2026 US NAM Grand Prize Phase
In 2026, the National Academy of Medicine (NAM) will mark the culmination of its Healthy Longevity Global Competition by issuing a $1.5 million USD Grand Prize and several smaller awards for projects with the greatest impact—or potential for impact—on healthy longevity in humans. The Grand Prize Phase is open exclusively to the 720 global recipients of Healthy Longevity Catalyst Awards, issued between 2020 and 2025 during an earlier phase of the Healthy Longevity Global Competition.
Background
Founded by the NAM in 2019, the Healthy Longevity Global Competition helped jumpstart a worldwide movement to extend the human healthspan by accelerating research, innovation, and entrepreneurship in healthy longevity.
In the Catalyst Phase, the NAM and its global partners funded and administered Catalyst Award competitions open to innovators in over 50 countries and territories. Over six annual cycles (2020-2025), the NAM and its partners issued 720 Catalyst Awards—totaling more than $36 million USD—to seed bold, innovative ideas and early-stage projects from across disciplines and with the potential to improve physical, mental, and social health and well-being as we age.
In the Accelerator Phase of the Global Competition, 13 global Catalyst Awardees received support from Johnson & Johnson Innovation in 2021 and 2022 to continue on their innovation journey. Specifically, JJI ran two cycles of its Healthy Longevity QuickFire Challenge and issued approximately $2.5 million USD in grants plus mentorship opportunities to this select group of global innovators.
In 2026, the Global Competition will conclude with the Grand Prize Phase, administered by the NAM with support from its global partners. NAM is a private membership organization formed under the corporate charter of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS), which will award the prizes.
Overview
The NAM will issue one Grand Prize of $1.5 million USD for the project with the greatest impact—or potential for impact—on healthy longevity in humans. The NAM will also award one 2nd place prize of $250,000 USD; one 3rd place prize of $125,000 USD; and several honorable mention prizes of $10,000 USD.
The NAM defines healthy longevity as the state in which years in good health approach the biological life span, with physical, cognitive, and social functioning—enabling well-being across populations. For the Grand Prize Phase, the NAM is seeking projects that have demonstrated (or have demonstrated the potential to do) the following:
- Create transformative knowledge to enable everyone everywhere to live with health into the oldest ages
- Transform current knowledge and ability to create healthy longevity
- Bring about a true sense of paradigmatic change in science, opening new frontiers in the way we think about and drive research
- Be a basic building block of intervention and solutions for creating healthy longevity for everyone
Eligibility
The Grand Prize Phase is open exclusively to global Catalyst Awardees. This includes the 720 teams worldwide that received a Catalyst Award between 2020 and 2025 from the NAM or one of its global partners. Global partners that administered Catalyst Awards as part of the Healthy Longevity Global Competition include (in alphabetical order):
- Academia Sinica
- Agency for Medical Research and Development of Japan
- Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences
- The Chinese University of Hong Kong & the University of Hong Kong
- EIT Health
- Ministry of Health/National Research Foundation of Singapore
- National Academy of Medicine of the United States
- National Agency for Research and Development of Chile
- National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health of the United States
- Research Grants Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China
- UK Research and Innovation
For the Grand Prize Phase, the NAM seeks projects that have advanced following receipt of the original Catalyst Award. Projects must be able to speak to the trajectory of their work from the initial Catalyst Award to the present (this is part of the Project Submission component of their Grand Prize application).
An individual may only be named on one application for the Grand Prize. However, it is possible that there be multiple Grand Prize applications linked to the same Catalyst Award-winning project. For example, a Catalyst Award-winning project may have yielded results that evolved into two distinct lines of research, each led by a member of the original Catalyst Award-winning team. Each of those two researchers are eligible to apply for the Grand Prize with their respective projects.
The NAM acknowledges that Grand Prize applicants will have received their initial Catalyst Award in different years and therefore have had different amounts of time to advance their work. The Catalyst Award-winning projects are also extremely diverse and advance at different rates. These factors will be taken into account in the evaluation of applications for the Grand Prize.
