The American Lung Cancer Screening Initiative
Lung Cancer Innovation Challenge
An international competition to promote medical innovation, policy, and advocacy in lung cancer screening.
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High school and middle school students are eligible to participate!
Develop and execute a creative project to increase lung cancer screening for a chance to win prizes of
$10000, $5000, or $2000!
Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in the U.S. and the world.
Patients who are diagnosed with lung cancer at an early stage due to frequent and accessible lung cancer screening are 50% more likely to survive. However, only 1 in 15 eligible individuals receive lung cancer screening. The American Lung Cancer Screening Initiative (ALCSI) is an international organization dedicated to spreading lung cancer screening awareness.
The ALCSI Innovation Challenge is an opportunity for students to learn about and advance the field of lung cancer. Students will develop and execute a project that addresses the question:
"What innovative and impactful solution can I develop to raise awareness for lung cancer and get as many people screened for lung cancer as possible?"
Students will have the opportunity to meet with community leaders, healthcare experts, and renowned researchers from institutions such as Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital to develop and carry out their projects. In May 2026, participants will report on their impact and metrics. Selected finalists will be invited to present at the final ALCSI Lung Cancer Innovation Summit in Boston, MA, in June 2026.
ALCSI Innovation Challenge Timeline
Enrichment Phase
September 2025 - February 2026
Students can join webinars and discussions with renowned leaders in the lung cancer sphere, including researchers, physicians, and lung cancer survivors from across the country, to learn about barriers to lung cancer screening, advocacy projects, and novel research studies in the field. Students will also have access to workshops and "office hours" where they can work on developing their project and receive feedback.
Application (One-Page Proposal + Registration)
Due February 8, 2026 | Rolling basis (open now)
Students (individual or team) will submit a one-page description for the project they will carry out relating to lung cancer screening and awareness. From leveraging community outreach and local policy to media, there are many ways to make an impact!
Students will receive initial feedback and be assigned an ALCSI mentor by February 15-20, 2026. Students can immediately start carrying out their project, but will need to have all written materials approved through this form.
By February 8, all participants (individual or team) must formally register for the competition through this form.
Mentorship
February 15 - May | 2026
Beginning in February, students will meet with their ALCSI mentor to discuss their progress, impact, and metrics collected. This mentor will serve as a guiding resource as participants carry out their projects, make any necessary changes to their execution, and prepare for their final submission.
In-Depth Metric Report
May 15 | 2026
To document impact, students will submit an in-depth metric report outlining the work they have done for their project (deadline: May 15). Students will be evaluated based on scalability, innovation, cost, impact, and subject knowledge (see rubric for details). Highest-scoring students/teams will be designated as finalists and invited to present their final project at the 2026 ALCSI Lung Cancer Innovation Summit in Boston, MA.
Finalists will be notified by May 30, 2026.
ALCSI Lung Cancer Innovation Summit
End of June | 2026
Finalists will be invited to Boston to present their final project to over 100 ALCSI members and world-renowned faculty from Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School. The top 3 teams will be selected to receive prizes of $10,000 (1st place), $5,000 (2nd place), and $2,000 (3rd place). In addition to their presentation, students will have the chance to engage in conference programming (keynote session, lung cancer survivor panel, surgical skills lab, and more!)
After completing the ALCSI Innovation Challenge, students are encouraged to continue expanding their projects. Participants are always welcome to reconnect with mentors and speakers and join other ALCSI initiatives, as well as return to serve as mentors for next year's challenge.
Registration and Submission
Registration for ALCSI's Annual 2026 Innovation Summit
All students are invited to register for ALCSI's third-annual Innovation Summit at Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School in Boston, MA from July 10-12 . Learn more about the Summit on our website.
In-Depth Metric Report
Students are required to submit an in-depth metric report describing their project, including the project’s goals and the impact of their project. We welcome students to submit this as early as possible, but the deadline to submit this report will be May 15, 2026. All in-depth metric reports should include the following information (please view the template and guidelines for more details):
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Name of student(s)
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Contact information of student(s)
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Project description and goals
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Supporting background research
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Resources that will need to be created or obtained (e.g. flyers, videos)
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Cost
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Methods for measuring and tracking impact
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Reporting metrics
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Challenges faced
Material Approval Form
As soon as students submit their one-page proposal and receive feedback, they can begin carrying out their projects. During this process, written and recorded materials must be approved before being disseminated to ensure quality and accuracy. Please submit these materials through this form and allow 3-5 business days for approval.
Frequently asked questions
We are grateful for the support of members from the following institutions:
Challenge updates will be regularly posted on social media. Please email with any questions.