Quit & Thrive Challenge: Community-Derived Solutions to Reduce Menthol Cigarette Smoking

Interested in entering?

Register for a pre-submission webinar on December 17, 2024, at 2:00 p.m. ET, with ODP and CDC staff.

Email specific questions to [email protected] at least 24 hours before the webinar.

ODP and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are sponsoring the Quit & Thrive Challenge: Community-Derived Solutions to Reduce Menthol Cigarette Smoking to enhance the evidence base of interventions to help individuals from populations experiencing health disparities quit smoking, with a specific emphasis on menthol cigarettes. This Challenge encourages submissions from local and state organizations and agencies to highlight promising community-led solutions to address menthol cigarette smoking.

Up to nine prizes of $100,000 each will be awarded to organizations with the most successful or innovative community-led strategies. Information about the winning submissions will be prominently featured on ODP and CDC websites and publicly disseminated via social media.

Key dates: 

  • Pre-submission webinar December 17, 2024, at 2:00 p.m. ET (registration required)
  • Entries due February 28, 2025, at 11:59 p.m. ET
  • Awardees announced July 2025

Read the complete rules, requirements, and submission instructions below or at Challenge.gov. Contact ODP at [email protected] with any questions.

About the Quit & Thrive Challenge

Artistic illustration of lungs. Left lung is black and diseased. Right lung is pink and healthy surrounded by flowers and a butterfly. By Leah Badeau.Combustible tobacco product use is the leading cause of preventable disease and death in the United States. Every year, nearly half a million Americans die prematurely due to smoking or exposure to secondhand smoke. Additionally, over 16 million individuals have smoking-related illnesses. The addition of menthol to cigarettes reduces the harshness of smoking and makes smoking more appealing. Menthol can also enhance the addictive effects of nicotine and make it more difficult for people to quit smoking. Youth, sexual and gender minority (SGM) populations, people with lower incomes, and racial and ethnic minority populations have higher rates of menthol cigarette use compared to other population groups. Over 80% of non-Hispanic Black adults who smoke use menthol cigarettes. Despite this, there are few targeted cessation programs for menthol cigarette users.

In 2022, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) proposed a product standard to prohibit menthol as a characterizing flavor in cigarettes (PDF) to reduce the likelihood that individuals who do not smoke will start and increase the likelihood that people who currently smoke menthol cigarettes will quit. The proposed menthol product standard, whether ultimately enacted or not, has brought attention to existing structural and systemic access barriers to smoking cessation resources, and highlights the time-sensitive need to quickly enhance the evidence base of interventions for populations experiencing health disparities. Although some cities, states, and communities have enacted laws or developed initiatives to reduce the use of menthol cigarettes, evaluation of such efforts is needed to enhance the evidence base.
 

Goal and Overview of the Challenge

The goal of this Challenge is to showcase promising and innovative community-derived solutions to reduce menthol cigarette smoking among groups with disproportionately high rates of menthol cigarette use, including youth, racial and ethnic minorities, SGM populations, and people with lower incomes. These solutions can then be used to inform future federally funded research initiatives or demonstration projects to enhance the evidence base, as well as to encourage broader adoption of best practices to reduce menthol cigarette smoking.
 

What are community-derived solutions?

Community-derived solutions refer to programs, policies, and other strategies that have already been implemented by local or state governmental agencies, community-based organizations, or service providers, and have been shown to be effective in reducing menthol cigarette use at the neighborhood, city, county, and/or state level. Community-derived solutions may include novel strategies or adaptations of evidence-based strategies tailored to the needs and preferences of populations with high levels of menthol cigarette use. Community-derived solutions do not need to have an exclusive focus on menthol cigarette use, but they must demonstrate specific effectiveness in reducing menthol cigarette use. 

This Challenge is geared toward agencies or organizations responsible for implementing or delivering the community-derived solution(s). Projects that are supported by an NIH grant do not meet the definition of community-derived solutions. Solutions that propose to develop new smoking cessation products or to provide non-FDA approved alternatives to combustible tobacco products (e.g., electronic cigarettes) are not a priority for this Challenge.  

