Harvard President's Innovation Challenge

The Harvard President's Innovation Challenge is an annual competition awarding over $500,000 in prizes to Harvard students and select alumni pursuing innovative ventures with social and commercial impact. Grand prize winners receive $75,000, and runners-up receive $25,000, with an additional $2,500 Ingenuity Award for promising early-stage ideas. Eligible ventures must have raised $750,000 or less in dilutive funding, and prior winners of the $75,000 or $25,000 prize within two years are ineligible. The competition spans multiple tracks, including social impact, and participants receive mentorship and connections through Harvard's innovation ecosystem. The 2026 cycle closed on December 8, 2025; the 2027 cycle has not been announced.