Evaluation Criteria
The following criteria will be used to evaluate submissions for the Grand Prize.
- Impact in Humans
- Scope & Global Applicability
- Access & Scalability
- Project Progress
- Future Vision
The following section provides a description of each criterion along with examples of possible evidence. The examples are included solely for illustrative purposes and are not exhaustive. The NAM recognizes that projects span multiple disciplines, target different populations, and exist at varied stages of maturity. No single example will be relevant to all applicants.
Detailed description of each criterion with examples:
Impact in Humans **most important criterion**
Description
- The extent to which the project has had a demonstrable impact on healthy longevity in humans.
- If not yet at the human stage, the extent to which the project has demonstrated strong potential for such impact once further developed.
- The extent to which the project has generated transformative knowledge, or a new scientific or conceptual understanding, to help the broader field achieve healthy longevity.
- For IMPACT IN HUMANS, the focus should be on the measurable difference the work has made (or has the potential to make), with outcomes and effects on people, systems, and knowledge as evidence.
Examples of Impact in Humans
- Progress in the conduct of clinical studies – anywhere from proof of concept to clinical trial – showing results such as improvements in physical, cognitive, or social functioning, or reductions in loneliness, fall risk, or chronic disease burden
- Regulatory progress toward testing in humans
- Adoption of the intervention into clinical practice or health system protocols
- Technology deployed in real-world settings after demonstrating improvements in patient outcomes or care delivery
- Adoption of policies that improve access to preventative care
- Development of policy frameworks supported by strong implementation data
- Early adoption of regulatory or financing models that enable broader access to healthy longevity interventions
- Pilot program yields strong participation, behavior change, or improved well-being outcomes in older adults
Scope & Global Applicability
Description
- The extent to which the project aims to address a challenge/issue that affects a significant portion of the population, or a widespread issue encountered by people as they age.
- The extent to which the project or intervention is biologically applicable to a significant portion of the population.
Examples of Scope & Global Applicability
- Intervention targets a prevalent condition associated with aging (e.g., frailty, mobility decline, dementia risk, social isolation)
- Research yields preclinical or early human evidence suggesting the mechanism exists universally in human biology
- Pilot testing suggests effectiveness across diverse demographic groups (by sex, ancestry, geography)
- Challenge/issue is relevant to multiple age-related conditions rather than a single disorder
- Research is designed to enable generalization beyond a single genetic or geographic subgroup
- Early testing conducted across different demographic groups, generating evidence that performance remains stable across populations
- Approaches are tailored to specific environments (e.g., rural, informal housing, institutional care) that exist globally
- Intervention focuses on a rare disease but work reveals mechanisms applicable to common age-related syndromes
Accessibility & Scalability
Description
- The extent to which the project has been (or could be) scaled, potentially leading to a breakthrough across populations or systems.
- Whether and how identified barriers to scale have (or could be) addressed.
- The extent to which the project has or could be made accessible to people worldwide.
- Whether and how identified barriers to accessibility have (or could be) addressed.
Examples of Accessibility & Scalability
- Evidence demonstrates feasibility of scaling intervention across diverse populations or settings
- Intervention has been implemented in diverse settings with varied resource levels (e.g., public and private health systems)
- Implementation expanded to multiple hospitals or regions and embedded into routine service delivery
- Product is designed to function without highly specialized infrastructure
- Technology is usable across languages, literacy levels, or device types and/or is designed with localization capability (e.g., language, norms, clinical standards)
- Delivery model is intentionally compatible with primary care (as opposed to specialized centers) to facilitate widespread implementation
- Technology developed to run on commonly available devices and platforms
- Tool is successfully validated with older adults with varied literacy levels
- Partnerships established with organizations specifically to support expansion
Project Progress
Description
- To what extent is there evidence of advancement and success of the work? This is distinct from the scientific/technical progress articulated in the Impact criterion.
