About the prize
Most snakebite deaths are preventable, but patients often cannot reach the right care fast enough. We must close the gap between the initial bite and access to effective emergency care.
The Wellcome Snakebite Innovation Prize is designed to elevate snakebite as a global health priority and demonstrate the power of innovation in tackling its distinct challenges.
The prize is calling for innovators to tackle critical challenges and improve outcomes for people affected by snakebite in high-burden settings by strengthening community responses, accelerating access to appropriate care, or improving the delivery of treatment.
Watch this video to understand why now is the time to tackle snakebite.
We’re calling for innovations that improve outcomes for people affected by snakebite, through stronger community responses and faster, equitable access to quality medical care.
We need practical, diverse solutions – not just high-tech apps, but improvements in logistics, community trust,first aid, and referral systems. Innovations are needed across the patient journey in order to support better community responses, help people receive appropriate care faster, diagnose and assess the type of care they need, and improve the quality of medical care snakebite patients receive.
Why snakebite?
With the World Health Organization’s target to reduce snakebite mortality and disability by 50% by 2030, the clock is ticking. While promising scientific work is underway to develop next-generation treatments and improved antivenoms, there is a real need for technological, social and system-level solutions to maximise the reach of these treatments and ultimately improve health outcomes. To tackle the complexity of snakebite, we must holistically consider and address the surrounding challenges along the patient journey.
What is a challenge prize?
Challenge prizes spark innovation by rewarding those who can most effectively solve a defined problem. Unlike a recognition prize, rather than rewarding past achievements, they act as an incentive for meeting a specific challenge, setting clear goals and success criteria that encourage diverse problem-solving approaches. Through a public competition, they tap into the broadest possible range of ideas from diverse problem-solvers, thereby enabling anyone who can address the challenge to engage and participate.
The value of challenge prizes goes beyond the cash awards. Through the competitive process, innovators develop skills and build capacity. This helps to break down barriers to participation and supports innovators’ long-term success. The attention generated by a challenge prize can also have a much wider systemic impact by raising awareness of a neglected problem.
Why are Wellcome funding the prize?
Wellcome has primarily focused on transforming the way in which snakebite treatments are researched, developed and delivered - improving the current landscape while strengthening the pipeline for new treatments. Further work is needed to integrate solutions into health systems, while also addressing the broader challenges experienced across the snakebite patient journey.
Snakebite is a neglected health issue with limited funding and a small research community. This prize is a first of its kind opportunity for collaboration and innovation - between those already working in the snakebite field and those who are new to it - to help accelerate solutions for those affected by snakebite.
The aims of the prize are to:
Advance ideas with the potential to make near-term transformative impacts on the snakebite patient journey in high-burden countries.
Develop a more mature and diverse snakebite innovation landscape by supporting new multi-sector, multi-disciplinary, and international teams of innovators to tackle challenges in creative ways.
Raise the profile of snakebite as a global health issue and showcase the potential of innovation to address its unique challenges.
Who can enter?
We seek diverse problem-solvers who bring fresh approaches and solutions to the snakebite field while remaining grounded in the lived realities of high-burden communities. We’re looking for practical solutions from health workers, researchers, entrepreneurs, community organisations, designers, engineers, and local problem-solvers. We’re open to brand-new ideas and solutions in development that are ready to integrate innovative features to achieve real-world implementation and scale.
We welcome entries from those outside of the traditional research and innovation ecosystem, and encourage those with first-hand experience of snakebite to engage with the prize. The prize will support people who can identify a challenge in the snakebite patient journey, propose a promising solution, and work with the right partners to develop and test it with affected communities.
The two-track approach:
The prize's two-track design creates distinct pathways – one for new/repurposed ideas to develop to proof-of-concept, and another for more mature solutions with an opportunity for innovation to help them reach scale – ensuring both ecosystem growth and near-term impact.
Launch Track
The Launch Track is designed to support teams to transform concepts into viable solutions.
Growth Track
The Growth Track is designed to support tested solutions to be fully validated, implemented, evolved or to extend their reach.
Interested in bringing your expertise to help solve this global crisis?
We are looking for entries from anyone who can bridge these healthcare gaps, whether you are a researcher, a tech innovator, a rural health worker, or someone with first-hand, lived experience of snakebite.
Challenge prizes support open innovation for diverse problem-solvers, enabling the most promising ideas to progress. Finalists will receive funding and wraparound support, including connections to technical and snakebite experts and people with lived experience, access to facilities, capacity building, and matchmaking with key stakeholders to support the development of their solutions.