$200,000 David Prize for New Yorkers
- Organization: The David Prize
- Type: Award
- Location: New York City, United States
- Deadline: November 30, 2026
- Funding: Fully Funded
The David Prize, an initiative of the Walentas Foundation, awards five New Yorkers $200,000 each every year, with no strings attached, to make a bold idea for New York City real. Its 2026 Open Call is open to anyone who lives in the five boroughs, in any field and at any age, and the first step is a short online form about you and your vision. Since 2019 the Prize has received more than 18,000 ideas and named 35 winners. **What you get:** - $200,000 per winner, paid as $100,000 a year for two years - No strings attached: no reports or achievement metrics are required, and the Prize does not monitor how the money is used - Public recognition as one of five winners, and introductions when the Prize thinks you should meet someone, such as another funder - The money is paid to you as personal income; if someone else nominated you, you can choose to direct it to a 501(c)(3) instead **What you'll do:** - Complete the Step 1 Submission on Submittable by 30 November: a short form about you, your vision for New York City and why you are the person to do it, which the Prize says takes 30 minutes to an hour - If invited, complete a longer Step 2 Submission, due 8 January 2027 at 6 p.m. EST, which the Prize says takes no more than 2 to 3 hours - If shortlisted in spring, meet the Prize team and name up to four references while the team speaks with experts about your work - If chosen as a finalist, prepare with the team for a final in-person interview in late summer with a small group of decision-makers **Key dates:** - Step 1 Submissions close 30 November 2026 at 6:00 p.m. Eastern - Everyone who submits Step 1 hears back towards the end of fall 2026 - Step 2, by invitation only, is due 8 January 2027 at 6 p.m. EST - Shortlist meetings and diligence in spring 2027 - Finalists announced and final in-person interviews in summer 2027 - Five winners announced after the final interviews (one page of the site says summer, another says fall) **More information:** - The FAQ and the Step 1 and Step 2 questions are published in advance, linked from the Prize Process page and the Submittable form, so you can draft offline - Since 2019 the Prize has received more than 18,000 ideas and named 35 winners and 86 finalists - The Prize does not give feedback on individual submissions - Questions go to info@thedavidprize.org