- This may include items such as continued funding and financial growth, translation and commercial development, regulatory progress, partnerships and adoption, dissemination and knowledge contribution, etc. (The NAM acknowledges that not all factors will apply to each project.)
Examples of Project Progress
- Significant follow-on funding secured from competitive and/or diversified sources (public, private, philanthropic) to continue development
- Invitations to support full proposals based on preliminary results
- Company formation or spin-out
- Patent application filed, or patent granted
- Technology transfer agreements initiated, technology is licensed, or product is launched
- Regulatory submission complete or approvals obtained
- Paying customers or implementation contracts secured
- Partnerships established with health systems, governments, etc. to facilitate implementation and scale up
- New research collaborations formed
- Papers published in peer-reviewed journals; citations influence practice or direction of research in the field
Future Vision
Description
- To what extent plans exist to further advance, develop, scale, and/or sustain the project and whether there are clear plans for long-term viability.
Examples of Future Vision
- Clearly defined milestones and next phase of development (e.g., larger study, expanded deployment, additional populations, or new settings)
- Stepwise roadmap describing how the project will move from current stage to broader real-world implementation
- Plans to expand implementation across additional regions, systems, or countries
- Partnerships identified to support dissemination or adoption at scale
- Training materials, toolkits, or operational guidance developed to enable independent uptake
- Replication strategy to confirm effectiveness in different contexts
- Long-term financial model identified (e.g., reimbursement pathway, procurement model, licensing, investment, public funding)
- Ongoing funding secured or clear pathway to secure it
- Engagement with regulators, government agencies, insurers, or decision-makers to support integration
- Policy or economic analyses supporting adoption
- Governance or organizational structure identified or established for maintaining the project long term
- Ongoing monitoring and evaluation plan to track outcomes and improve performance
- Plan for maintenance, updates, or continued community engagement
Review Process
The National Academy of Medicine (NAM) will oversee the review process for the Grand Prize Phase, with support from its global partners.
Following the submission deadline, applications will first be reviewed by the global partner that administered the corresponding Catalyst Award. Each partner will identify a group of the most competitive projects based on the Grand Prize evaluation criteria.
Shortlisted applications will then advance to a multi-stage review coordinated by the NAM. This process will engage an international pool of experts and leaders with diverse disciplinary perspectives.
Final award decisions will be made by a multidisciplinary Selection Committee. Decisions of the Selection Committee are final.
2026 Timeline
Below is the timeline for the Grand Prize application, review, and award process.
- Friday, March 20: Application window opens (portal becomes accessible)
- Monday, May 4, 11:59PM ET: Application window closes
- May – August: Application review and selection process
- Early September: Grand Prize Phase awardees notified
- October 20: Healthy Longevity Global Innovator Summit in Washington, DC
Dates are based on an estimated timeline and are subject to change. The NAM will post any changes to key dates on its website and communicate with global partners.
Application Components
All global Catalyst Awardees will be required to apply for the Grand Prize through the NAM’s application portal here. Application components include:
01
Application Form (required)
- PI and co-investigator information
- Information to identify the original Catalyst Award project (year, sponsor, etc.)
- Primary and secondary topic areas (to help match with expert reviewers)
- Project summary/abstract (300 word maximum)
- Optional demographic questions
- Format: Fillable form in application portal
02
Project Submission (required)
- Consists of a narrative divided into two sections (see details below)
- Maximum length: 8 pages (including references)
- Format: Single PDF upload
03
Supporting Documentation (optional)
- Relevant supporting materials that applicants may reference in the Project Submission (see details below)
- Maximum length: 4 pages
- Format: Single PDF upload
Detailed Guidance on the Project Submission Component
The Project Submission is the main component of the application and should be no more than 8 pages in length, including references.
General Guidance
Applicants should organize their Project Submission into Section 1 and Section 2, with each section including the requisite content as outlined below. While including the requisite content, applicants should be sure to emphasize how their project aligns with the aforementioned evaluation criteria (Impact in Humans; Scope & Global Applicability; Access & Scalability; Project Progress; and Future Vision).
