This year, we are building on the 2021 Healthy Food Challenge's success and expanding our efforts to find, pilot and scale solutions to advance healthy and active environments for children. The Healthy Childhood Challenge is an initiative launched by Novo Nordisk in collaboration with UNICEF. Read more about this collaboration here

The Healthy Childhood Challenge is seeking out great ideas that will improve children’s chances of being well-nourished, active and mentally well in the environments they live in. The challenge is wide open to any community or organisation across the globe to submit proposals through an online platform. The three best, most innovative ideas will each receive a grant of 100,000 US dollars to pilot their solution.

Sign-up here

Learn about the challenge. Click on the links below to sign up for the webinar incl. Q&A that suits you

10 May at 8am (CET): Introducing The Healthy Childhood Challenge (Meeting ID: 871 9342 7587)

10 May at 4pm (CET): Introducing The Healthy Childhood Challenge (Meeting ID: 893 3196 9917)

19 May at 8am (CET): The Healthy Childhood Challenge Q&A (Meeting ID: 824 6763 4541)

19 May at 4pm (CET): The Healthy Childhood Challenge Q&A (Meeting ID: 857 7170 0321)

 

  • Open up opportunities for shaping safe and playful environments
  • Increase access to healthy environments through cooperation with sports and outdoor activity providers
  • Make active transport a viable, safe and fun option for children
  • Make healthy nutrition and physical activity accessible for children
  • Inspire families to make the most of facilities, coaching, tuition and support networks
  • Nurture an active and healthy culture for vulnerable families and communities
  • And much more – all innovative approaches and fresh concepts are welcome

 

  • Deploy new and creative approaches to excite, engage and encourage underserved communities to participate
  • Demonstrate new or uncommon partnership models
  • Reach for the sky! But are feasible with measurable and achievable goals within a 2–3-year timeframe
  • Leverage multi-sector approaches to broaden the reach and enhance engagement
  • Involve the community and meet a currently unmet need
  • Have sustainability, scalability and transferability in their DNA
  • Align with the UN Sustainable Development Goals, particularly Goals 2 (zero hunger), 3 (good health and wellbeing), 5 (gender equality), 10 (reduced inequality) and 12 (responsible consumption and production)

 

We invite any and all organisations to join the Healthy Childhood Challenge. While the Challenge is open to all, the lead applicant must be a non-profit making organisation. However, the lead applicant is still permitted to partner with profit-making companies, start-ups, etc. on their proposed initiative. Invited organisations includes, but is not limited to:

  • Public agencies (e.g. education, culture, leisure, urban planning, transportation)
  • Public and private health organisations
  • Educational institutions
  • NGOs and grassroots organisations
  • Faith-based associations
  • Private businesses
  • Start-ups

 

The Healthy Childhood Challenge runs from May to November 2022. A selection round will identify the top-10 candidate proposals from among the entries. These will be workshopped with expert input to refine the ideas. The panel will choose the top three proposals in September 2022. These winning teams will each receive a grant of 100,000 US dollars to put their proposal into action.

The challenge opens for ideas. Participants submit ideas on the online Challenge platform. Participants can interact with other ideas, connect and collaborate (through comments) as well as indicate good ideas through likes. As a result, participants may use this stage to find collaboration partners.

All submitted ideas will go through a review process. A review team comprised of representatives from each of the Global Selection Panel members’ organisations will read all proposals and select 10 finalists by consensus, based on five criteria. ​

The top 10 finalists will refine their ideas based on the feedback they receive from the review team, and develop a final proposal with a budget, partnership letters of intent, and results framework. The refined ideas are re-submitted to the platform.​

The 10 selected finalists will be invited to attend three optional workshops where they will receive guidance for refining their ideas and preparing for their pitch. Workshops will be conducted online. 

The top 10 ideas will be pitched to the global selection panel in an online pitch session. The global selection panel will subsequently select three winning projects that will be supported with 100,000 US dollars each.​

The three winning teams will present their projects at a webinar event in connection with World Children’s Day on 20 November.​

Young people making a carrot food dish

The Healthy Childhood Challenge is about finding creative and innovative ways to drive change and enable all children to reach their full potential. Your idea could kick-start the needed change. The Healthy Childhood Challenge is organised by Novo Nordisk in collaboration with UNICEF.

Healthy environments are essential for children to thrive and reach their full potential, but today, many children grow up in environments that harm their health. The Healthy Childhood Challenge is seeking out great ideas that will improve children’s chances of being well-nourished, active and mentally well in the environments they live in.

The challenge is wide open to any community or organisation across the globe to submit proposals through an online platform. The three best, most innovative ideas will each receive a grant of 100,000 US dollars [or equivalent in local currency] to pilot their solution.

Supporting healthy environments for children is of paramount importance all over the world. Childhood is a formative phase of life, and harmful environments can reduce a child’s opportunity to develop properly. Poor health at a young age increases a person’s risk of developing diseases later in life.