcomes. This competition is authorized under the America COMPETES Act (15 U.S.C.

§ 3719) and through its award aims to stimulate innovation within the U.S. industrial base. The competition will directly fund U.S. based small businesses to provide non-dilutive capital towards restoring U.S. industrial supply chains including the defense industrial base.

These funds would be used to refine, accelerate, and scale existing solutions (rather than drive research and development) and would be provided in the form of non-dilutive prize funding.

Contestants must have an aligned business strategy that provides tangible deliverables to at least one priority area addressing critical industrial base needs, technology solutions, and supply chain gaps and chokepoints in the U.S.: Advanced Metals Manufacturing (including rapid tooling, precision casting and forging, heat treated components, strategic and critical minerals, and rare earth element recovery and magnet production) Advanced Materials Manufacturing (including large format additive manufacturing and materials transformation) Energy Systems, Energetics and Components (including nuclear energy, battery energy storage systems and standardization efforts) Contestants must currently be profitable and generally creditworthy and must demonstrate the ability to deploy funds immediately.

Contestants will be able to achieve measurable increases in production or will be able to implement a solution that supports efficiencies in production, within six months from being granted the award. This prioritizes execution-ready firms with clear pathways to deliver near-term supply chain impact. Contestants must also be U.S.-based small businesses (per SBA size standards ).

Awards will be issued as prize payments tied to projected and completed milestone achievements, consistent with 15 U.S.C. 3719. Only eligible contestants may submit entries and participate in the competition.

Only one entry per business will be considered. The following entities are eligible to participate in the competition: Private entities or teams must meet SBA’s definition of a small business.

Individuals submitting on behalf of corporations, nonprofits, or other organizations or groups of individuals (such as an academic class or other team) must be citizens of the United States or lawful permanent residents who are at least 18 years of age at the time of their submission of an entry. An individual cannot belong to more than one team submitting an entry in this competition.

Contestants must be current and in good standing on any federal obligations.

Businesses that have, at any time, defaulted on a federal loan or federally guaranteed financing that has resulted in the federal government or any of its agencies or departments sustaining a loss in any of its programs and businesses owned or controlled a person who previously owned, operated, or controlled a business which defaulted on a federal loan or guaranteed financing and caused the federal government or any of its agencies or departments to sustain a loss in any of its programs are ineligible to apply for the competition.

For purposes of the competition, a compromise agreement as described at 31 C. F. R.

3711 shall also be considered a loss. Contestants must be in good standing in the jurisdiction of their state of organization. Contestants must be an entity organized in and maintaining a primary place of business in the United States and/or its territories.

Contestants must be profitable and demonstrate general creditworthiness. All members of the senior management team of a contestant must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents of the United Sates and over the age of 18. Contestants must not use award proceeds towards general overhead (selling, general and administrative expenses) of the business.

Ineligible persons and entities‍ SBA employees or SBA contractors, federal entities, or federal employees acting within the scope of their employment Individuals or organizations that are currently suspended or debarred by the federal government Eligible contestants must agree to assume risks of personal injury and property damage arising from their participation in the competition, waive all such claims against the federal government in order to enter the competition, and agree to the Liability and Insurance Requirements set forth below.

See our Guidelines document for full terms and conditions. There is no fee for entry. Submissions should be emailed directly to investinnovate@sba.

gov by August 28, 2026 11:59 pm ET to be considered. We suggest that your submission should be in the form of a company pitch deck, if you choose to provide one. The outline below is an example of how you might organize your deck to tell your company’s story, how you would use the prize money, and how you would fulfill the goals of the 2026 Critical Suppliers Prize Competition.

Note that the ownership and use of intellectual property arising from this competition remains with you.

