Apply to the 2026 Johns Hopkins Healthcare Design Competition and win up to a $5000 cash prize. This competition is an annual program that invites innovative proposals focused on healthcare applications. This competition provides a platform for full-time students worldwide to showcase their projects in three distinct tracks, addressing critical challenges in the following four categories:

• Solutions for Advanced Health Systems
• Global health/humanitarian design
• Healthcare apps/digital health

The competition aims to foster creativity and problem-solving in healthcare design.

Key Details and Dates

Application Deadline: February 1, 2026 (11:59 pm EST)

Result Announcement Dates:

• Finalists informed by March 16, 2026
• Final round (virtual event) on April 11, 2026, 10 am to 2 pm EST

Funding Type: Cash Prize

Organizer: Johns Hopkins University

Eligible Countries: All

Eligible Gender: Male/Female

Target Group: Full-time students pursuing undergraduate, master’s, doctoral, or professional degrees (MBA, MD, etc.)

Focus Area: Healthcare design solutions

Number of Opportunities: 12 winners across three tracks

Host Country: United States

Prizes and Financial Terms

The Prize details are as follows:

• 1st Prize: $5000
• 2nd Prize: $3000
• 3rd Prize: $1000

Eligibilities for the Johns Hopkins Healthcare Design Competition

Before entering the competition, please read these criteria carefully:

• The project must focus on a healthcare application in one of the four above tracks.
• Project initiation should be after January 1, 2024.
• Full-time students are required to lead projects; postdoctoral research projects are not eligible.
• Projects that have used significant funding (or less than $100K) are not eligible for this competition.
• Projects not run by full-time students, such as those by startups or faculty, are ineligible.
• Eligible students include those pursuing undergraduate, master’s, doctoral, and professional degrees.
• Project teams should consist of more than one full-time student.
• Applicants can submit multiple unique projects.

Required Documents

A two-page Design Brief, including figures, should follow these requirements:

• A brief layout recommended for an audience of medtech engineers and designers
• Arial, Helvetica, Palatino Linotype, or Georgia typeface with 11 points or larger font size
• Type density should not exceed 15 characters per inch.
• Figures, plots, or photos are encouraged but counted towards the page limit.
• References may be listed on a separate page.

Note: Design Brief guidelines and additional information are available on the official website.

Selection Process

The Design Brief will be evaluated based on four criteria:

• Problem description (25%)
• Solution concept(s) (25%)
• Reduction to practice (25%)
• Pathway to implementation (25%)

Application Process of the Johns Hopkins Healthcare Design Competition

Enter the official link below to apply for the Johns Hopkins Healthcare Design Competition.

Apply Now

• For questions on eligibility, contact Aditya Polsani at apolsan1@jhu.edu or Allyson Chiu at achiu9@jh.edu.
• For general inquiries, email cbid@jhu.edu, apolsan1@jhu.edu, or ksp@jhu.edu
• Do you still have any questions? Visit the official website of Johns Hopkins University.

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