The NFL saw a rise in concussions derived from impacts to facemasks during the 2025 season and they have launched a competition to source ideas about how to improve facemasks in the future.
The league found that 44 percent of in-game concussions resulted from an impact to the player’s facemask, which is an increase from 29 percent in 2015. The next round of the HealthTECH Challenge series will focus on crowdsourced innovations to the way facemasks absorb contact and reduce injuries to the wearer.
Submissions can be for all helmets or specific models and can cover the design and materials of facemasks as well as chin straps and other connectors.
“The rapid rate of innovation in helmet technology reflects how research and data can directly improve the level of safety across football,” NFL executive vice president Jeff Miller said in a statement. “These challenges have raised the standard of equipment to help reduce concussions and mitigate the effects of head impacts. Recent efforts to improve shell impact technology have been incredibly fruitful, and now we look forward to evaluating this next wave of creative solutions to facemasks and other helmet components with the goal of further reducing injury.”
The NFL is offering up to $100,000 in funding to winners of the competition as well as developmental support to help move ideas from concept stages to the playing field.
