Overview of the KidneyX EMPOWER Prize Challenge
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has launched the 2026 KidneyX EMPOWER Prize Challenge — a $4 million national competition to drive innovation in living kidney donation. The challenge targets persistent barriers that prevent more Americans from donating or receiving a kidney transplant. It calls on innovators, researchers, and healthcare technologists to submit scalable, real-world solutions. Submissions are due by June 15, 2026.
HHS runs the initiative through KidneyX, a public-private partnership with the American Society of Nephrology (ASN). Together, they aim to transform how the U.S. approaches transplant care.
The Kidney Transplant Crisis in America
A Waitlist That Keeps Growing
America faces a deepening kidney transplant crisis. Currently, nearly 100,000 Americans are on the kidney transplant waiting list. Moreover, more than a dozen people die every single day while waiting for a donor match. The scale of the problem demands urgent action.
Two Decades of Stagnant Donation Rates
Living kidney donation is among the most effective treatments for kidney failure. Yet, the number of living donors has stayed virtually flat for approximately 20 years, with fewer than 7,000 donations made annually. Financial pressures, logistical hurdles, limited education, and social barriers all contribute to this stagnation. Consequently, thousands of patients remain on the waitlist far longer than necessary.
HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., summed up the urgency clearly: “Living kidney donation delivers some of the best outcomes for patients with kidney failure, yet avoidable barriers still stand in the way.”
What the $4M Challenge Aims to Solve
Breaking Down Barriers to Donation
The EMPOWER Prize Challenge directly targets the obstacles that deter potential donors and delay patient access to transplants. HHS seeks innovations that improve care coordination, advance nephrological research, and deliver patient-centered transplant support. Furthermore, the challenge prioritizes equitable access — ensuring that donation pathways are open to all Americans, regardless of income or geography.
Reducing Medicare’s Long-Term Burden
Beyond patient outcomes, HHS also frames the challenge in fiscal terms. Prioritizing transplants over chronic dialysis reduces long-term costs to Medicare. ASN President Samir M. Parikh, MD, FASN, reinforced this dual mission: “By fostering innovations that empower living donors and streamline the process, we are not only better supporting Americans who save the lives of others but also reducing the long-term burden on the Medicare program.”
Key Focus Areas for Innovators
Five Target Areas for Prize-Winning Solutions
The $4M prize specifically targets five barrier categories that innovators must address:
- Public Awareness — Educating communities about living kidney donation options
- Donor Interventions — Addressing fears around surgery and recovery
- Donor Readiness — Supporting BMI management, smoking cessation, and financial planning
- Donor-Centered Outcomes — Enabling long-term tracking of donor health after surgery
- Center Practices — Reducing administrative delays within transplant centers
Solutions must be scalable and adaptable for real-world clinical environments. Winners receive both monetary prizes and national recognition, accelerating the path from concept to adoption.
ONC’s Role in Modernizing Kidney Care Data
Advancing Interoperability Across Nephrology
Alongside the prize challenge, the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) is taking an active role in modernizing data standards across the nephrology field. ONC will collaborate with ASN to identify gaps in current data exchange and develop solutions that enable seamless, secure communication between patients, donors, and clinicians.
Why Data Interoperability Matters
Dr. Thomas Keane, the National Coordinator for Health IT, explained the stakes: “Data and technology play a critical role in supporting patients, donors, and clinicians across the transplant ecosystem. By fostering innovation through this challenge and advancing more seamless, interoperable data exchange, we can help ensure that individuals have the information and tools they need to make informed decisions and receive high-quality, coordinated care.”
This effort supports better clinical decision-making, stronger care coordination, and deeper research into kidney disease and transplantation. Ultimately, it builds the data infrastructure that modern transplant care demands.
KidneyX’s Track Record of Impact
Over $25M in Prizes Awarded to Date
KidneyX has an established record of results. Since its launch in 2019, the initiative has awarded more than $25 million in prizes to over 70 winners across the kidney care ecosystem. These past investments have advanced prevention strategies, diagnostic tools, and treatment innovations — including transplantation technologies. The 2026 EMPOWER Prize Challenge builds directly on this momentum.
How to Apply and Key Dates
Participate in the 2026 Challenge
HHS is hosting two informational webinars for interested participants — on April 29 and May 12. These sessions will walk through challenge requirements, eligibility criteria, and submission expectations.
Innovators can register, submit an interest form, and access all challenge details at kidneyxempowerchallenge.org. The final submission deadline is June 15, 2026.
