The Nebraska Center for Entrepreneurship at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln is seeking nominations for its 2026 Nebraska Entrepreneur Awards. Organizers said the awards ceremony is a chance for founders, leaders, mentors and advocates to come together and be recognized for the impact they are making on UNL’s campus and in the state’s wider entrepreneurial ecosystem. 

Award recipients will be named at the celebration event on April 14 at Hudl’s headquarters in downtown Lincoln. The deadline for nominations is 12 p.m. CDT March 24.

Award categories span highlighting UNL students and faculty to celebrating the names behind established and emerging companies. 

Last year’s winners include Senior Care Finder Co-founder and CEO Christie Stukenholtz, who won the Nebraska Distinguished Entrepreneur Award, and Nebraska Startup Academy Co-founder and Executive Director Charlie Cuddy, who received the Entrepreneur Advocate Award. 

“Nominations help ensure the awards reflect the full breadth of entrepreneurship happening across Nebraska,” the Nebraska Center for Entrepreneurship said in an article about the festivities. “By nominating someone, you’re honoring their work, helping share their story and inspiring others to follow in their footsteps.”

The Nebraska Center for Entrepreneurship seeks to give students the necessary experiences, networks and mentors to successfully launch and manage their own businesses. These efforts have helped UNL earn top global rankings for its programming.

The 39th annual New Venture Competition will conclude right before the Entrepreneur Awards ceremony. The winners of the pitch competition, which targets the ventures of UNL students and recent alumni, will be announced at the evening event.

Organizers said that holding the Entrepreneur Awards ceremony at Hudl’s headquarters is significant as the founders of Hudl were winners of the New Venture Competition back in 2006. 

“As the Entrepreneur Awards follow the New Venture Competition, the setting underscores a simple but important truth: Today’s pitches and prototypes can become tomorrow’s legacy companies,” the Nebraska Center for Entrepreneurship said. 

You can learn more about the Nebraska Entrepreneur Awards, the different award categories and how to nominate individuals here.