What you can win

Up to 15 of the most promising solutions will be supported with up to £100,000 in funding and a bespoke package of mentorship, training and match-making to develop their solutions.

4 of these teams will win up to £1.75 million each in winter 2027 to accelerate impact for snakebite patients by 2030.

The Wellcome Snakebite Innovation Prize offers more than just funding.

Finalists will be supported by a powerful network of partners and mentors who will provide real-world insights, feedback, and connections to help shape and strengthen their solutions.

By the end of the prize, finalists will gain access to networks of influential individuals and organisations that can open doors – financially, reputationally, and strategically – to support implementation of their solutions at scale, such as health ministries, philanthropic or private sector funders, or potential buyers of solutions.

A joyful moment at a challenge prize celebration where two women are warmly embracing in a hug. One woman wears a vibrant orange and cream tie-dye garment with a matching headwrap and a wristwatch, while the other wears a patterned pink textured outfit and has her hair styled in thick braids. Surrounding attendees, including a man in a dark green tunic with a green lanyard, look on with bright smiles.

Support and funding avalaible:

Prize Awards

To support innovators to develop their solutions, the Launch and Growth finalists will be awarded the following amounts:

  • 10 Launch Track finalists awarded £75,000 each.

  • 5 Growth Track finalists awarded £100,000 each.

In December 2027, the Launch and Growth winners will be granted the following grand prize awards to further develop their solutions:

  • 2 Launch Track winners awarded £750,000 each.

  • 2 Growth Track winners awarded £1,750,000 each.

Innovator Support

The selected finalists will benefit from a comprehensive support package designed to help everyone succeed. It will help new innovators and researchers take their idea off the ground, while enabling established teams to overcome barriers by drawing on centralised expertise and mentorship.

The innovator support will be delivered by a range of experts and will be bespoke, tailored to the finalists’ solution types and development stages, as determined through a rapid needs assessment coordinated centrally by Challenge Works.

Cohort-level support could include elements that support teams in participating in the prize and that are directly related to the judging criteria, such as:

  • General proposal writing support.

  • Publicity opportunities, including guidance on publishing team’s use cases and findings.

  • Pitching and comms training for public-facing engagements.

  • Behavioural insights and user-centred design training.

  • Team capacity building training, including business development support, sustainable or procurement paths, and market fit.

  • Networking opportunities.

Crucially, the prize is designed to ensure that participation is a collaborative and supportive process for all teams involved, regardless of the final outcome. Beyond the financial incentives, the prize serves as a powerful accelerator by granting cohorts widespread visibility, validating their approaches, and building the institutional credibility needed to propel innovations forward.

To maximise this impact, winners and finalists will be showcased in the media and at regional events, showing their solutions and progress during the prize. Their work will be highlighted to funders, government partners, innovation hubs, and other key industry experts, positioning the participating teams for future partnerships and successful implementation.

WSIP-Launch-Track-icons-2_icon filled.pngLaunch Track support:

  • Introductions to end users and snakebite experts/ innovation experts, depending on the team’s current expertise.

  • Impact reporting support to help them define their impact and utilise existing data.

  • Technical support to begin transforming their ideas into early-stage concepts.

  • Access to labs or other facilities to test their solutions during the finalist phase, with early introductions to pilot sites to build partnerships ready for the winner phase.

WSIP-Growth-Track-icons-2_icon filled.pngGrowth Track support:

  • Solution evaluation support, allowing them to confidently share evidence at the finalist submission stage.

  • Access to pilot sites to validate their solutions, or introductions to relevant partners to support scaling and sustainability.

  • Mentorship from snakebite experts/ business or procurement experts to support the development of implementation plans.

  • Technical support to adapt and improve their solutions.

Useful information:

A vibrant, solid turquoise-blue pit viper coiled neatly on a mossy, textured tree trunk.

Innovator Handbook

Our prize handbook includes all the detailed information you will need to develop your solution and enter the prize.
Gerard (Gerry) Martin and colleague, The Liana Trust, Rathnapuri village, Hunsur Taluk, Mysuru district, Karnataka, India. Gerry and his colleague conduct radio telemetry tracking of snakes in the field, gathering data to better understand snake movement and behaviour and to inform strategies for reducing human-snake conflict in local communities.

Who can enter?

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.