There is no application form or template. Applicants shall simply organize their Project Submission into the stated sections. NAM has recommended lengths for each section for guidance only; the one requirement is that the document be no longer than 8 pages.
In general, the Project Submission should not include an extensive literature review nor detailed explanation of theory. Clear explanations will be more valuable than complexity. Language should be concrete and practical. To the extent possible, it should be understandable to a scientifically or technically literate lay reader.
Section 1. Overview, Progress, & Impact to Date (Recommended length: 4-5 pages)
Please speak to the following items in Section 1:
- Issue or challenge your project aims to address and its connection to healthy longevity
- Describe the issue or challenge, its relation to healthy longevity, and the current gap in knowledge or available solutions.
- Speak to which population(s) are affected and whether the issue or challenge affects a broad aging population versus a specific group. If it affects specific groups (demographic, socioeconomic, urban or rural, etc.) please explain.
- Overview of your project, how it aims to address the issue or challenge described, and why it is unique from existing approaches
- Describe the extent to which the project or intervention is biologically applicable to a significant portion of the population.
- Progress since receipt of the Catalyst Award
(For this portion in particular, NAM suggests applicants present relevant information in bullet form rather than a narrative.)- Speak to the trajectory of the work from receipt of the initial Catalyst Award to the present.
- Share detailed evidence of project progress. This will be different for each project but may include, although not be limited to, successes such as:
- additional funding and investment (with year, amount, source, funding type) – received or pending
- key partnerships established
- regulatory progress, translation, and commercial development (e.g., patents obtained)
- dissemination and knowledge contribution (e.g., peer-reviewed publications, conference presentations)
- other competitions won or honors received
- Evidence of impact to date
- Present evidence to date of demonstrable impact in humans and how the project has been shown to maximize healthy longevity.
- If not yet at the human stage, present measurable results that suggest there is potential for impact in humans. Explain how current results will ideally translate to humans.
- Speak to whether the project has generated transformative knowledge, or a new scientific or conceptual understanding, related to healthy longevity.
- If evidence is not yet transformative, describe measurable results that suggest there is potential to generate such knowledge in the future.
- Show the measurable difference and important contributions the project has made (or has the potential to make) with respect to outcomes and effects on people, systems, and knowledge of healthy longevity.
- Speak to how the project has been scaled up and/or made accessible to a broader population, if applicable.
- Present evidence to date of demonstrable impact in humans and how the project has been shown to maximize healthy longevity.
Section 2. Next Steps & Long-Term Vision (Recommended length: 2-3 pages)
Section 2 should include the following content:
- Next steps in the near and medium term
- Explain immediate next steps and plans to further advance, develop, scale, and/or sustain the project.
- Describe the path to translation if not yet applicable to humans.
- Goals for longer-term impact in humans
- Speak to whether the project could be made accessible to people worldwide.
- Outline steps to help ensure broad accessibility adoption.
- Identify potential barriers to accessibility and how they could be addressed.
- Explain whether and how the project could be scaled to lead to a breakthrough across populations or systems, including what infrastructure would be required.
- Speak to whether the project could be made accessible to people worldwide.
- Desired vision for human impact
- Describe the ultimate vision for the project and the scale and extent of human impact if achieved.
Other Requirements:
- All application materials must be submitted in English.
- Please use Calibri font, size 11 or larger.
- All uploaded material must be in PDF format.
Detailed Guidance on Supporting Documentation Component
- All application materials must be submitted in English.
- Please use Calibri font, size 11 or larger.
- All uploaded material must be in PDF format.
The Supporting Documentation upload is an optional component that allows applicants to share supporting materials other than the narrative included in the Project Submission. This may include figures, tables, diagrams, photographs of implementation, etc.
The Supporting Documentation upload should not include narrative that otherwise belongs in the Project Submission section. This is an optional section that is intended for sharing ancillary resources or materials relevant to the project.
