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Overview

Subject of the Challenge: NCATS hosted the Rare Diseases Are Not Rare! (RDANR!) Challenge in 2018 and 2020. These challenges were centered around raising awareness about the collective commonality of rare diseases and fostering collaborations across the rare disease community (patients, caregivers, and advocates). These previous challenges resulted in that have been shared widely (posters, videos, spoken word poetry, infographics) in the years since. While immense progress has been made in raising awareness about the common occurrence of rare diseases in our population, the community still faces silos as many diseases are approached one-at-a-time. This has consequently led to a public perception that rare diseases are individual problems to be addressed, rather than a collective.

We know that there are more than 10,000 rare diseases. We also know that singular rare disease discoveries and approaches toward developing treatments hold downstream effects for other rare disease research – and even common disease research! We are asking you to help us bring attention to rare diseases and encourage collaborations across disciplines to address rare diseases collectively. Let’s break the pattern of addressing one rare disease at a time and get more treatments to more people more quickly!

The Challenge

Help us bring attention to the importance of rare diseases research and specifically increasing the development of treatment strategies for addressing multiple rare diseases at a time. For example, leveraging commonalities among rare diseases to highlight innovative treatment pathways. Use any digital communication vehicle you choose—be as creative and original as possible. Here are examples of appropriate communication vehicles:

• music video
• song (with or without sheet music)
• dramatic reading
• poem
• painting
• poster
• comic
• animation
• photo/collage
• info graphic

 Here are a few facts to consider:

• There are more than 10,000 known rare diseases.
• In the United States, rare diseases affect millions of people.
• Rare diseases often are difficult to diagnose – it can take on average 6-8 years and, in some cases, even longer.
• Even after an accurate diagnosis, treatment often is not available because approximately 5% of rare diseases have FDA-approved treatments.
• Drug development strategies developed for one disease can be applied to research in other diseases in various ways. Some strategies include:
  • Targeting similar disease mechanisms: Researchers can adapt the approach to target the same or similar biological pathways in different diseases, reusing key elements such as biomarkers or cellular responses.
  • Translational Research: Existing individual approaches, such as those used for drug discovery or preclinical trials, can be applied to other diseases by testing existing drugs on different diseases and repurposing treatments.
  • Cross-Disease and/or Innovative Clinical Trial Models: Some aspects of clinical trials designed for specific diseases can be adapted for use in other diseases or include other diseases.
  • Organ-Specific Approaches: Information from diseases that impact a specific organ (e.g., liver, brain, heart) can be adapted to other diseases affecting that organ.
  • Collaborative Research Networks: Interdisciplinary collaborations between researchers from different disease areas can lead to the development of shared models such as standardized protocols and open-access databases and repositories.
• Many common diseases are actually collections of several different rare diseases that affect people in a similar way. For example, “Cancer” is a collection of hundreds of diseases, even though it is often referred to by just one easily recognizable word.

Each individual, team or entity may submit only one (1) entry and are limited to two (2) minutes in duration.

Note: You must not use the logo or official seal of HHS nor the logo of NIH or NCATS in the entries, and entries must not claim federal government endorsement.

This Challenge is being led by the NCATS Division of Rare Diseases Research Innovation. 

Dates:

• Challenge Launch: September 15, 2025
• Submission Start/End: September 15, 2025 – January 2, 2026
• Judging Start/End: January 5, 2026 – February 2, 2026
• Winners Announced: February 2026

Statutory Authority to Conduct the Challenge

The National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS) is conducting 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].

The general purpose of NCATS is to coordinate and develop resources that leverage basic research in support of translational science and to develop partnerships and work cooperatively to foster synergy in ways that do not create duplication, redundancy, and competition with industry activities (42 USC 287(a)). To fulfill its mission, NCATS supports projects that will transform the translational process so that new treatments and cures for diseases can be delivered to patients faster by understanding the translational process and to create a basis for more science-driven, predictive and effective intervention development for the prevention and treatment of all diseases. NCATS supports rare disease patients and their communities by providing translational research funding, tools and other resources that help address their unique challenges. It is beneficial to all stakeholders for NCATS to optimize the communication tools available to support effective information dissemination and education. This Challenge will lead to innovative ways to communicate with others and to educate people about rare diseases through social media and/or art.

