The American Lung Cancer Screening Initiative

Lung Cancer Innovation Challenge

An international competition to promote medical innovation, policy, and advocacy in lung cancer screening.

High school and middle school students are eligible to participate!

Develop and execute a creative project to increase lung cancer screening.

Prizes available: $10,000, $5,000, and $2,000.

REGISTER HERE!

An American Lung Cancer Screening Initiative Program

Celebrating the 2026 Innovation Challenge

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 have a survival rate of over 80%, while those diagnosed at a late stage have a survival rate of 12%. However, only 20% of eligible adults currently 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 screening. 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. Participants will report on their impact and metrics. Selected finalists will be invited to present at the final ALCSI Summit in Boston, MA, on July 9–11, 2027.

2026–2027 ALCSI Innovation Challenge Timeline

Phase 1Enrichment & application

Innovation Challenge Distinguished Lecture Series
Previous ALCSI virtual programming

Students will begin the Innovation Challenge by learning from leaders across the lung cancer community. Through virtual panels, workshops, and discussions with lung cancer survivors, advocates, physicians, researchers, medical students, and other experts, participants will build the knowledge and skills needed to develop an impactful project.

Students (individually or as a team) will submit a one-page description of the project they will carry out to advance lung cancer awareness, prevention, screening, or early detection.

Feedback is generally provided within approximately two weeks of submission. Students can immediately start carrying out their project, but will need to have all written materials approved through this form.

  1. Innovation Challenge Kickoff

  2. Survivor & Advocate Panel

  3. Medical Student Panel

  4. Formal registration deadline

    Registration form

  5. How to Innovate Workshop and Office Hours

  6. One-page proposal deadline

    Proposal instructions

  7. Distinguished Lecture Series

Phase 2Mentorship & in-depth metric report

Innovation Challenge community outreach
ALCSI community outreach

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.

Throughout the implementation period, participants will submit brief progress updates and continue to have access to ALCSI educational programming and support.

To document impact, students will submit an in-depth metric report outlining the work they have done for their project. 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 2027 ALCSI Summit in Boston, MA. Finalists will have the opportunity to share their work with members of the lung cancer community, receive feedback from leaders in the field, and compete for the 2027 Innovation Challenge awards.

  1. Project feedback and mentorship

  2. Month 1 update

  3. Distinguished Lecture Series Session

  4. Month 2 update

  5. College & Medical Student Panel

  6. Innovation Challenge Office Hours

  7. In-Depth Metric Report due

    Project rubric

Phase 3ALCSI Summit

A speaker addresses attendees at the 2026 ALCSI Lung Cancer Summit
2026 ALCSI Summit

Finalists will be invited to Boston to present their final projects to students, world-renowned faculty from Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, physicians, researchers, patient advocates, public health leaders, and members of the ALCSI community from across the country.

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!)

  1. ALCSI Summit in Boston

Innovation Challenge Information and GuidelinesInnovation Challenge Project Rubric

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.

Celebrating the 2026 Innovation Challenge

The inaugural ALCSI Lung Cancer Innovation Challenge brought together more than 1,000 middle and high school students from around the world to develop creative solutions focused on increasing awareness of lung cancer screening and early detection.

Over the course of the challenge, students transformed their ideas into real-world projects with guidance from ALCSI mentors, physicians, researchers, patient advocates, and public health leaders. Projects were evaluated on innovation, impact, scalability, cost, and subject knowledge.

Following a competitive selection process, 10 finalist teams were invited to Boston to present their projects live at the 2026 ALCSI Summit. After presentations before a distinguished panel of judges, three teams were awarded first, second, and third place, with an additional project recognized with the Audience Favorite Award.

Meet the 2026 Innovation Challenge Winners

First Place - $10,000

Breathe Easy Initiative

Arsheen Sethi — Monroe-Woodbury High School
Jeevat Sethi — Monroe-Woodbury Middle School

The Breathe Easy Initiative created a comprehensive community outreach program in New York designed to increase awareness of lung cancer screening. The team combined lung cancer education, smoking-history surveys, partnerships with hospitals and nonprofit organizations, and direct engagement with community members to identify individuals who may benefit from screening and connect them with information and resources.

Their approach demonstrated how student-led education and community partnerships can help bring lung cancer screening awareness directly to the people who need it most.

