This is a US-based competition. International participation is allowed with certain restrictions. Please see complete challenge requirements for more details.
The Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) are championing a bold vision of data sharing and reuse. The DataWorks! Prize fuels this vision with an annual challenge that showcases the benefits of research data management while recognizing and rewarding teams whose research demonstrates the power of data sharing or reuse practices to advance scientific discovery and human health. We are seeking new and innovative approaches to data sharing and reuse in the fields of biological and biomedical research.
To incentivize effective practices and increase community engagement around data sharing and reuse, the 2022 DataWorks! Prize will distribute up to 12 monetary team awards. Submissions will undergo a two-stage review process, with final awards selected by a judging panel of NIH officials. The NIH will recognize winning teams with a cash prize, and winners will share their stories in a DataWorks! Prize symposium.
DataWorks! Prize is a partnership of: .png)
The Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) are championing a bold vision of data sharing and reuse. The DataWorks! Prize fuels this vision with an annual challenge that showcases the benefits of research data management while recognizing and rewarding teams whose research demonstrates the power of data sharing or reuse practices to advance scientific discovery and human health. We are seeking new and innovative approaches to data sharing and reuse in the fields of biological and biomedical research.
To incentivize effective practices and increase community engagement around data sharing and reuse, the 2022 DataWorks! Prize will distribute up to 12 monetary team awards in two categories: data sharing and data reuse. Submissions will undergo a two-stage review process, with final awards selected by a judging panel of NIH officials. The NIH will recognize winning teams with a cash prize, and winners will share their stories in a DataWorks! Prize symposium.
Partners
The DataWorks! Prize is part of the FASEB DataWorks! Initiative - learn more at www.faseb.org/dataworks. The 2022 DataWorks! Prize is a partnership between FASEB and NIH. FASEB is the prize administrator and responsible for implementation of the prize.
The 2022 DataWorks! Prize has two award categories: monetary awards and non-monetary recognition awards.
All submissions will be reviewed and evaluated for both the NIH funded and FASEB hosted awards. Where relevant, differences in eligibility and/or criteria for evaluation for awards are noted in this announcement.
There are two categories of awards in the 2022 DataWorks! Prize: monetary awards and non-monetary recognition awards.
NIH is the sponsor of up to twelve monetary prize awards with a total prize purse of up to $500,000:
FASEB may award up two non-monetary recognition awards as part of the 2022 DataWorks! Prize. If FASEB fails to award the non-monetary prizes it has indicated it intends to award, NIH does not have the legal authority to award the prizes on their behalf.
All submissions will be reviewed and evaluated for both the monetary and non-monetary awards. Where relevant, differences in eligibility and/or criteria for evaluation for awards are noted in this announcement. Submissions will be evaluated based on the following judging criteria.
Round 1A: Eligibility Review
Round 1 submissions will be reviewed for completeness and eligibility by NIH and FASEB Challenge staff. Eligible submissions will include answers to all questions on the registration form.
Round 1B: Evaluation
Those submissions that meet eligibility requirements will be reviewed by a panel of subject matter experts from the federal government and non-government organizations, who will score each of the following criteria using the evaluation rubric below. Up to 50 highly rated submissions across both categories will be invited to participate in Round 2.
The criteria for the Round 1 evaluation include:
| Criterion | Description | Weight |
| Potential Impact |
| 40% |
| Replicability |
| 20% |
| Community Inspiration |
| 20% |
| Team and diversity |
| 20% |
Round 2 Evaluation
All Round 2 submissions will be reviewed by a panel of subject matter experts from the federal government and non-government organizations, in the fields of data science, informatics, and data management, who will score each of the following criteria based on the evaluation rubric. The criteria for this round include:
| Criterion | Description | Weight |
| Excellence in Data Sharing and Reuse |
| 40% |
| Innovative Impact on Human Health |
| 30% |
| Potential for Community Engagement and Outreach |
| 30% |
Judging Panel
Up to 20 highly rated submissions from the Round 2 evaluation will be shared with the Judging Panel which will be composed of federal government employees.
The Judging Panel will review the Round 2 evaluations and utilize the Round 2 evaluation criteria to provide recommendations for monetary prize awards to the Award Approving Official. The Award Approving Official will make final monetary award decisions.
To reiterate, NIH and FASEB reserve the right, in its sole discretion, to (a) cancel, suspend, or modify the Challenge, or any part of it, for any reason, and/or (b) not award any prizes if no submissions are deemed worthy.
Non-Monetary Awards Sponsored by FASEB
Non-monetary awards are independently administered by FASEB. FASEB is responsible for the review, evaluation, and award of non-monetary awards. NIH does not participate in the selection of non-monetary awards presented as part of the DataWorks! Prize.