Terms & Conditions
- NAM is a private membership organization formed under the corporate charter of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS), which will award the prize.
- By entering this Competition, each individual Submitter grants the NAS a world-wide nonexclusive, royalty-free, transferable license to use and distribute their submission to reviewers for the purposes of review and judging.
- Reviewers will be asked to keep confidential the contents of Submissions.
- Submitters retain all intellectual property rights they may have in their Submissions. Submitters are encouraged to consult an attorney prior to entering the Competition regarding any existing intellectual property used in the submission.
- An individual may only be named on one application for the Grand Prize. However, it is possible that there be multiple Grand Prize applications linked to the same Catalyst Award-winning project. For example, a Catalyst Award-winning project may have yielded results that evolved into two distinct lines of research, each led by a member of the original Catalyst Award-winning team. Each of those two researchers are eligible to apply for the Grand Prize with their respective projects.
Team Eligibility
- Applications may be submitted by an individual or by a team of up to five (5) individuals. For team submissions, all team members must be identified by name in the application at the time of submission. Changes to team composition, including substitutions or additions of team members, will not be permitted after the application deadline except at the sole discretion of NAM.
- Each member of the winning team, as a condition of award, must provide a license and personal releases relating to NAS’s use of the Title and Abstract portion of the Submission and their name, affiliations, and likeness in connection with publicizing the Competition and their participation for NAS’s tax-exempt purposes.
Prize Distribution
- For the Grand Prize, 2nd Place Prize, and 3rd Place Prize: If a team is selected as a prize recipient, the total prize amount will be divided among the named team members unless an alternative approach is clearly stated in the application. Unless otherwise determined by NAM based on the application, prize funds will be distributed in equal shares to each named individual. Each individual listed will be considered a prize recipient if the application is selected.
- For Honorable Mention Prizes: If a team is selected as a prize recipient, the total prize amount will be disbursed to the Principal Investigator listed on the application. Co-investigators listed on the application may still be acknowledged as members of the award-winning team (e.g., in NAM’s publicizing of the winners).
- Payments will be made directly to the individual recipients and not to institutions or organizations unless explicitly authorized by NAM at its sole discretion upon written request.
- All prize recipients will be required to complete any documentation necessary for payment and tax reporting, including as a condition of award, a completed W-9 or W-8BEN (as appropriate per tax law) and EFT (electronic funds transfer) information.
- Prize payments are subject to applicable U.S. federal, state, and local tax reporting requirements. Depending on the recipient’s citizenship, residency status, and other applicable factors, withholding may be required under U.S. law.
- Individuals who are not U.S. citizens or U.S. residents are eligible to receive the prize; however, additional documentation may be required prior to payment, and applicable withholding taxes may apply.
- NAM cannot provide tax advice. Taxes, if any, are the sole responsibility of the winning team members. Prospective applicants and prize recipients are responsible for consulting their own tax advisors regarding the tax implications of participation in the prize program and receipt of prize funds.
- Before winners are announced and awards are disbursed, a due diligence review will be conducted to verify that applicants are appropriate recipients of the Grand Prize Phase awards.
- By entering a Submission, each individual entrant agrees to comply with and be bound by the official rules and decisions of NAS. Any Submitter who supplies false information or violates the eligibility criteria or terms of the competition shall be ineligible for any prize and shall be required to forfeit any prize obtained based on false or incomplete information.
- The prize competition shall be governed by, construed and enforced in accordance with the laws of the District of Columbia.
- A list of Award Winners will be posted on the program website.
- Award winners may be asked to complete a survey about their progress and milestones achieved; related media coverage, publications, etc.; ways in which the award has helped advance the project, etc. NAM staff will request responses from winners approximately one-year post receipt of the award.
- Award Winners will be strongly encouraged to attend the Healthy Longevity Global Innovator Summit in Washington, DC on October 20, 2026. The Summit will be an opportunity for the Award Winners to share their work with a global audience, fellow Award Winners, and National Academies members.
