There’s nothing quite like TechStars demo day in the cleantech world, at least not here in Boston. But the closest equivalent would have to be Cleantech Open Northeast’s final judging and awards gala. Though the format is significantly different, the premise is the same. A number of the region’s most promising startups that have been laboring under the guidance of an accelerator and its mentor network get the chance to make their pitch.

I wrote about CTO’s model back in April in an article on cleantech accelerators, but here’s the gist: 31 regional semifinalists have been participating in the accelerator over the past few months, including a condensed startup bootcamp, mentorship from industry leaders, and various pitch and networking events. Next Tuesday, October 9, six of those 31 companies will be selected to pitch to a network of judges. Of those, just a few will take home prize money, with $20,000 in cash and services awarded by CTO and more awarded by industry groups. This year will also include specific prizes for the sustainability and the software categories, a nod to the direction of the industry in recent years.

The winners will move on to the national competition to compete against other regions, and of course they’ll be marked as some of the area’s top new ventures. One thing CTO has really focused on is helping its participants explore a diverse range of financing opportunities, so one thing I’ll be curious to hear from participants will be what fundraising strategies and partnerships they’re pursuing, and how CTO has helped.

You can sign up for the event waitlist here, and you can see the semifinalists here. Everything I’ve heard suggests that CTO just keeps getting better year to year, so expect this to be the most exciting event yet.