The Pershing Square Sohn Cancer Research Alliance (PSSCRA) today announced the opening of applications for the 2026 Pershing Square Sohn Cancer Prize. The award of $250,000 per year for three years is granted annually to a minimum of six scientists, depending on the quality of the proposals. The Prize empowers researchers to pursue novel, high-risk/high-reward cancer research at a stage when traditional funding is lacking. While the Prize originally started as an effort to support cancer research in the greater New York City area, this year, the Prize eligibility has expanded to include scientists across the United States.
“With the convergence of precision oncology, AI and off the shelf immunotherapy, the coming years in cancer research signal promise and hope,” remarked The Pershing Square Foundation Co-Trustee Neri Oxman, PhD. “The combination of high-fidelity digital pathology, high-resolution cell-based approaches, and accessible therapies are pushing forth novel research efforts that transcends disciplinary boundaries, organ systems, and pathological categorization. We are thrilled to be welcoming applications from the Pershing Square Sohn Cancer Prize’s new cohort as we pave the path ahead towards a brighter, healthier future for all.”
Applicants must have between two and six years of experience running their own laboratories by the award start date (July 2026), hold a PhD, MD, or MD-PhD (or degree equivalent), and be affiliated with a research institution in the United States. The deadline to submit a Letter of Intent is November 3rd, 2025 at 5:00pm ET. For more details on PSSCRA and the application process, including the full eligibility criteria, please visit the application submission portal: https://prizeapplication.smapply.io/.
Now providing funding and support for 77 investigators at 14 academic research institutions, the highly competitive Pershing Square Sohn Cancer Prize underwrites the bold research of cancer scientists at a formative stage in their careers. In order to facilitate collaboration and innovation, each Prize winner is given access to leaders in the pharmaceutical and biotech industries and the opportunity to present his or her work to scientific, business, and philanthropic audiences.
“This national expansion marks an exciting new chapter for the Prize. For twelve years, we have championed bold, early-stage ideas at a moment when traditional funding often falls short, and supported the next generation of pioneering cancer researchers,” said Olivia Tournay Flatto, PhD, President of The Pershing Square Foundation and Co-Founder and Executive Director of the Pershing Square Sohn Cancer Research Alliance. “By extending our reach across the entire United States, we remain steadfast in our founding vision while opening doors for more innovators to join our vibrant scientific community. Together with our visionary review board, we look forward to accelerating discoveries that can transform the future of cancer treatment.”
“Winning this Prize was a huge honor for me and my lab,” 2025 Pershing Square Sohn Cancer Prize winner Alex Gitlin, MD, PhD, Assistant Member at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center remarked. “Some incredible scientists have won this in the past, and it really validates some of the key work my lab has done. It’s going to enable us to take big swings and do the high-risk, high-reward research that we’re poised to do at this point.”
“The PSSCRA Prize has been a pivotal force in advancing my research, and the networking opportunities have been invaluable in broadening my scientific perspective and collaborative efforts,” said 2021 Prize winner Christine Chio, PhD, Assistant Professor at Columbia University Irving Medical Center. “Their commitment to supporting researchers is profoundly appreciated and has a lasting impact on the scientific community. They have empowered researchers like myself to make meaningful contributions to the fight against cancer.”
“It is hard to overstate how positively my lab has been impacted by this award. We were able to develop new expertise around adipocytes, melanoma cells, lipid metabolism, and epigenetics,” remarked 2017 Prize winner Richard White, MD, PhD, Professor at the University of Oxford (formerly Memorial Sloan Kettering). “But equally important, the Prize also helped support other seemingly tangential projects in the lab, which led to very fundamental insights about cancer and numerous high impact publications. It is the freedom to explore, and go where the science takes you, that I consider the true mark of a great program like the Pershing Square Sohn Cancer Prize.” Since concluding his project, Dr. White has actively participated in PSSCRA’s application process as a member of the Scientific Review Council.
About the Pershing Square Sohn Cancer Research Alliance
The Pershing Square Sohn Cancer Research Alliance was formed in 2013 by The Pershing Square Foundation, which has since committed more than $49 million to 77 scientists, in partnership with The Sohn Conference Foundation. The Alliance is dedicated to playing a catalytic role in accelerating cures for cancer by supporting innovative cancer research and by facilitating collaborations between academia and industry. Annually, the Alliance awards the Pershing Square Sohn Cancer Prize to early-career scientists who are engaged in cutting-edge cancer research. For more information, visit http://psscra.org/.
About The Pershing Square Foundation
The Pershing Square Foundation is a family foundation established in 2006 to support exceptional leaders and innovative organizations that tackle important issues and deliver scalable and sustainable global impact. Pershing Square Philanthropies, which includes The Pershing Square Foundation, has committed more than $930 million in grants and investments in target areas including health and medicine, education, economic development and innovation. Bill Ackman and Neri Oxman are co-trustees of the Foundation. For more information, visit: http://pershingsquarephilanthropies.org.
About The Sohn Conference Foundation
The Sohn Conference Foundation supports cutting-edge medical research, state-of-the-art research equipment, and innovative programs. The Foundation raises its funds through the renowned Sohn Investment Conference in New York City and a number of premier investment conferences around the world.
The Sohn Conference Foundation honors the memory of Ira Sohn, a talented Wall Street professional whose life was cut short when he passed away from cancer at the age of 29. Ira’s friends and family founded The Sohn Conference Foundation in New York City in 1995. Since then, investment leaders from across the globe have been inspired to launch partner Sohn conferences and unite the financial community to support a number of charitable causes. To date, The Sohn Conference Foundation has raised over $95 million. More information on The Sohn Conference Foundation is available at www.sohnconference.org.
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