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Overview
Timeline
- Phase Starts12/8/2026 5:00 AM ET
- Solution Submission Due5/31/2027 3:59 AM ET
- Judging Ends06/28/27
- Results Announcement06/30/27
- Phase Starts7/1/2027 4:00 AM ET
- Solution Submission Due6/1/2028 3:59 AM ET
- Judging Ends06/30/28
- Results Announcement07/31/28
Prize
Amount of the Prize: NIDDK will award up to fifteen (15) Phase 1 winners at $25,000 each. For Phase 2, it is anticipated that there will be a Grand Prize winner ($300,000), a 1st Runner up ($150,000), a 2nd Runner up ($100,000) and a 3rd Runner up ($75,000), for a total of up to $1,000,000 in prizes. All Phase 2 winning partner teams will be invited (not required) to present their submission to an NIH audience after Phase 2 winners have been announced.
Award Approving Official: The Award Approving Official will be Griffin P. Rodgers, MD, MACP, Director, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.
Payment of the Prize: Prizes awarded under this Challenge will be paid by electronic funds transfer and may be subject to federal income taxes. HHS/NIH will comply with the Internal Revenue Service withholding and reporting requirements, where applicable.
Participants who are competing on behalf of an entity in this Challenge are encouraged, but not required, to request and obtain a free Unique Entity ID (UEI), if they have not already done so, via SAM.gov as this will expedite prize payment. Additional information can be found at https://sam.gov/content/entity-registration .
NIH/NIDDK reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to (a) cancel, suspend, or modify the Challenge, or any part of it, for any reason, and/or (b) not award any prizes if no submissions are deemed worthy.
Rules
Terms & Conditions
Team leads affirm that they have read, understood, and will abide by the rules set forth in this Challenge.
Judging Criteria
Clarity/Quality of Submission: How well is the submission organized, clearly written, and communicates the idea effectively?
Importance & Relevance: To what extent does the submission address a meaningful community need or public health challenge? The submission should clearly explain why the proposed idea matters and who will benefit – within NIDDK’s mission.
Innovation & Creativity: How well does the submission introduce a novel approach, adapt existing methods in innovative ways, or address a gap in current practice?
Feasibility & Pragmatism: To what degree is the plan realistic for future development related to objectives, timeline, resources, and potential barriers are appropriately considered?
Community Engagement Approach: How well does the submission demonstrate authentic and meaningful engagement with community members. Community roles, decision-making, and partnership principles are clearly described.
How well is the submission organized, clearly written, and communicates the idea effectively?
Importance & Relevance: To what extent does the submission address a meaningful community need or public health challenge? The submission should clearly explain why the proposed idea matters and who will benefit – within NIDDK’s mission.
How well does the submission introduce a novel approach, adapt existing methods in innovative ways, or address a gap in current practice?
To what degree is the plan realistic for future development related to objectives, timeline, resources, and potential barriers are appropriately considered?
How well does the submission demonstrate authentic and meaningful engagement with community members? Community roles, decision-making, and partnership principles are clearly described.
To what extent does the submission address a meaningful community need or public health challenge? The submission should clearly explain why the proposed idea matters and who will benefit – within NIDDK’s mission.
Phase 1 winners will exclusively be invited to compete in Phase 2. During Phase 2, participants will be expected to further develop and implement their engagement plan in collaboration with the anticipated partners. With this more detailed plan, judging criteria will include selected criteria from Phase 1 (1. Importance & relevance, 2. Feasibility & Pragmatism, and 3. Community Engagement Approach) plus criteria related to 4. Partnership Implementation & Evaluation plans (including processes and indicators of progress, impact and outcomes). Additional details will be shared when participants are awarded the Phase 1 prize and invited to compete in Phase 2.
Partnership Implementation
Evaluation Plans