A $250,000 prize competition
The LymeX Visible Voices Prize is a national prize competition with a $250,000 prize pool to elevate patient experiences and improve understanding of Lyme and tick-borne disease diagnosis. The. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) invites patients, caregivers, clinicians, and innovators to design resources that improve understanding of Lyme diagnostics, elevate patient voices, and support more informed care decisions.
This is a national call to action, sponsored by HHS and the LymeX Innovation Accelerator. This prize builds upon the LymeX Diagnostics Prize—now in Phase 4—and is the first LymeX prize in four years open to all U.S. citizens and organizations. Teams will design and share resources that improve understanding, communication, and decision-making—translating complexity into clarity. Materials must be based on federal government sources and peer-reviewed literature and be immediately understandable and useable by the intended audience without specialized training.
Teams can focus their solution in one of four challenge areas:
- Diagnostics Information and Resources. Explain available and emerging Lyme and tick-borne disease tests in plain language, including what they measure, how they differ, and their limitations.
- Provider-Facing Educational Materials. Equip frontline providers with practical, evidence-based resources aligned with HHS, CDC, and public health guidance.
- Patient Education Tools. Help patients understand symptoms, testing pathways, and next steps so they can navigate care with confidence.
- Community-Informed Insights. Capture and translate lived experiences into actionable insights that highlight gaps, needs, and opportunities in the diagnostic journey.
A multidisciplinary group of experts will serve on a Judging Panel and review eligible submissions to recommend up to 16 winners, plus ranked alternates. Judges will evaluate submissions independently based on four equally weighted judging criteria. HHS may award up to $250,000 in cash prizes under the America COMPETES Act (15 U.S.C. § 3719), consistent with the official Challenge rules.
- 1 Grand Prize of $50,000
- 5 Excellence Prizes of $20,000 each
- 10 Impact Awards of $10,000 each
- Additional recognition: HHS may provide non-monetary recognition and acknowledgments
The deadline to submit is July 31, 2026.