Breathe Easy Initiative at the 2026 Innovation Challenge
Breathe Easy Initiative at the 2026 Innovation Challenge

Second Place - $5,000

LungFACTS: Follow-up Analytics and Community Targeting System

Rohan Kundra — Great Valley High School, Pennsylvania
Neil Thakkar — Downingtown STEM Academy, Pennsylvania

LungFACTS combines an AI-supported patient navigator with a lung cancer screening tracking system to make the screening process easier to understand and navigate.

Users provide information such as their age and smoking history, and the platform helps them understand whether they may meet current screening eligibility criteria. Rather than stopping at eligibility, LungFACTS also connects users with practical next steps, including screening-center resources, insurance information, and the ALCSI Lung Cancer Screening Hotline.

During its pilot, LungFACTS reached users across the United States, demonstrating the potential for technology to address barriers between screening eligibility and screening completion.

LungFACTS at the 2026 Innovation Challenge
LungFACTS at the 2026 Innovation Challenge

Third Place - $2,000

Breath of Remembrance

Ava Villacorta — Senior from Corona, California

Breath of Remembrance used art and storytelling to make lung cancer education more personal and accessible. The project invited students to create artwork recognizing public figures affected by lung cancer while incorporating education about lung cancer awareness, risk, and screening.

By connecting creative expression with public health education, Breath of Remembrance demonstrated a distinctive approach to reducing stigma and bringing conversations about lung cancer and early detection to younger audiences and their communities.

Breath of Remembrance at the 2026 Innovation Challenge
Breath of Remembrance at the 2026 Innovation Challenge

Audience Favorite Award

Breathe Safe: Radon Exposure Awareness Initiative

Kavya Shah — Illinois
Tanya Tanyasri — Illinois
Srimedha Verrathu — Illinois

Selected by attendees at the 2026 ALCSI Summit, Breathe Safe: Radon Exposure Awareness Initiative received the inaugural Innovation Challenge Audience Favorite Award.

The project focused on increasing awareness of radon exposure, an important environmental risk factor for lung cancer, and educating communities about the importance of understanding and reducing potential exposure. Through their initiative, the team brought attention to a frequently overlooked cause of lung cancer while helping make information about radon risk and prevention more accessible.

Their project resonated with Summit attendees for its combination of public health education, environmental awareness, and lung cancer prevention.

Breathe Safe at the 2026 Innovation Challenge
Breathe Safe at the 2026 Innovation Challenge

An American Lung Cancer Screening Initiative Program

Challenge updates will be regularly posted on social media. Please email with any questions.

Instagram: alcsi.innovationchallenge

We are grateful for the support of members from the following institutions:

  • Massachusetts General Hospital
  • Harvard University
  • University of Michigan
  • Rice University
  • Harvard Medical School

Frequently asked questions

General

Do I have to finance my own travel expenses to and from the final summit?

Financial aid information will be shared closer to the time of the summit.

How early can I submit my one-page project proposal?

Submissions are open now! You can submit as early as you would like. The final deadline for one-page proposals is February 1, 2027.

How do I win the Innovation Challenge?

Students will be evaluated based on scalability, innovation, cost, impact, and subject knowledge (see rubric for details).

Can age groups other than high-schoolers and middle-schoolers participate?

While we are currently looking to expand the Challenge to also include college-aged students, this year only middle school and high school students are eligible to participate in the LCIC. College students are encouraged to join or start an ALCSI chapter at their university (contact innovationchallenge@alcsi.org for details).

Getting Screened

What happens during a CT scan?

You lie flat on a table that moves slowly into a ring-shaped scanner. The scanner captures a series of X-ray images from various directions. A computer then processes these images to create clear, detailed cross-sections of your lungs. The scan is quick, usually lasting around two minutes, and does not cause any pain.

How do I prepare for a lung CT?

1. You do not need to change your eating habits or fast beforehand. 2. Choose loose, comfortable clothing and avoid items with metal such as zippers, buttons, or jewelry. 3. Inform your doctor if you: a. Are pregnant or believe you could be. b. Have a history of lung conditions or have had lung surgery. 4. Plan to arrive a little early so you have time to complete forms and ask any questions. 5. Remain as still as possible during the scan, as movement can affect image quality.

How often should I get screened?

If you are eligible based on the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommendations, lung cancer screening should occur annually. However, follow-up imaging at a shorter interval (e.g., 3 or 6 months) may be recommended by a physician if a suspicious nodule is found.