Timeline

09/15/25 09:01 AM EDT: Challenge Launch (Registration opens)

09/15/25 09:01 AM EDT: Submission Start Date and Time

01/02/26 05:00 PM EST: Submission End Date and Time

01/05/26 09:00 AM EST: Judging Start Date and Time

02/02/26 05:00 PM EST: Judging End Date and Time

02/20/26 05:00 PM EST: Winners Announced

Prizes

Amount of the Prize: NCATS will award a total of $5,000 to the Challenge winner(s) in cash prizes, comprised of one First Place Prize of $3,000, one Second Place Prize of $1,500, and one Third Place Prize of $500. In addition, up to five Honorable Mentions will be recognized and posted on NCATS’s website with the Challenge winners.  

Award Approving Official: The Award Approving Official will be Joni L. Rutter. Ph.D., NCATS Director.

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.

Entities participating 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 .

If participating as an Individual, in the event of winning a cash prize, the Individual shall be paid the prize in full. If participating as a Team, in the event of winning a cash prize, the Team Leader shall be paid the prize in full and is solely responsible for allocating any prize amount among the members of the Team. If participating as an Entity, in the event of winning a cash prize, the prize will be paid directly to the Entity, not the Entity Point of Contact. NIH will not arbitrate, intervene, advise on, or resolve any matters among team members.

NIH 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

Eligibility Rules:

To be eligible to win a prize under this Challenge, a Participant (whether an individual, group of individuals, or entity) —

1. Shall have registered to participate in the Challenge under the rules promulgated by the 2023 ��ѿ��ý (NIH) as published in this announcement;
2. Shall have complied with all the requirements set forth in this announcement;
3. In the case of a private entity, shall be incorporated in and maintain a primary place of business in the United States, and in the case of an individual, whether participating singly or in a group, shall be a citizen or permanent resident of the United States. However, non-U.S. citizens and non-permanent residents can participate as a member of a team that otherwise satisfies the eligibility criteria. Non-U.S. citizens and non-permanent residents are not eligible to win a monetary prize (in whole or in part). Their participation as part of a winning team, if applicable, may be recognized when the results are announced.
4. Shall not be a federal entity or federal employee acting within the scope of their employment;
5. Shall not be an employee of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS, or any other component of HHS) acting in their personal capacity;
6. Who is employed by a federal agency or entity other than HHS (or any component of HHS), should consult with an agency ethics official to determine whether the federal ethics rules will limit or prohibit the acceptance of a prize under this Challenge;
7. Shall not be a judge of the Challenge, or any other party involved with the design, production, execution, or distribution of the Challenge or the immediate family of such a party (i.e., spouse, parent, step-parent, child, or step-child).
8. Shall be 18 years of age or older at the time of submission. 

Participation Rules:

1. Participants (whether individuals, groups of individuals, or entities) may not use federal funds from a grant award or cooperative agreement to develop their Challenge submissions or to fund efforts in support of their Challenge submissions.
2. Federal contractors may not use federal funds from a contract to develop their Challenge submissions or to fund efforts in support of their Challenge submissions.
3. By participating in this Challenge, each Participant (whether an individual, group of individuals, or entity) agrees to assume any and all risks and waive claims against the federal government and its related entities, except in the case of willful misconduct, for any injury, death, damage, or loss of property, revenue, or profits, whether direct, indirect, or consequential, arising from participation in this Challenge, whether the injury, death, damage, or loss arises through negligence or otherwise.
4. Based on the subject matter of the Challenge, the type of work that it will possibly require, as well as an analysis of the likelihood of any claims for death, bodily injury, property damage, or loss potentially resulting from Challenge participation, no Participant (whether an individual, group of individuals, or entity) participating in the Challenge is required to obtain liability insurance, or demonstrate financial responsibility, or agree to indemnify the federal government against third party claims for damages arising from or related to Challenge activities in order to participate in this Challenge.
5. A Participant (whether an individual, group of individuals, or entity) shall not be deemed ineligible because the Participant used federal facilities or consulted with federal employees during the Challenge if the facilities and employees are made available to all Participants participating in the Challenge on an equitable basis.
6. By participating in this Challenge, each Participant (whether an individual, group of individuals, or entity) warrants that they are sole author or owner of, or has the right to use, any copyrightable works that the submission comprises, that the works are wholly original with the Participant (or is an improved version of an existing work that the Participant has sufficient rights to use and improve), and that the submission does not infringe any copyright or any other rights of any third party of which the Participant is aware.
7. By participating in this Challenge, each Participant (whether an individual, group of individuals, or entity) grants to the NIH an irrevocable, paid-up, royalty-free nonexclusive worldwide license to reproduce, publish, post, link to, share, and display publicly the submission on the web or elsewhere, and a nonexclusive, nontransferable, irrevocable, paid-up license to practice, or have practiced for or on its behalf, the solution throughout the world. Each Participant will retain all other intellectual property rights in their submissions, as applicable. To participate in the Challenge, each Participant must warrant that there are no legal obstacles to providing the above-referenced nonexclusive licenses of the Participant’s rights to the federal government. To receive an award, Participants will not be required to transfer their intellectual property rights to NIH, but Participants must grant to the federal government the nonexclusive licenses recited herein.
8. Each Participant (whether an individual, group of individuals, or entity) agrees to follow all applicable federal, state, and local laws, regulations, and policies.
9. Each Participant (whether an individual, group of individuals, or entity) participating in this Challenge must comply with all terms and conditions of these rules, and participation in this Challenge constitutes each such Participant’s full and unconditional agreement to abide by these rules. Winning is contingent upon fulfilling all requirements herein.
10. As a condition for winning a cash prize in this Challenge, each Participant (whether an individual, group of individuals, or entity) that has been selected as a winner must complete and submit all requested winner verification and payment documents to NIH within ten (10) business days of formal notification. Failure to return all required verification documents by the date specified in the notification may be a basis for disqualification of a cash prize winning submission.
11. By participating in this Challenge, each Participant (whether participating as an individual, team, or entity) selected as a winner irrevocably grants to NIH the right to the use of their name, affiliation, city and state, and likeness or image (if voluntarily provided by the winner) for the purposes of publicity releases and any other promotion of this Challenge.