Pitch deck outline example + Brief description of business and website link of the contestant A condensed summary of how your business addresses the 2026 Critical Suppliers Prize Competition Goals Operating history and current capital needs Snapshot of the contestant’s financial performance from the most recent reporting period Brief description of the history of the contestant (when founded, milestones achieved to date, etc.) Snapshot of current capital needs of the contestant including summary of current investors, debt providers and cashflow from operations Brief description of near-term milestone to be achieved with award supporting the competition’s requirement regarding use of proceeds of award Description of the uses of the award proceeds within the next one to six months, description of other sources of capital that will be deployed alongside the award proceeds and proof that the award will not be used for general overhead expenses (supporting the competition’s requirement regarding use of proceeds of the award) Snapshot of business plan with revenue forecast assuming achievement of the milestone as compared to projections without the award (supporting the competition’s revenue eligibility requirement) Names and contact information for references in the following categories: Other character references for senior management team Additional notes: visuals & media You may include images, diagrams, tables, etc. with a brief, descriptive caption to accompany each image or table.

These should have a minimum resolution of 200 dpi.

Visual aids such as graphics, charts, photos, videos, and demonstrations may be helpful to cover the following topics: Solution/business of the contestant Snapshot of the current financial performance of the contestant Description of the ownership of the contestant Other sources of capital used by the contestant like, and prototypes Prohibited use of SBA’s logo The application must not use SBA’s logo or official seal in the submission and must not claim SBA endorsement.

The award of a prize in this competition does not constitute an endorsement of a specific entity, service, or product by SBA or the federal government. Prior to judging, all submissions will be vetted and screened by SBA for contestant eligibility and completeness of the submission. SBA reserves the right to vet contestants at any time.

All contestant submissions will be vetted and screened by SBA for contestant eligibility and the following criteria.

At any point during the competition, SBA may review the submissions for eligibility and, among other things: The general business reputation of the owners and management of the contestants Risks posed by the contestant’s organization Contestant compliance with Executive Orders and all applicable laws and regulations Conflicts of interest with the Agency SBA may, at its sole discretion, request clarifying or explanatory information on any matter from the contestant.

Contestants that do not pass the vetting process will be ineligible to advance in the competition. SBA reserves the right to revisit contestant eligibility and vetting information at any time during the competition. SBA, at its sole discretion, will select a judging panel comprised of impartial SBA personnel.

The judging panel will rate submissions and choose winners that, in the panel’s sole discretion, best satisfy the competition criteria below. The panel may also take into consideration vetting Information and the geographic location and dispersal of contestants when selecting winners. During the judging period, SBA may ask contestants for clarification of the technical and cost aspects of their proposals.

This should not be construed as a commitment to fund the proposed effort. Character, Integrity and Cohesion of Management Team + There is clear evidence of the senior management team’s qualifications for execution of the business model. Review of materials submitted and reference calls indicate high character and integrity of the senior management team of the contestant.

Review of the materials and reference calls indicate high likelihood that the senior management team will continue to work together towards the defined goal for the foreseeable future. Business Model Evaluation + The proposed use of funds aligns with the competition parameters and proof that the award monies will not be allocated towards overhead.

Contestant has a likelihood of future success, in particular, in executing on the competition goals. Contestant has other sources of capital (investors, debt, and cashflow from operations) that round out the necessary capital stack for execution of their business plan. Mission Alignment / Impact + Contestant’s business aligns with the competition goals.

Contestant’s proposed use of the award monies is within the next one to six months and contestant’s projections demonstrate a measurable impact. The competition will award up to $20 million in total prizes. Awards will support rapid deployment of funds toward clearly defined operational milestones.

SBA intends to announce 4-6 award winners on or about September 10, 2026 , for an award up to $6. 0 million each. Successful contestants will be able to demonstrate measurable impact to the supply chain and national and economic security impact.

Only one prize will be awarded for each winning submission, regardless of the number of contestants that created or were involved with that submission. SBA reserves the right to substitute prizes of similar value without notice. If you have questions or need additional information, please email investinnovate@SBA.

gov .