Wellcome Mental Health Data Prize

The Wellcome Data Prize in mental health will support collaborative approaches to research into anxiety and depression in young people. Teams in the UK and South Africa will explore existing data to find new insights and build digital tools that enable future research.  

Prize at a glance 

This scheme is now closed

Funding amount:

There are three phases to the prize, each six months long and with different levels of funding and support on offer:

  • Discovery phase: 10 teams will be selected to receive £40,000 of funding 
  • Prototyping phase: 5 teams will be selected to receive £100,000 of funding 
  • Sustainability phase: £500,000 will be allocated across 3 winning teams
Funding duration:

6-18 months

We have partnered with Social Finance to deliver this prize. To register your interest and get updates please sign up to the Social Finance mailing list

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About this prize 

The Prize aims to generate tangible and scalable outputs that support the mental health research community. The overarching question for the Data Prize is:

What are the ‘active ingredients’ that make a difference in preventing, treating, and managing anxiety and depression in young people? What works, for whom, in what contexts, and why?

Read more about our work on active ingredients.

Eligibility and suitability 

Exemplar datasets 

We have consulted with several data holders in the UK and South Africa to build an understanding of the data that we consider to be appropriate for the prize. We have identified several exemplar datasets that meet all of the criteria above. The data holders of each of these datasets have been consulted on the most effective way to access their data, with details documented in the 'Exemplar datasets' PDF documents below.

We welcome applications from teams that propose to conduct their research on alternative datasets, provided they meet the criteria above. Applications proposing the use of such datasets will not be disadvantaged for selection.

When making an application to a data holder for access to a dataset, please use the prefix “Wellcome MH data prize” to your project title.

Evaluation criteria 

What we offer 

How to apply 

Key dates 

You must submit your application by 17:00 (GMT/BST) on the deadline day. We do not accept late applications.

Open to New Applications

  1. Application deadline

    5 June 2022
  2. Confirmation of shortlisted teams

    24 June 2022
  3. Pitch dates

    Teams will pitch on the afternoon of one of the following days

    5, 6 or 7 July 2022
  4. Selection of 10 teams for Discovery phase

    Week commencing 18 July 2022
  5. First day of the Discovery phase

    8 August 2022

Useful documents and links 

More information 

Contact us 

We have partnered with Social Finance to deliver the prize. To register your interest and get updates please sign up to the Social Finance mailing list. If you have any questions, please contact us at:   

dataprize@socialfinance.org.uk