Judging

JUDGING CRITERIA

Basis upon which a winner will be selected:
Only materials in the submission package will be assessed by the judges. Submission packages must include the registration form, the cover letter and the communication vehicle. Submission packages that do not include any of the items listed will not be judged.

Submission Judging Criteria:

Entries will receive up to 5 points for each of the four (4) criteria below and up to 2 bonus points may be awarded for submissions that are a product of unique collaborations, for a total of 22 points. Examples of unique collaborations include, but are not limited to, a patient-researcher team, industry-advocacy team, siblings from different diseases, rare-common disease team and others.

1. How creative and original is the entry?
2. To what extent does the entry address rare diseases collectively? Entries focused on a single disease or specific group of rare diseases will be considered nonresponsive and will not be judged.
3. To what extent does the entry push the narrative of increasing the development of treatment strategies for addressing multiple rare diseases at a time, for example, leveraging commonalities among rare diseases to highlight innovative treatment pathways?
4. How likely is it that the entry could be an effective communication vehicle that appeals to a broad audience and is easy to disseminate?

One (1) first place prize winner, one (1) second place prize winner, one (1) third place prize winner, and up to five (5) Honorable mentions will be determined.

Evaluation and Judging:

All submissions that are responsive and meet the Eligibility Rules and Submission Requirements will be evaluated and scored by qualified expert employees of the federal government using the criteria and scoring rubric described above. 

The Judging Panel will select winners based on the evaluation scores. The selected winners will be submitted to the Award Approving Official for a final decision. NIH will not make participants’ evaluation or judging results available to participants or the public.

How to enter

Registration and Submission Process:

Although the challenge announcement is posted at Challenge.gov, registration information and complete submissions must be sent via email to RDChallenge@nih.gov. Entries will only be accepted if the submission materials are complete and received via email (together or separately) by the submission deadline on January 2, 2026 by 5:00 PM ET.

The registration form can be downloaded from the “Resources” tab.

Registration

Participants must register by downloading, completing, and then submitting the registration form specific to this Challenge. The link to the registration form can be found under the Resources tab of this Challenge. Participants must include a PDF copy of the completed registration form as part of the submission package.

Submission Requirements:

Participants may be individuals, teams, or entities. A Team refers to a group of individuals registering and competing together but not on behalf of an established organization, institution, or corporation, whereas an Entity refers to a group of individuals registering and competing together on behalf of a legally established organization, institution, or corporation. We invite submissions from the broad range of sectors and stakeholders engaged in the translational enterprise, including from academia, industry, not-for-profit, professional societies, patient advocacy groups, community organizations, and others involved in the translational ecosystem. Please see the Participation Rules for further information.