Community-derived solutions with a specific focus or impact on populations with disproportionately high levels of menthol cigarette use may take a variety of forms, including but not limited to the following:

  • Local or state governmental laws or policies to limit the sale of menthol cigarettes, increase cigarette taxes, or restrict the number or density of neighborhood tobacco retailers
  • Implementation of existing evidence-based practices tailored to groups with disproportionately high rates of menthol cigarette use, including youth, SGM populations, people with lower incomes, and/or racial and ethnic minority populations
  • Programs to enhance compliance of tobacco sale outlets with laws prohibiting tobacco sales to minors OR strategies to enhance enforcement of these laws
  • Workplace, housing, or school-based cigarette smoking cessation services or programs
  • Employer or health care-based financial or other incentives to encourage smoking cessation
  • Public awareness campaigns about the risks of menthol cigarette smoking and/or the availability of local, state, or national smoking cessation resources
  • Programs that address social needs, such as housing instability or food insecurity, that make quitting cigarettes challenging 
  • Programs that provide stress management strategies to help people quit smoking cigarettes (e.g., mindfulness training)
  • Programs that offer peer or social support to help people quit smoking cigarettes and remain abstinent
     

How can you demonstrate effectiveness of a community-derived solution?

Effectiveness of community-derived solutions can be demonstrated in a variety of ways, but effectiveness metrics should reflect measurable changes in behavior of people who smoke menthol cigarettes (e.g., cigarette purchasing or consumption, quit attempts). Metrics of effectiveness may include changes in individual knowledge or attitudes (e.g., greater awareness of risks of menthol cigarette smoking, intention to quit), but these changes alone are not sufficient for this Challenge if they are not accompanied by measurable changes in behavior.

Some examples of potential effectiveness metrics include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Self-reported reduction in cigarette smoking and/or increase in quit attempts among those who smoke menthol cigarettes
  • Increased use of local, state, or national smoking quitline or helpline services by individuals who smoke menthol cigarettes
  • Increased use of evidence-based cessation treatments (behavioral cessation counseling, FDA-approved cessation medication) by individuals who smoke menthol cigarettes
  • Decreased sales of cigarettes and other tobacco products, including menthol cigarettes, at the neighborhood, county, city, or state levels, as applicable
  • Measured improvements in air quality in indoor communal spaces (e.g., public housing) where individuals who smoke menthol cigarettes live, work, or congregate

Metrics of effectiveness should include data from before and after the implementation of community-derived solutions (e.g., a survey administered before and after a local smoking-related law is implemented). Metrics must include data for one or more populations with high rates of menthol cigarette smoking, including youth, racial and ethnic minorities, SGM populations, or people with low incomes.
 

Who is eligible to participate in the Challenge?

(Read the official Eligibility and Participation rules below.)

Participation in ODP and CDC's Quit & Thrive Challenge is open to organizations that are incorporated in and maintain a primary place of business in the United States, are not institutions of higher learning, and (at the time of submission) are not listed as the primary awardee on a NIH grant, cooperative agreement, or contract award.

For the purposes of this Challenge, an “institution of higher learning” means a “college, university, or similar institution, including a technical or business school, offering postsecondary level academic instruction that leads to an associate or higher degree if the school is empowered by the appropriate State education authority under State law to grant an associate or higher degree. When there is no State law to authorize the granting of a degree, the school may be recognized as an institution of higher learning if it is accredited for degree programs by a recognized accrediting agency. Such term shall also include an educational institution which is not located in a State, which offers a course leading to a standard college degree, or the equivalent, and which is recognized as such by the secretary of education (or comparable official) of the country or other jurisdiction in which the institution is located.” [38 U.S.C. § 3452(f)].

Examples of eligible organizations include but are not limited to the following:

  • State and local tobacco control agencies
  • Other state or local governmental agencies such as departments of public health, housing, parks and recreation, transportation, or social services
  • School systems
  • Health clinics or hospitals
  • Patient or consumer advocacy groups
  • Community-based organizations
  • Faith-based organizations

Eligible organizations may choose to partner with other groups, but the lead organization submitting to this Challenge must meet the criteria stated above.