Non-monetary recognition awards will be selected from the 20 finalists designated in the Round 2 evaluation process outlined in this announcement. Award winners will be selected on the basis of crowd sourced votes received during the public voting period from November 29 - December 20, 2022 and evaluation scores. For the non-monetary awards, those submissions with at least one person in the Team affiliated with FASEB or one of its member societies will receive special consideration in the review process.
Registration Process: This Challenge announcement can be found on the challenge.gov website and on the HeroX website. The Challenge registration and submission portals will be administered by HeroX, a platform provider under contract with FASEB. Participants can access the prize portal by going to www.herox.com/dataworks.
To register, participants will first be directed to establish an account in the HeroX platform and agree to the HeroX Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. All Participants must certify they have read and understand and agree to abide by the official eligibility criteria, participation rules, and requirements for the Challenge as stated in this announcement.
Each participating Team is required to identify a Team Captain who will register for and submit on behalf of Team members. The Team Captain is responsible for all communications with the Challenge sponsors and, in the event of winning a cash prize from the NIH, will be paid the prize in full. To be eligible to win a cash award from the NIH, the Team Captain must be a citizen or permanent resident of the United States. However, non-U.S. citizens and non-permanent residents can participate as a member of a team that otherwise satisfies the eligibility criteria. Non-U.S. citizens and non-permanent residents are not eligible to win a monetary prize (in whole or in part). Their participation as part of a winning team, if applicable, may be recognized when the results are announced. Teams comprised entirely of non-U.S. citizens and/or non-permanent residents will be eligible to be recognized with an honorable mention by FASEB. In the event that a dispute regarding the identity of the Team Captain who actually submitted the entry cannot be resolved to the Challenge sponsors' satisfaction, the affected submission will be deemed ineligible.
Participants must complete their registration by 11:59 Eastern Time on June 28, 2022. Participants who do not complete their registration by the deadline will not have their submissions considered for this Challenge.
Submission Requirements: Participants who completed the registration process prior to the registration deadline must submit their entries via the HeroX submission portal. Submissions will include a written summary of new/exceptional research outcomes that were catalyzed by data sharing/reuse activities, using story-focused prompts.
Specifically, each submission must include the following sections:
Round 1 Submission
Scope
Up to 4-page overview (based on prompts) of the research project, description of the catalytic impact of data sharing or reuse practices on internal or external collaboration, process, findings, and/or outcomes.
Submitters will provide answers using a web form, which will include a check box for whether the submission is to be entered into the data sharing or reuse category.
| Field | Description | Format |
| Category | Select Data Sharing or Data Reuse | Radio buttons |
| Overview/ Abstract | Provide a brief and concise summary of your methodology and approach for how you shared or reused data in your project. | Formatted text (150 words) |
| Team | Describe your team. Briefly discuss how your team came together, how you collaborate, and how you manage responsibilities for data management and oversight. | Formatted text (250 words) |
| Potential Impact | Provide the following information:
| Formatted text (500 words) |
| Replicability |
| Formatted text (300 words) |
| Potential for Community Engagement and Outreach | Based on your experiences, what would you tell other researchers about the benefits of data sharing or reuse? | Formatted text (250 words) |
| Supporting Documentation | Include links to relevant and publicly accessible website page(s), up to three relevant publications, and/or up to five relevant resources. | Formatted text (200 words) |
Round 2 Submission
Eligibility
Biological or biomedical research Teams who have met the Round 1 eligibility and participation rules and requirements, and have been invited to submit to Round 2 based on evaluation of Round 1 submission.
Scope
The second submission form will include three narrative prompts focused on the research data sharing or reuse practices in use by your team, how they have changed your approach to research, and how they have advanced your scientific discipline and/or human health.
Submitters will provide answers using a web form. There are two additional, optional questions in this round.
| Field | Description | Format |
| Category | Select Data Sharing or Data Reuse | Radio buttons |
| Data Sharing or Reuse | Describe in detail your data sharing or reuse practice. Be sure to address the following specifics:
| Formatted text (1,500 words) |
| Impact | Help us understand the impact of your data sharing or reuse practice:
| Formatted text (1,000 words) |
| Potential for Community Engagement and Outreach |
| Formatted text (1,000 words) |
Video (Optional) | Create a short video that tells the story of your research and its impact on human health and the scientific (or biomedical) research community at large. (90 seconds or less) | Hyperlink |
| Supporting documentation | Provide links to supporting references | Formatted text (350 words) |
Eligibility Rules:
To be eligible to win a prize under this prize competition, a participating Team:
Participation Rules
(1) Participants may not use federal funds from a grant award or cooperative agreement to develop their Challenge submissions or to fund efforts in support of their Challenge submissions unless the use of such funds is consistent with the purpose, terms, and conditions of the grant award or cooperative agreement. Participants intending to use Federal grant or cooperative agreement funds must register for and participate in the Challenge on behalf of the awardee institution, organization, or entity. If a Participant uses Federal grant or cooperative agreement funds and wins the Challenge, the prize must be treated as program income for purposes of the original grant or cooperative agreement in accordance with applicable Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards (2 CFR § 200).
