Pershing Square Sohn Cancer Prize

The Pershing Square Sohn Cancer Prize, administered by the Pershing Square Sohn Cancer Research Alliance (PSSCRA), is an annual award supporting early-career scientists in the United States conducting bold and innovative cancer research. Established in 2013 by The Pershing Square Foundation in partnership with The Sohn Conference Foundation, the Prize was originally restricted to the New York City area. As of the 2026 cycle, eligibility has been expanded to include academic research institutions nationwide. Each Prize recipient receives $250,000 annually for three years, totaling $750,000. A minimum of six awards are given each cycle, depending on proposal quality. The program encourages high-risk, high-reward research that may be too speculative for traditional funding channels, providing support at a crucial stage of a scientist’s career. In addition to funding, awardees gain access to networking programs, mentorship opportunities with leaders in industry and academia, and the chance to present at conferences and annual retreats hosted by PSSCRA. Applicants must hold a PhD, MD, or MD-PhD (or equivalent), and have between two and six years of experience running their own lab by the project start date of July 1, 2026. Faculty appointments must be at the Assistant or Associate Professor level (or equivalent) at an academic research institution in the U.S. Non-citizens are eligible provided their visa status allows completion of the grant term. Researchers need not have specific training in cancer research but must operate in a qualified institutional environment. The 2026 competition required submission of a Letter of Intent (LOI) by November 3, 2025, at 5:00pm ET. Applications are submitted through the PSSCRA online portal. There is no full proposal stage; LOIs alone are evaluated. Finalists will be invited to present their projects at the Prize Review Board Meeting on March 25, 2026, with winners announced in mid-April and funding beginning July 1, 2026. Review is conducted by the Scientific Review Council and Prize Advisory Board, who assess scientific merit, applicant potential, and impact on the cancer field. Grantees must sign an award agreement, submit annual progress reports, and comply with all guidelines including budget limitations. Indirect costs may not exceed $25,000 annually. The program does not allow edits to its award agreement, except to correct factual errors. Questions about the Prize can be directed to info@psscra.org or Christy Hudson at chudson@persq.org.

Focus on high-risk, high-reward science that would not typically be funded; strong rationale, novelty, and clear cancer field impact are key.