Complete details and instructions

Expand all

Key dates

dates
  • Challenge announcement: September 1, 2024
  • Submission period opens: November 1, 2024
  • Submission period closes: February 28, 2025, 12:59 p.m. ET
  • Judging period: April–May 2025
  • Awardees announced: July 2025 

Prizes

prizes

The total prize purse is $900,000, with up to nine awards of $100,000 each.

Additionally, information about the winning submissions (taken from the summary provided in the Entry Form [PDF]) will be prominently featured on ODP and CDC websites and publicly disseminated via social media; additional opportunities to be profiled by ODP and CDC may be developed in the future.

Award Approving Official

The Award Approving Official will be David M. Murray, Ph.D., NIH Associate Director for Prevention, and Director, Office of Disease Prevention.  

Payment of the Prize

Prizes awarded under this Challenge will be paid by electronic funds transfer and may be subject to federal income taxes. HHS/NIH will comply with the Internal Revenue Service withholding and reporting requirements, where applicable.

Winners must be able to provide bank account and routing information in order to receive the cash prize funds and must be prepared to obtain additional documentation or funds transfer information from their financial institution as needed. Organizations participating in this Challenge are encouraged, but not required, to request and obtain a free Unique Entity ID, if they have not already done so, via SAM.gov as this will expedite prize payment. Additional information can be found at sam.gov/content/entity-registration. Each Participant Organization that enters the Challenge is required to identify a Primary Point of Contact (POC) who submits a solution on behalf of the Participant Organization. The Primary POC is responsible for all communications with ODP and CDC. In the event of winning a cash prize, the prize will be paid directly to the Participant Organization, not to the Primary POC.

NIH/ODP and CDC reserve the right, in their sole discretion, to (a) cancel, suspend, or modify the Challenge, and/or (b) not award any prizes if no entries are deemed worthy.

Judging criteria

judging-criteria

All submissions that are responsive and meet the Eligibility and Participation rules will be evaluated and scored by qualified expert employee(s) of the federal government using the criteria and scoring rubric described below. The results of the evaluation will be provided to a Judging Panel composed of NIH and CDC staff. The Judging Panel will select Winners based on the individual and overall evaluation scores. The selected Winners will be submitted to the Award Approving Official (David M. Murray, Ph.D., NIH Associate Director for Prevention, and Director, Office of Disease Prevention) for a final decision. NIH will not make Participants’ evaluation or judging results available to Participants or the public.

The scoring rubric consists of four criteria (Relevance to populations with high levels of menthol cigarette use, Innovation, Evidence of effectiveness, and Potential for sustainability or broader implementation).

  1. Relevance to populations with high levels of menthol cigarette use (10 points). To what extent does the community-derived solution address menthol cigarette smoking in populations with high rates of use, including youth, SGM populations, people with lower incomes, and racial and ethnic minority populations? To what extent were members from the populations or communities of focus included in the development, implementation, or evaluation of the community-derived solution?
  2. Innovation (5 points). To what extent does the community-derived solution include new or novel programs, policies, or other strategies?
  3. Evidence of effectiveness (20 points). Are appropriate and convincing measures or metrics of effectiveness provided that indicate changes in smoking-related behavior? Are data provided that are specific to menthol cigarettes? Are data provided that are specific to individuals or populations with high levels of menthol cigarette use?     
  4. Potential for sustainability or broader implementation (5 points). How sustainable is the community-derived solution? To what extent can the community-derived solution be implemented in other locations or settings?

Eligibility rules

eligibility-rules

The Challenge is open to any eligible Participant Organization.

