Announcement of the NCATS Rare Diseases Are Not Rare! Challenge Prize Competition

Notice Number: NOT-TR-20-010

Key Dates
Release Date: February 19, 2020

Related Announcements
NOT-TR-20-021

Issued by
National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS)

Purpose

The Challenge Begins: February 29, 2020

Submission Period: February 29, 2020 June 15, 2020

Judging Period: June 16, 2020 July 16, 2020

Winners Announced: Summer 2020

The National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS) announces a Prize Competition to solicit entries for the 2020 Rare Diseases Are Not Rare! Challenge. The goal of this Challenge is to reward and spur innovative approaches to effectively communicate with others and to educate people about all rare diseases in a collective manner through social media or art.

Cash prizes for 1st, 2nd and 3rd place winners are $3000, $1500, and $500, respectively. All winners and up to 10 honorable mentions will be posted on the NCATS public website.

For full details about eligibility requirements, competition rules, detailed judging criteria, and deadlines for submissions, please consult the NCATS Rare Diseases Are Not Rare! Challenge Details page.

Background:

If you know 10 people, chances are you know someone with a rare disease. There are about 7,000 different rare diseases that affect an estimated 30 million people in the United States. Some difficulties with rare diseases are that they are hard to recognize, are often hidden conditions, and most do not currently have ongoing medical research.

This Challenge seeks to bring attention to rare diseases so that they can gain more medical research interest, thereby improving the lives of people with rare diseases. Science, especially genetic medicine, has moved forward to the point now where treatments are possible such as gene therapies, 3-D printing (devices, tissues, and organs), and new drugs. Everyone deserves a chance at an effective medical treatment whether for a common disease or a rare one so let’s get the word out!

Prize Competition Details:

The National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), is seeking innovative ways to communicate with others to educate people about rare diseases through social media or art. The goal of this challenge, led by NCATS Office of Rare Diseases Research (ORDR), is fourfold: First and foremost, it is to raise awareness for all rare diseases in a collective manner (e.g., drawing attention to common challenges, needs, or potential solutions). Second, it is intended to bring attention to the many people with rare diseases. Third, is to highlight the need for research and the development of new treatments; and finally, through the process of creating an entry, it is to highly encourage building and fostering collaborations across the community.

The first NCATS Rare Diseases Are Not Rare! Challenge was launched in 2018 to raise awareness about rare diseases through creative means. ORDR is re-launching the NCATS Rare Diseases Are Not Rare! Challenge in 2020. You can help us get the word out by competing in our rare disease prize competition! Find a way to communicate with others and to educate people about rare diseases through social media or art. Use any communication vehicle you choose; be as creative and original as possible.

The challenge announcement will be posted on www.Challenge.gov and the NCATS Rare Diseases Are Not Rare! Challenge Details websites.

NCATS intends to conduct this Challenge under the America Creating Opportunities to Meaningfully Promote Excellence in Technology, Education, and Science (COMPETES) Reauthorization Act of 2010, as amended [15 U.S.C. 3719].

Submitting a Response:

Instructions for submission: Please format submissions using the application instructions at https://ncats.nih.gov/funding/challenges/rare-diseases-challenge-2020 and submit by email to RDChallenge@nih.gov by the submission deadline. Use any format you choose and be as creative and original as possible.

Each submission for this Challenge requires a complete Submission Package. The Submission Package includes a Cover Letter, the Communication Vehicle and, when appropriate, participant consent forms. Appropriate types of submissions (communication vehicles) include, but are not limited to, music videos, songs, poems, paintings, dramatic readings, mimes, puppets, posters, comics, animations, photos/collages or names.

For full details about eligibility requirements, competition rules, and instructions for submissions, please consult the NCATS Rare Diseases Are Not Rare! Challenge Details webpage.

Entries must be submitted by email to RDChallenge@nih.gov by 5:00 PM Eastern Time on June 15, 2020.

Inquiries

Please direct all inquiries to:

Anne Pariser, M.D.
National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS)
Telephone: 301-402-4338
Email: anne.pariser@nih.gov

Alice Chen, M.D.
National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS)
Telephone: 301-827-2015
Email: alice.chen2@nih.gov

Inquiries may also be submitted by sending an email to RDChallenge@nih.gov.