Is the prize right for me?
We are looking for multi-disciplinary teams with the expertise to deliver real-world impact. We welcome entries from a range of stakeholders, including 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 is looking to advance ideas with the potential to make near-term transformative impacts on the snakebite patient journey in high-burden settings.
Who can enter?
The eligibility criteria explains who can enter the prize. Entries that are not eligible will not be considered for the prize.
Eligible teams/organisations:
Submitting teams must nominate a lead entrant, who must be at least 18 years of age.
The lead entrant must be employed by a legally incorporated organisation (e.g. companies, non-profits, charities, research organisations, universities, civil society groups).
Teams entering under a host organisation must provide a letter of support signed by an authorised official. This letter must confirm the organisation’s endorsement of the entry, their commitment to hosting the project, and their agreement to manage any prize funds awarded.
Entries from individuals without an organisational affiliation will not be considered.
Note that the team composition can change between the finalist and winners’ submission stage (e.g., you can partner with more organisations, hire more people, contract external consultants).
Collaboration:
Teams may enter as consortia of any combination of the above, but must nominate one organisation as the lead. The lead organisation will enter into a prize agreement and receive funding from the prize.
Multiple entries:
Teams can submit multiple entries, but only one per lead applicant.
Conflict of interest:
Employees of Wellcome, the Nesta Group, or members of the prize Judging Panel will not be eligible to enter.
Geographic scope:
Proposed solutions must be tailored specifically for and implemented to improve snakebite patient outcomes in communities where the snakebite burden is highest (i.e., settings with high snakebite envenomation mortality or morbidity rates) and the unmet need is greatest. Please see the map on our About Snakebite Envenoming page to understand eligible countries.
Language:
Entries must be in English.
Terms & Conditions:
Other conditions:
Sanctions: Organisations and individuals are ineligible if they (or anyone working with them on the proposed consortium or project team) are the subject of international sanctions.
Tobacco: Researchers who have a research grant from the tobacco industry, are applying for funding from the tobacco industry, or are employed by the tobacco industry, are ineligible.
Wellcome cannot fund into territories that are not legally recognised by the UK Government, nor fund activities in mainland China.
In addition to these requirements, teams must:
Pass due diligence checks
Have a business bank account capable of receiving funding in Great British Pounds (GBP).
Comply with the prize terms and conditions.
Please ensure you read the terms and conditions before you enter.
Which track should I enter?
The prize is open to new solutions right through to those ready to be scaled to achieve greater health impacts. While all innovators will be working to the same challenge, criteria and timeline, we are offering two entry tracks so we can best support the development of solutions.
The two-track design creates distinct pathways to ensure both ecosystem growth and near-term impact. It offers one path for new/repurposed ideas to develop to proof-of-concept, and another for more mature solutions to help them evolve and reach scale.
Entrants must confirm the track (
Growth or 
Launch) under which they intend to enter their solution. The chosen track determines the questions and the level of evidence expected in the initial submission, as well as the funding and support available.
Track selection depends on how developed your solution is at the point of entry. We will use Innovation Maturity Levels to understand your solution's current development level.
Please review the Innovator Handbook for full details on track eligibility, Innovation Maturity Levels and expectations.
The Launch Track
The launch track supports new or repurposed ideas from other fields to develop a proof of concept.
Ten launch finalists will receive £75,000 each for the finalists’ development phase.
Two launch winners receive £750,000 each for the winners’ development phase.
Launch entry eligibility: You have an early-stage concept and are seeking proof-of-concept, or, you have an early to mature concept requiring major adaptation or redesign from a neighbouring field that you will repurpose and validate for snakebite patients.
You are eligible for the Launch track if your solution fits one of these descriptions:
Your solution is a completely novel, early stage idea.
Your solution is currently available or under development in a field outside of snakebite, and will require major changes to be suitable for snakebite patients.
The Growth Track
The growth track strengthens more mature solutions that may have already been tested and partially implemented, helping them develop, implement, reach scale, and achieve health impact.
Five growth finalists will receive £100,000 each for the finalists’ development phase.
Two growth winners will receive £1,750,000 each for the winners’ development phase.
Growth entry eligibility: At a minimum, the basic principles of your solution have been tested, or you have an established solution looking to grow within snakebite, or you have a mature concept from a closely related sector requiring minor redesign that you will repurpose and validate for snakebite patients.
You are eligible for the Growth track if your project fits one of these descriptions:
You have a developed prototype that needs to be tested in the field.
You have a proven model that, with minor changes, has the potential to be tailored for snakebite patients.
You have an innovative solution already supporting snakebite patients and plan to extend its reach, increase its impact, or add new components to it.
What solutions are eligible?
The prize is focused on achieving near-term patient impact in the pathway from bite to effective emergency care.
To be successful, proposals must clearly describe how they strengthen community responses, accelerate access to appropriate care, or improve the delivery of treatment.
Proposed solutions must be tailored specifically for and implemented to improve snakebite patient outcomes in communities where the snakebite burden is highest.
We define high-burden settings as areas with high snakebite envenomation mortality or morbidity rates and the unmet need is greatest.
Please see the map to understand the eligible countries.
Solutions out of scope:
Drug, antivenom or venom neutralisation therapies development are strictly out of scope.
While important work is being done on improving existing traditional antivenoms and developing next-generation treatments, including new recombinant antivenoms and small molecules, 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. This prize focuses on improving the other barriers to care that patients encounter.
Solutions solely focused on primary prevention, foundational research with no direct link to the deployment of a specific solution, long-term recovery, rehabilitation, and mental health are out of scope.
While the areas listed below are valuable and highly encouraged as part of a systemic approach, they do not meet the prize's core aims if they are the sole focus of an entry. These elements can be integrated as supporting components of a broader solution aimed at reducing mortality and/or morbidity through more accessible, faster, and safer care along the patient journey.
Primary prevention: While stopping bites from occurring is important, bites will continue to be an unavoidable reality in many communities. The prize focuses on a system-wide response to bites.
Basic research and data collection without a link to the development of a specific solution: Although the field requires more research to understand the complexities of snakebite as a global health issue, the prize is targeting innovative operational solutions with real-world impact on patient outcomes. Therefore, research and data collection are supported only when directly linked to the deployment of a specific solution that will have direct impact on people affected by snakebite.
Long-term recovery, rehab & mental health: These are under-resourced critical issues; however, this prize focuses on the pathway from bite to effective emergency care. Focusing on upstream access and early intervention is expected to have downstream benefits and improve health outcomes in the long term by reducing physical disability and psychological trauma.
