Policy Research Award
The NIHCM Foundation Policy Research Award recognizes excellence in published research that can help health plans, policymakers, health care delivery, health care consumers, and related stakeholders improve the affordability, accessibility, and quality of US health care.
Application Information
The application cycle for the 32nd Annual Policy Research Award (formerly Research Award) is now open! Awards will recognize work produced in 2025.
Applications close January 30, 2026 at 5:00 pm ET. Please contact Mikayla Thompson at mthompson@nihcm.org with any questions.
32nd Annual Policy Research Award Process
(formerly Research Award)
Prize
A $20,000 prize will be presented to the winner.
Have questions about our Policy Research Award?
Award FAQEligibility
- Articles must have been published in a peer-reviewed journal during calendar year 2025 either in print or online. An article cannot be submitted in more than one competition year.
- All research entries should include a focus on health care affordability, including increasing knowledge of the drivers and impacts of rising health care costs, or identifying solutions to improve health care access and quality. Entries should produce new insights, data analysis, and evidence that are relevant to health plans, policymakers, health care delivery, and/or related stakeholders.
- Entries should focus on health care in the United States.
Entry
- Deadline: January 30, 2026, at 5:00 pm ET
- Entry is free
- Limit three entries per entrant. Please see the FAQs for more information.
- Please contact Mikayla Thompson at mthompson@nihcm.org if you are unable to submit or have any questions.
Selection Criteria
- Quality, originality, and novelty of research.
- Research publication produces new insights, data analysis, evidence and impact that can inform efforts to improve health care affordability, including by increasing knowledge of the drivers and impacts of rising health care costs, or identifying solutions to improve health care access and quality.
- Entries should produce new insights that are relevant to health plans, policymakers, health care delivery, and/or related stakeholders.
Judges
Ge Bai
Johns Hopkins University
Laurence Baker
Stanford University
May Tsung-Mai Cheng
Princeton University
Martin Gaynor
Carnegie Mellon University
Paul Ginsburg
University of Southern California
Joseph Newhouse
Harvard University
Mark Pauly
University of Pennsylvania
Kosali Simon
University of Indiana Bloomington
Christopher Whaley
Brown University