Have Questions?
Get in Touch
To submit a question, please email to [email protected] with the Subject line “Question – NAM Grand Prize”.
Learn More
Frequently Asked Questions
Eligibility
Who is eligible to apply for the Grand Prize?
The Grand Prize Phase is open exclusively to teams that previously received a Catalyst Award between 2020 and 2025, whether awarded by the National Academy of Medicine (NAM) or one of its global partners. (See the Eligibility section of the guidelines webpage for the list of global partners that sponsored Catalyst Awards.)
Does the Grand Prize application need to be related to the Catalyst Award project?
Yes, the project described in the Grand Prize application must be somehow connected to the original Catalyst Award project. However, it is expected that projects have evolved since the initial award. Applicants are asked to describe the evolution of the work from the original Catalyst Award to the present in the Project Submission component of the application.
Can our team composition change from the original Catalyst Award?
Yes, the team does not need to consist of all the same individuals associated with the original Catalyst Award.
Can I submit more than one application for the Grand Prize?
No, an individual may only be named on one application for the Grand Prize. However, it is possible that there be multiple Grand Prize applications linked to the same Catalyst Award-winning project. For example, a Catalyst Award-winning project may have yielded results that evolved into two distinct lines of research, each led by a member of the original Catalyst Award-winning team. Each of those two researchers is eligible to apply for the Grand Prize with their respective projects.
Is it possible to have multiple Grand Prize applications linked to a single Catalyst Award-winning project?
It is possible that there be multiple Grand Prize applications linked to the same Catalyst Award-winning project. For example, a Catalyst Award-winning project may have yielded results that evolved into two distinct lines of research, each led by a member of the original Catalyst Award-winning team. Each of those two researchers is eligible to apply for the Grand Prize with their respective projects. However, as noted above, an individual may only be named on one application for the Grand Prize.
I previously received a Catalyst Award but am unsure which project I am associated with. What should I do?
Applicants should first visit the official competition website (https://healthylongevitychallenge.org/), which includes information about Catalyst Awardees. If you are still unsure after reviewing the website, please contact the program team at the institution that issued your Catalyst Award for further assistance.
Application Timeline & Access
Where can I find information on the Grand Prize?
All relevant information is available on the official competition website:
https://nam.edu/our-work/programs/healthy-longevity-global-grand-challenge/2026-us-nam-grand-prize-phase/
Where can I submit my application?
Applications must be submitted through the NAM’s online portal:
https://namcatalystawards.smapply.io/. If you experience issues accessing the portal, please email [email protected]u.
When does the application portal open?
Application portal opened on March 20, 2026, at 5:00 PM ET.
What is the application deadline?
Applications are due on May 4, 2026, at 11:59 PM ET.
Can I edit my application after submission?
Yes. All edits must be completed before the deadline, and applicants must formally submit their materials in the portal.
When will applicants be notified of Grand Prize decisions?
NAM anticipates informing applicants whether they have been selected as finalists in June 2026. Final prize decisions are expected to be communicated in early September 2026. All applicants will be notified via email. Dates are subject to change.
Application Components
What are the required components?
- Application form (completed in the portal)
- Project Submission (maximum 8 pages) – single PDF upload
- Supporting Documentation (optional, maximum 4 pages) – single PDF upload
For detailed information on each of the components, see the application guidelines.
Is there a template for the Project Submission component?
No. Applicants should organize their submission according to the required Sections 1 and 2 but otherwise may format the document as they choose.
Do I need to submit a detailed budget?
No, there is no budget required as part of the submission. As opposed to a traditional grant, this is a prize for accomplishments to date and the project’s potential for impact in humans. Award winners will be able to use the prize funds however they see fit, and there will be no financial reporting.
Do references count toward the page limit?
Yes, the 8-page limit includes references. Please note that the Project Submission should not include an extensive literature review nor detailed explanation of theory.
What should be included in Supporting Documentation component?