• For Teams: Each participating Team is required to identify a Team Leader who will register and submit on behalf of the Team members. The Team Leader is responsible for all communications with the Challenge sponsors and, in the event of winning a cash prize, will be paid the prize in full. To be eligible to receive a cash prize, the Team Leader must be a citizen or permanent resident of the United States. In the event that a dispute regarding the identity of the Team Leader who actually submitted the entry cannot be resolved to NCATS’ satisfaction, the affected submission will be deemed ineligible.
• For Entities: Each participating Entity is required to identify a Point of Contact who will register and submit on behalf of the Entity. The Point of Contact is responsible for all communications with the Challenge sponsors. In the event of winning a cash prize, the prize will be paid directly to the Entity, not to the Point of Contact. To be eligible to receive a cash prize, the Entity must be incorporated in and maintain a primary place of business in the United States. In the event that a dispute regarding the identity of the Point of Contact who actually submitted the entry cannot be resolved to NCATS’ satisfaction, the affected submission will be deemed ineligible.

The submission package must include three parts: (1) registration form, and (2) cover letter and (3) digital communication vehicle. Appropriate types of submissions (digital communication vehicles) include, but are not limited to, songs, music videos, poems, paintings, dramatic readings, posters, comics, animations, photos/collages or infographics.

The completed submission package must be submitted to the email address above by the submission deadline.

Cover Letter (1 page)

Participants must provide a PDF copy of their cover letter as part of the submission package. Narratives must be no longer than 1 page long, with one-inch margins. Font size must be no smaller than 11-point Calibri. All submissions must be in English. Participants must not use the HHS logo or official seal or logo of the NIH or NCATS in the submission and must not claim federal government endorsement.

Cover letters must address the following:

1. Describe how your submission provides a solution to the Challenge; that is, how does your entry encourage the narrative of increasing the development of treatment strategies for addressing multiple rare diseases at a time?
2. Explain why you selected the type of communication vehicle.
3. Describe the target audience and propose a dissemination plan for the entry to reach as many people as possible.
4. Describe whether any collaborations contributed to producing the final entry and the uniqueness of those collaborations (for example, a patient-researcher team, siblings from different diseases, a rare-common disease team, and others).

Communication Vehicle

Find a way to communicate with others and educate people about rare diseases through various communication platforms. Use any communication vehicle you choose—be as creative and original as possible. Here are examples of appropriate communication vehicles:

• music video
• song (with or without sheet music)
• dramatic reading
• poem
• painting
• poster
• comic
• animation
• photo/collage
• info graphic

 Each individual, team or entity may submit only one (1) entry and are limited to two (2) minutes in duration for recorded communication vehicles, such as videos, animations, songs, or readings.

Note: You must not use the logo or official seal of HHS nor the logo of NIH or NCATS in the entries, and entries must not claim federal government endorsement.

Additional Resources

Contact

For Further Information Contact: NCATS Challenge Prize Competitions staff at RDChallenge@nih.gov. 

Winners

The NCATS Rare Diseases Are Not Rare! 2025 Challenge seeks innovative ways to raise awareness about rare diseases through art, highlighting the importance of research and advancing treatments that address multiple rare diseases. Winners and honorable mentions have now been selected. Congratulations! 

Images and links to videos .

1^st Place - $3,000  

Title: Not So Rare  
By: Pavan Gupta  
Entity: Wax Labs 

2^nd Place - $1,500 

Title: Rewriting the Code: Rare Diseases, Shared Hope. 
By: Béatrice Bissig-Choisat, Augustus Wendell and Leonid Tsvetkov 
Entity: Duke University 

3^rd Place - $500 

Title: Rare Diseases Are Not Rare! STANA 
By: Katie Boateng, Pamela Silberman and Dia Kline 
Entity: Smell and Taste Association of North America (STANA) 

Honorable Mentions 

Title: The Secret Piece
By: Ali Mahvan and Kimberly Newcomb 
Entity: TERASYNTH 

Title: Rare Diseases Are Not Rare! 
By: Debra Bellon 

Title: Rare Diseases Are Not Rare! 
By: Dean Wang 

Title: One Story, Ten Thousand Echoes 
By: Erika Mendence, Hayley Finch and Nancy Petersen 
Entity: Children’s Mercy Kansas City 

Title: Different diagnoses. Same climb. 
By: Alaina Thorne 

Title: The Threads That Tie
By: Stephanie Bouley