To be eligible to win a cash prize under this Challenge, a Participant Organization:

  1. Shall have registered to participate in the Challenge under the rules promulgated by the NIH as published in this announcement;
  2. Shall be incorporated in and maintain a primary place of business in the United States;
  3. Shall not be an institution of higher learning as defined at 38 U.S.C. § 3452(f);
  4. Shall not, at the time of submission, be listed as the primary awardee on an active grant, cooperative agreement, or contract award issued by the NIH;
  5. Shall have complied with all the requirements set forth in this announcement;
  6. Shall not be a federal entity or federal employee acting within the scope of their employment; 
  7. Shall not be an employee of the HHS, or any other component of HHS, acting in their personal capacity;
  8. Who is employed by a federal agency or entity other than HHS, or any other component of HHS, should consult with an agency ethics official to determine whether the federal ethics rules will limit or prohibit the acceptance of a cash prize under this Challenge;
  9. Shall not be a judge of the Challenge, or any other party involved with the design, production, execution, or distribution of the Challenge or the immediate family of such a party (i.e., spouse, parent, step-parent, child, or step-child). 
  10. In the case of any individuals participating on behalf of a Participant Organization, shall be 18 years of age or older at the time of submission

Participation rules

participation-rules
  1. A Participant Organization may not use federal funds from a grant award or cooperative agreement to develop their Challenge submissions or to fund efforts in support of their Challenge submissions.
  2. Federal contractors may not use federal funds from a contract to develop their Challenge submissions or to fund efforts in support of their Challenge submissions.
  3. By participating in this Challenge, each Participant Organization agrees to assume any and all risks and waive claims against the federal government and its related entities, except in the case of willful misconduct, for any injury, death, damage, or loss of property, revenue, or profits, whether direct, indirect, or consequential, arising from participation in this Challenge, whether the injury, death, damage, or loss arises through negligence or otherwise.
  4. Based on the subject matter of the Challenge, the type of work that it will possibly require, as well as an analysis of the likelihood of any claims for death, bodily injury, property damage, or loss potentially resulting from Challenge participation, no Participant Organization participating in the Challenge is required to obtain liability insurance, demonstrate financial responsibility or agree to indemnify the federal government against third-party claims for damages arising from or related to Challenge activities in order to participate in this Challenge.
  5. A Participant Organization shall not be deemed ineligible because the Participant Organization used federal facilities or consulted with federal employees during the Challenge if the facilities and employees are made available to all Participant Organizations participating in the Challenge on an equitable basis.
  6. By participating in this Challenge, each Participant Organization warrants that they are the sole author or owner of, or has the right to use, any copyrightable works that the submission comprises, that the works are wholly original with the Participant Organization (or is an improved version of an existing work that the Participant Organization has sufficient rights to use and improve), and that the submission does not infringe any copyright or any other rights of any third party of which the Participant Organization is aware.
  7. By participating in this Challenge, each Participant Organization grants to the NIH an irrevocable, paid-up, royalty-free nonexclusive worldwide license to reproduce, publish, post, link to, share, and display publicly the submission on the web or elsewhere, and a nonexclusive, nontransferable, irrevocable, paid-up license to practice, or have practiced for or on its behalf, the solution throughout the world. Each Participant Organization will retain all other intellectual property rights in their submissions, as applicable. To participate in the Challenge, each Participant Organization must warrant that there are no legal obstacles to providing the above-referenced nonexclusive licenses of the Participant Organization’s rights to the federal government. To receive an award, Participant Organizations will not be required to transfer their intellectual property rights to NIH, but Participant Organizations must grant to the federal government the nonexclusive licenses recited herein.
  8. Each Participant Organization agrees to follow all applicable federal, state, and local laws, regulations, and policies.
  9. Each Participant Organization participating in this Challenge must comply with all terms and conditions of these rules, and participation in this Challenge constitutes each such Participant Organization’s full and unconditional agreement to abide by these rules. Winning is contingent upon fulfilling all requirements herein.
  10. As a condition for winning a cash prize in this Challenge, each Participant Organization that has been selected as a winner must complete and submit all requested winner verification and payment documents to NIH within 10 business days of formal notification. Failure to return all required verification documents by the date specified in the notification may be a basis for disqualification of a cash prize winning submission.
     

Terms and conditions

Disqualification

  • Submissions may be disqualified for plagiarism, falsification of any information submitted, use of copyrighted material without permission, and use of profanity, violent images, or nudity. ODP and CDC are not responsible for lost, late, incomplete, invalid, unintelligible, or misdirected entries, which will be disqualified.

