NIH Challenges and Prize Competitions

Recognizing exemplary approaches to nutrition education for health care professionals.

This challenge will seek to identify and reward exemplary curricula for integrating nutrition training into health care education for physicians and nurses across the nation.

Coming Soon

Phase I: Planning Comprehensive RNA-Targeting Technologies

Coming soon: Opens on 03/30/2026

Solve translational biomedical problems with quantum computing.

The NIH Quantum Computing Challenge seeks to adopt, optimize, and deploy existing quantum algorithms or develop new quantum algorithms for biomedical problems, leading to a set of transformative solutions.

Phase 2 open until 03/30/26 05:00 PM EDT

Teens and young adults, create comics that tell stories about beauty standards and health!

The NIH Office of Disease Prevention invites teens and young adults ages 13 to 25 to create original comics about ways to reduce health risks from certain beauty products and behaviors.

Open until 04/02/26 11:59 PM EDT

Simplifying Supplements, One Fact at a Time

The NIH Office of Dietary Supplements wants to reimagine how people learn about dietary supplements. ODS wants to transform NIH's trusted fact sheets into interactive digital experiences for everyone.

Phase 1 open until 04/06/2026 05:00 PM EDT

Recognizing NINDS-funded investigators for their dedication to mentorship and training.

Open Until 04/24/26, 5PM Et

Revolutionizing technology development of delivery systems for in vivo genome editing.

A $6,000,000 competition to improve in vivo delivery technologies for genome editors in two Target Areas: 1. Programmable delivery systems, and 2. Non-viral delivery across the blood-brain barrier.

Phase 3 open until 05/04/26 05:00 PM EDT

The NIBIB DEBUT Challenge solicits design projects that develop innovative solutions to unmet health and clinical problems.

Open Until 06/05/2026 11:59 PM EDT

Solve translational biomedical problems with quantum-enabled sensing technologies.

The NIH Quantum Sensing Technology Challenge aims to spur innovative applications of existing quantum-enabled sensing technologies and to adapt and optimize them for use in biomedical research and clinical settings.

Phase 2 open until 06/29/26 05:00 PM EDT

Build the future of human-based biomedical research with new approach methodologies

This challenge invites innovative combinatorial NAMs solutions from multidisciplinary teams who can demonstrate implementation of human-based solution in a practical form within a 3-year period.

Phase 1 closed on 03/01/26

Accelerating the development of innovative technologies for diagnosis of endometriosis.

Awarding up to $3 million in cash prizes to accelerate development of non-invasive technologies to improve diagnosis of endometriosis—a common and often debilitating gynecological disease.

Closed on 03/01/26

Generation and public dissemination of data on oligonucleotide toxicity in human cells.

The Oligonucleotide Toxicity Open Data Challenge incentivizes publicly accessible high-quality datasets from human cells to predict oligonucleotide toxicity from sequence and chemical modification.

Phase 1 Closed on 02/28/26

Promoting data sharing and developing a robust metric to reward exemplary data sharers.

Testing novel ideas in drug use, misuse, and SUD to potentially become biotech startups.

closed on 02/13/26 05:00 PM EST

Testing novel ideas in drug use, misuse, and SUD to potentially become biotech startups.

Closed on 02/04/26 06:00 PM EST

Elevate your organization’s ability to improve health for people with disabilities.

This prize competition seeks to engage community groups and support their initiatives to improve health equity for people with disabilities.

Closed on 01/20/26 05:00 PM EST

Transform and share your art to raise awareness for all rare diseases!

NCATS seeks innovative ways to raise awareness about rare diseases through art, highlighting the importance of research and advancing treatments that address multiple rare diseases.

Closed on 01/02/26 11:59 PM EST

Shape the future of rigorous and replicable science.

The Replication Prize will collect ideas on important research to replicate, and creative and successful strategies to integrate replication into research practice.

Closed on 12/19/25 08:00 PM EST

Building a large, varied, and highly skilled translational science workforce.

Raise the profile of your education or training opportunity in translational science, and help disseminate effective approaches nationally.

Closed on 04/30/25 11:59 PM EDT

Join the NOURISH Autoimmunity Challenge integrating nutrition in autoimmune research.

The NOURISH Autoimmunity Challenge is a crowdsourcing competition to generate innovative ideas integrating diet and nutrition into autoimmune disease research.

Closed on 12/04/25 11:59 PM EST

Entrepreneur Accelerator and Prize Competition for Aging Innovations

This Challenge aims to stimulate aging research and participation in life science entrepreneurship.

Closed on 12/09/24 11:59 PM EST