Beauty + Health: Youth Graphic Medicine Challenge

The Beauty + Health: Youth Graphic Medicine Challenge is a creative grant competition administered by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), specifically through its Office of Disease Prevention (ODP). This program is part of a broader initiative to raise awareness and encourage preventive health behaviors among youth by leveraging the power of graphic storytelling. The challenge calls upon teens and young adults in the United States, ages 13 to 25, to use original comics to explore and propose ways to reduce the health risks associated with certain beauty practices and societal appearance standards. Through this approach, the NIH aims to gather youth-driven perspectives that can inform future research and public health strategies focused on beauty-related behaviors and health risks. The challenge centers around the theme of societal beauty standards and how individuals, particularly young people, often engage in various beauty products or behaviors to conform to these norms. These include both products—like hair straighteners, skin lighteners, or anti-aging creams—and behaviors—such as extreme dieting, tanning, or undergoing cosmetic surgery. The NIH emphasizes that while these practices may be normalized, they can also pose significant health risks, including allergic reactions, hormonal disruptions, psychological stress, and long-term damage such as infertility or cancer. The initiative is intended not only to illuminate these risks but also to highlight how youth can take steps to mitigate them through education, informed choices, and systemic change. Participants are asked to submit original comics—no more than 10 pages and in PDF format—that tell stories of personal experiences, ideas, or community-level insights into how to resist harmful beauty norms or make safer decisions. The entries must be original works, not previously published or posted online, and must not contain copyrighted materials unless permission is obtained. Additionally, they should represent graphic medicine, an approach that combines storytelling with health-related information, often through visual narratives that include both personal stories and facts drawn from reliable medical sources. The eligibility criteria are inclusive but clearly defined. Applicants must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents between the ages of 13 and 25. If under the age of 18, a parent or guardian must provide permission to enter. All submissions must be received through the designated submission portal by the deadline of April 2, 2026, at 09:29 AM IST (GMT+5:30), which corresponds to April 1, 2026, at 11:59 PM ET. There is no requirement for prior artistic experience—judging will prioritize compelling storytelling over technical illustration skill. Up to five cash prizes will be awarded in each age category (13–17 and 18–25), with individual award amounts ranging from $500 to $3,500, totaling $17,000 in prize funds. The judging process will begin in May 2026 and continue through June 2026, with winners officially announced in July 2026. Winning entries may also be featured on NIH websites or shared through their social media channels. This Challenge operates under the authority of the America COMPETES Reauthorization Act and aligns with the ODP’s strategic priorities around increasing awareness of prevention, promoting health equity, and supporting public health research dissemination. Submissions are to be made via the external challenge portal, and detailed guidance is provided in the official documentation linked on the challenge.gov website. Questions can be directed to the organizing team at [email protected]. Through this innovative approach to youth engagement, the NIH seeks to empower a new generation to critically examine cultural norms and participate in public health discourse through accessible and creative media.

Strong storytelling is prioritized over professional-level artwork. Entries should address both health risks and strategies for reducing them.