Payment of the prize

  • Prizes awarded under this Challenge will be paid by electronic funds transfer and may be subject to federal income taxes. HHS/NIH will comply with the Internal Revenue Service withholding and reporting requirements, where applicable.
  • Winners must be able to provide bank account and routing information in order to receive the cash prize funds and must be prepared to obtain additional documentation or funds transfer information from their financial institution as needed. Organizations participating in this Challenge are encouraged, but not required, to request and obtain a free Unique Entity ID, if they have not already done so, via SAM.gov as this will expedite prize payment. Additional information can be found at sam.gov/content/entity-registration. Each Participant Organization that enters the Challenge is required to identify a Primary Point of Contact (POC) who submits a solution on behalf of the Participant Organization. The Primary POC is responsible for all communications with ODP and CDC. In the event of winning a cash prize, the prize will be paid directly to the Participant Organization, not to the Primary POC.
  • NIH/ODP and CDC reserve the right, in their sole discretion, to (a) cancel, suspend, or modify the Challenge, and/or (b) not award any prizes if no entries are deemed worthy.

How to enter: Required documents, forms, and instructions

how-to-enter
  • Read the full Eligibility and Participation rules bove or on Challenge.gov
  • Only one entry may be submitted per Participant Organization. Submissions must not include the HHS logo or official seal or the logo of NIH or any of its components and must not claim federal government endorsement.
  • Each Participant Organization that enters the Challenge is required to identify a Primary Point of Contact who submits a solution on behalf of the Participant Organization. The Primary Point of Contact is responsible for all communications with ODP and CDC. In the event of winning a cash prize, the prize will be paid directly to the Participant Organization, not to the Point of Contact.
  • Completed Submission Packages must be emailed to [email protected] between November 1, 2024, and February 28, 2025, at 11:59 p.m. ET.

Each submimailto:[email protected] for the ODP and CDC Quit & Thrive Challenge requires a complete Submission Package consisting of the following documents saved as PDF files: (1) Entry Form (PDF), (2) Description of the Community-Derived Solution, (3) References, and (4) Additional Collaborating Organizations/Agencies (if applicable).

  1. Entry Form (PDF)
    • Contact information for the Participant Organization
    • Contact information for the Primary Point of Contact
    • Names and contact information for any collaborating institutions or agencies
    • Title and brief summary (no more than 500 characters) of the community-derived solution
    • Signature of the Primary Point of Contact and date, indicating agreement to the rules of the Challenge
  2. Description of the Community-Derived Solution: The Description of the Community-Derived Solution document is limited to 10 single-spaced pages, using 11- or 12-point font, including any figures, images, graphs, or tables. This document should be submitted as a PDF and include the following sections:
    • Overview of the community-derived solution 
      • The type of solution (e.g., is it a program, policy, or other strategy?)
      • When and where the solution has been implemented
      • What populations are the focus of the solution  
      • Who developed and/or delivers the solution
      • How the implementation, delivery, or enforcement of the solution is funded
      • The role of the Participant Organization in developing, implementing, delivering, or enforcing the solution
      • The role of any collaborating agencies or organizations in developing, implementing, delivering, or enforcing the solution, if applicable
    • Relevance to populations with high levels of menthol cigarette use
      • How the solution reaches or impacts populations with high levels of menthol cigarette use 
      • How the community-derived solution specifically addresses menthol cigarette smoking
      • How members from the population have been included in the development, implementation, or evaluation of the community-derived solution
    • Innovation
      • How the community-derived solution is different from previous or other current efforts to reduce menthol cigarette smoking or cigarette smoking in general
      • Any novel or creative strategies used to develop, implement, deliver, sustain, or evaluate the solution
    • Evidence of effectiveness
      • The process for collecting evidence of effectiveness of the community-derived solution, including:
      • The metrics, tools, or measures used (Reminder: Measures of smoking-related knowledge or attitudes of individuals can be included, but they are not sufficient to show effectiveness of the solution.)
      • How and when the data were collected or obtained before and after implementation of the community-derived solution
      • How the data were compiled or analyzed
      • How the collected data show the community-derived solution produced changes in smoking-related behavior, including:
      • How the changes can be attributed to the community-derived solution versus other factors
      • How the changes are specific to or inclusive of populations with high levels of menthol cigarette smoking
      • How changes are specific to or inclusive of menthol cigarette smoking
    • Potential for sustainability or broader implementation
      • How the community-derived solution can be maintained or sustained in the future.
      • How the community-derived solution can be delivered in other locations or settings.
  3. References: List citations using APA or MLA format for any sources referenced in the Description of the Community-Derived Solution document, including journal articles, reports, webpages, or data resources. This document should be submitted as a PDF.
  4. Additional Collaborating Organizations/Agencies (if applicable): If a submission involves more than three Collaborating Organizations/Agencies, please list the additional organizations/agencies and their respective POCs in a separate document and include it in the final Submission Package. This document should be submitted as a PDF.
     