(2) Federal contractors may not use federal funds from a contract to develop their Challenge submissions or to fund efforts in support of their Challenge submissions.
(3) By participating in this Challenge, each Participant (whether an individual, group of individuals, or entity) agrees to assume any and all risks and waive claims against the federal government and its related entities, except in the case of willful misconduct, for any injury, death, damage, or loss of property, revenue, or profits, whether direct, indirect, or consequential, arising from participation in this Challenge, whether the injury, death, damage, or loss arises through negligence or otherwise.
(4) Based on the subject matter of the Challenge, the type of work that it will possibly require, as well as an analysis of the likelihood of any claims for death, bodily injury, property damage, or loss potentially resulting from Challenge participation, no Participant (whether an individual, group of individuals, or entity) participating in the Challenge is required to obtain liability insurance or demonstrate financial responsibility in order to participate in this Challenge.
(5) By participating in this Challenge, each Participant (whether an individual, group of individuals, or entity) agrees to indemnify the federal government against third party claims for damages arising from or related to Challenge activities.
(6) A Participant (whether an individual, group of individuals, or entity) shall not be deemed ineligible because the Participant used federal facilities or consulted with federal employees during the Challenge if the facilities and employees are made available to all Participants participating in the Challenge on an equitable basis.
(7) By participating in this Challenge, each Participant (whether an individual, group of individuals, or entity) warrants that they are sole author or owner of, or has the right to use, any copyrightable works that the submission comprises, that the works are wholly original with the Participant (or is an improved version of an existing work that the Participant has sufficient rights to use and improve), and that the submission does not infringe any copyright or any other rights of any third party of which the Participant is aware.
(8) By participating in this Challenge, each Participant (whether an individual, group of individuals, or entity) grants to the NIH and FASEB an irrevocable, paid-up, royalty-free nonexclusive worldwide license to reproduce, publish, post, link to, share, and display publicly the submission on the web or elsewhere, and a nonexclusive, nontransferable, irrevocable, paid-up license to practice, or have practiced for or on it has behalf, the solution throughout the world. Each Participant will retain all other intellectual property rights in their submissions, as applicable. To participate in the Challenge, each Participant must warrant that there are no legal obstacles to providing the above-referenced nonexclusive licenses of the Participant’s rights to the federal government. To receive an award, Participants will not be required to transfer their intellectual property rights to NIH and FASEB, but Participants must grant to the federal government and FASEB the nonexclusive licenses recited herein.
(9) Each Participant (whether an individual, group of individuals, or entity) agrees to follow all applicable federal, state, and local laws, regulations, and policies.
(10) Each Participant (whether an individual, group of individuals, or entity) participating in this Challenge must comply with all terms and conditions of these rules, and participation in this Challenge constitutes each such Participant’s full and unconditional agreement to abide by these rules. Winning is contingent upon fulfilling all requirements herein.
(11) As a condition for winning a cash prize in this Challenge, each Participant (whether an individual, group of individuals, or entity) that has been selected as a winner must complete and submit all requested winner verification and payment documents to NIH within ten business days of formal notification. Failure to return all required verification documents by the date specified in the notification may be a basis for disqualification of a cash prize winning submission.
12) Multiple submissions from the same Team will be accepted as long as the subject of each submission is distinct. Teams must select either the (data sharing) or (data reuse) category for their submission. In the event that a Team wishes to submit projects that are within both data sharing and reuse categories, the Team shall submit two submissions, one within each category.
Expectations for Winners
All winners will be invited to present at the DataWorks! Prize Symposium (virtual event held in 2023), will be invited to be interviewed (choice of print, podcast, or video), and communications materials will be made available or reposted on the FASEB DataWorks! Webpage. Winners also will be invited to serve as mentors for DataWorks! Fellows for a period of 12 months.
Yes, but it’s quick and easy. Just click the “Solve this Challenge” button on this page and follow the instructions to complete your registration. All you need to provide is your name and email address.
If you have a question not answered in the FAQ, we recommend that you post it in the Forum where someone will respond to you. This way, others who may have the same question will be able to see it.
