Welcome to the NFL’s Big Data Bowl, the annual contest from NFL Football Operations that challenges members of the sports analytics community – from college students to professionals – to contribute to the league's continuing development and understanding of advanced statistical analysis.

This premier, crowd-sourced competition uses data and technology to spur innovation that results in creating new insights, making the game more exciting for fans, as well as protecting players from unnecessary risk.

Powered by Amazon Web Services (AWS), contestants use traditional football data and Next Gen Stats to analyze and rethink trends and player performance, while also advancing the way football is played and coached. The Big Data Bowl aims to engage and empower the football analytics community to drive innovation.

BIG DATA BOWL STRUCTURE

Each year, the NFL Big Data Bowl calls on professional and aspiring amateur data scientists to devise innovative approaches to a specific challenge. Participants propose statistical, data-driven solutions using real-time data across a wide variety of players, plays and situations.

The call for participants typically is in the fall and the competition runs into early January. Participants can work independently or form teams with other colleagues.

NFL club analytics staff judge each submission and work with NFL Football Operations staff to narrow down the finalists. Finalists then present their entry at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis to a panel of judges. In recent years, judges have included NFL Network predictive analytics expert, Cynthia Frelund, former Big Data Bowl participants, AWS data scientists and NFL linebacker Najee Goode.

Contestants in each year’s Big Data Bowl compete for $100,000 in prize money and the chance to present to NFL teams at the upcoming NFL Scouting Combine. Even if participants do not finish as a finalist, the Big Data Bowl has served as a pipeline with NFL teams or their affiliate vendors.

2026 EDITION

The competition highlighted a new pathway for leveraging Next Gen Stats (NGS). For the first time, the participants predicted player movement by using data before the football is thrown to produce insights on where players will move while the football is in the air. Data was available from the 2023 and 2024 NFL seasons, with predictions evaluated against the 2025 season's outcomes (Weeks 14-18). Also, for the first time, applicants could enter a public leaderboard, which evaluated the accuracy of submissions by comparing predicted to actual player locations, as determined using NGS.

Previous competitions analyzed running backs, defensive backs, special teams, pass rush plays and tackling, and generated metrics that have been used by NFL teams and incorporated into live games. During a game, both teams divulge patterns before the snap and participants were challenged to determine those patterns from player tracking data corresponding to pre-snap team and player tendencies.

As in the 2019-2025 Big Data Bowls, the 2026 Big Data Bowl was hosted by Kaggle, the world’s largest community of machine learning practitioners, learners, and researchers.

Lucca Ferraz, a Rice University student, was named the 2026 Big Data Bowl winner. His submission, Ghostbusters: Back off man, I'm a Data Scientist!, evaluated defender movement while the ball is in the air through hypothetical distributions of ghost defenders.

Read Lucca's full project proposal here and check out the complete list of 2026 finalists here.

2027 EDITION

This year’s competition gives participants a new way to use NGS data. For the first time, they’ll analyze NFL Scouting Combine data alongside select in-game data to identify which pre-draft measurements and traits are most closely tied to future success. The dataset will focus on five position groups: wide receivers, tight ends, defensive backs, offensive linemen and defensive linemen.

“Entering our ninth-annual competition, we are continuing to elevate the Big Data Bowl by giving participants the opportunity to evaluate current and former NFL Draft prospects,” said Mike Lopez, senior director of football data and analytics at the NFL. “The competition will uncover new insights into what drives success at the professional level while providing the sports analytics community the opportunity to advance the game of football.”

"The Big Data Bowl has always been about pushing the boundaries of what's possible with football data, and this year's competition takes that mission even further," said Ari Entin, head of sports marketing at AWS. "We've spent years bringing Next Gen Stats to life for fans, from broadcast integrations to NFL IQ this offseason, showing how this data can transform the way people understand the game. And as with every Big Data Bowl, we're putting data directly into the hands of the analytics community, this year asking them to bridge the college and pro game for the first time, uncovering how talent translates from Saturdays to Sundays."

The participants will be able to analyze data from the five position groups captured through Zebra tracking chips worn by prospects at the NFL Scouting Combine. Contestants will be able to review select-player data from the 2023, 2024 and 2025 NFL Combines, including stats from the 2025 Offensive Player of the Year Jaxon Smith-Njigba and All-Pro defensive end Will Anderson Jr. In addition, player-tracking data from those same players during their snaps in NFL games will be shared.

Applicants can enter through one of two tracks:

Undergraduate/Graduate Track: Open only to groups or individuals composed entirely of undergraduate or graduate students. Verification may be required to prove eligibility.

Open Track: Open to all individuals or groups outside of college/university.

As the Big Data Bowl continues to expand globally, AWS and the NFL will host five separate student-focused regional events. These events will bring NFL player-tracking data directly to university students and aspiring data scientists through hands-on analytics and data storytelling challenges powered by AWS. The series launched in Rio de Janeiro and continued in London, Paris, and New York City before concluding in Mexico City.

The competition provides participants three months to submit their work. Following multiple rounds of evaluation by NFL analysts and football operations experts, finalists will be announced in early 2027 and will present their findings at the 2027 NFL Scouting Combine.

For additional information on the 2027 Big Data Bowl, visit Kaggle.

MENTORSHIP PROGRAM

As part of the NFL’s annual Big Data Bowl, NFL Football Operations offers a mentorship program to increase diversity within sports analytics by connecting experienced NFL analytics experts with individuals who are quantitatively prepared but new to the field of sports analytics. Mentors and mentees work one-on-one to contribute to the football analytics community. Participants whose work stands out could gain an opportunity to present it at conferences or contribute to our NFL Football Operations data blog posts. Groups underrepresented in sports analytics/STEM receive priority in the application process.

Mentors for the Big Data Bowl program are selected based on their analytics backgrounds and commitment to advise mentees as they start their analytics journeys. Mentors include former/current NFL team data analysts and front-office representatives as well as staff members from NFL analytics partners. Mentors provide technical and non-technical advice throughout the duration of the program.

Mentees learn from an industry professional on how to use the Big Data Bowl data while expanding their knowledge of how data science, statistics or a related discipline can contribute to the NFL’s continuing evolution in the use of advanced analytics. No background in analytics is required — only a willingness to code.

The Program

Individual Mentorship

Mentors and mentees are matched by the NFL Football Operations team based on their knowledge, skills and location. Mentors are expected to provide encouragement and advice, both in and around data science. Mentors and mentees meet virtually at least once a month during the program that runs from September through February. It is expected that all mentees complete a public submission to the Big Data Bowl.

Group Training Seminars

The program includes both individual meetings and monthly group training sessions. These seminars cover football analytics topics, including:

• Life with an NFL team
• Working as a league vendor in data science
• Media or business analytics
• Graduate school

Each training session consists of a presentation, Q&A, and an open forum.

Final Presentation

All mentees have the opportunity to present at a virtual forum open to analysts from all 32 NFL teams. This event is held in January or February.

Code of Conduct

Participants in the Big Data Bowl Mentorship Program are required to abide by the following rules:

• Conversations should remain productive and respect personal and professional boundaries.
• Comments or actions that are offensive, sexual in nature, or intimidating are prohibited in any form.
• Mentees are instructed not to solicit confidential information.
• Mentors and mentees cannot publicize their relationship unless both parties consent.
• Monthly meetings are a minimum commitment for both mentors and mentees. If this cadence is not sustained, participants may be removed from the program.
• Anyone in violation of the above is subject to removal from the program.