Submission Instructions

The Primary Point of Contact should email the Completed Submission Packages (consisting of the following documents saved as PDF files: Entry Form, Description of the Community-Derived Solution, References, and Additional Collaborating Organizations/Agencies [if applicable]) to ODP at [email protected] between November 1, 2024, and February 28, 2025, at 11:59 p.m. ET, following the steps below:

  1. Download, complete, and sign the Entry Form (PDF). You can print and complete the form or open and complete it electronically using software like Acrobat or Acrobat Reader.
  2. Save the completed and signed Entry Form as a PDF. Use the file name: “Organization Name [acronym is acceptable]_Entry”
    • Example file name for entry form submitted by Acme, Inc.: Acme, Inc_Entry
  3. Save the Description of the Community-Derived Solution document as a PDF. Use the file name: “Organization Name [acronym is acceptable]_Description”
    • Example file name for Community-Derived Solution document submitted by Acme, Inc.: Acme, Inc_Description
  4. Save the References document as a PDF. Use the file name: “Organization Name [acronym is acceptable]_References”
    • Example file name for References document submitted by Acme, Inc.: Acme, Inc_References.
  5. Save the Additional Collaborating Organizations/Agencies document as a PDF. Use the file name: “Organization Name [acronym is acceptable]_Collaborators”
    • Example file name for Additional Collaborating Organizations/Agencies document submitted by Acme, Inc.: Acme, Inc_Collaborators.
  6. Attach the completed and signed Entry Form, Description of the Community-Derived Solution, and References PDFs to an email and send it to [email protected] by 11:59 p.m. ET on February 28, 2025. Use the subject line “ODP and CDC Quit and Thrive Challenge: Organization Name [acronym is acceptable]”
    • Example email subject line for Challenge submission package from Acme, Inc.: ODP and CDC Quit & Thrive Challenge: Acme, Inc.

 

Statutory authority to conduct the Challenge

statutory-authority

ODP and CDC are conducting this Challenge under the America Creating Opportunities to Meaningfully Promote Excellence in Technology, Education, and Science (COMPETES) Reauthorization Act of 2010, as amended [15 U.S.C. § 3719]. ODP, through its NIH-wide ADVANCE (Advancing Prevention Research for Health Equity) initiative, supports the development of new prevention interventions and of strategies to deliver existing evidence-based interventions and preventive services in populations that experience health disparities.

In accordance with 42 U.S.C. § 282(f) of the Public Health Service Act, as amended, the mission of ODP is to improve public health by increasing the scope, quality, dissemination, and impact of prevention research supported by NIH. As a coordinating office in the NIH Office of the Director, ODP fulfills this mission by providing leadership for the development, coordination, and implementation of prevention research in collaboration with NIH Institutes, Centers, and Offices, and other partners.

This Challenge supports the mission of CDC’s Office on Smoking and Health (OSH) to protect the public’s health from the harmful effects of tobacco use. A key activity of OSH is to reduce tobacco-related health disparities, death, and disease. Relevant to both ODP and CDC, this challenge directly aligns with the HHS Framework to Support and Accelerate Smoking Cessation 2024 (PDF). Ultimately, this Challenge will inform the efforts of ODP and CDC to reduce health disparities and increase national focus on supporting and accelerating smoking cessation. 

Contact information

contact-information

Email ODP at [email protected] with any questions about the Challenge, rules and requirements, or help submitting your materials.

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