This is an optional component of the application that may include supporting materials such as figures, tables, or diagrams. This section should not include additional narrative content.
What file format is required for the Project Submission and Supporting Documentation components?
The Project Submission must be submitted as a single PDF. Supporting Documentation must be submitted as a single PDF. Both files will be uploaded in the application portal.
Evaluation Criteria
How will the applications be evaluated?
Applications will be evaluated based on five criteria:
- Impact in Humans (most important criterion)
- Scope & Global Applicability
- Access & Scalability
- Project Progress
- Future Vision
For detailed descriptions and examples of each criterion, please see the Evaluation Criteria section on the guidelines webpage.
Review Process
How are applications reviewed?
Applications will first be reviewed by the global partner that issued the associated Catalyst Award. Selected applications then advance to a multi-stage review coordinated by NAM. Final decisions are made by a Selection Committee composed of international experts and leaders in the field of healthy longevity.
Awards & Payments
What prizes are available?
The NAM will award multiple prizes in the Grand Prize Phase:
- Grand Prize: $1.5 million
- Second Place Prize: $250,000
- Third Place Prize: $125,000
- Several Honorable Mentions: $10,000 each
All prizes are in US dollars.
How are funds distributed?
For the Grand Prize, 2nd Place Prize, and 3rd Place Prize, the total prize amount will be divided among the named team members unless an alternative approach is clearly stated in the application. Unless otherwise determined by NAM based on the application, prize funds will be distributed in equal shares to each named individual. Each individual listed will be considered a prize recipient if the application is selected.
For Honorable Mention Prizes, the total prize amount will be disbursed to the Principal Investigator listed on the application. Co-investigators listed on the application may still be acknowledged as members of the award-winning team (e.g., in NAM’s publicizing of the winners).
For full information on prize disbursement, see the Terms & Conditions section of the application guidelines.
Are there tax implications?
Yes. Prize payments may be subject to applicable tax reporting and withholding. Applicants should consult their own tax advisors. For additional details on tax applications, please see the Terms & Conditions section of the application guidelines.
Are there restrictions on how prize funds can be used?
No. Awardees may use the prize funds at their own discretion.
Is reporting required after winning?
No. There are no mandatory reporting requirements. However, NAM may reach out to awardees to request general updates on project progress.
Healthy Longevity Global Innovator Summit
What is the Healthy Longevity Global Innovator Summit?
The Healthy Longevity Global Innovator Summit will be a full-day event designed to convene, connect, and inspire innovation in healthy longevity. Participants will hear from academics, policy experts, industry leaders, and entrepreneurs, and explore bold projects from Catalyst, Accelerator, and Grand Prize awardees. The Summit will also create space for meaningful connections with potential collaborators, mentors, and funders across sectors. It will mark the culmination of the Healthy Longevity Global Competition and celebrate the winners of the Grand Prize.
When is the Healthy Longevity Global Innovator Summit?
The Summit will take place on October 20, 2026 and will be held in a hybrid format, with an in-person component in Washington, DC. (The NAM invites travelers to attend a day of scientific programming related to healthy longevity on October 19, 2026. This is part of the NAM’s Annual Meeting and separate from the Summit.) The NAM team will provide further details to the global partners and the US-based Catalyst Awardees.
Is in person attendance required?
No, in person attendance is not mandatory, but all past Catalyst Awardees are invited to attend (RSVP will be required). NAM strongly encourages all principal investigators who receive an award in the Grand Prize Phase to attend, and there may be funding available to facilitate this.
Can I participate in sessions during the Summit?
Yes. Catalyst Awardees and Grand Prize winners who attend in person will be highly encouraged to participate in Summit sessions. NAM will share further information in the coming months about this opportunity.
What is the agenda for the Summit?
NAM is currently developing the Summit agenda and will share additional details as they become available. Suggestions from awardees are welcome.
Other
I have a question that is not answered in the NAM Grand Prize page nor this FAQ. What should I do?
Prospective applicants may submit questions about the Grand Prize application to [email protected].
