2021 open call

The David Prize is a celebration of individuals and ideas to create a better, brighter New York City. Open to any individual working in the five boroughs, the Prize welcomes those with the grit and vision to change our communities, our culture and our future for good. As long as you have a clear idea of how your work improves our city, and what you need to get it done, we’ll consider it. Individuals that win The David Prize can be affiliated with organizations or companies, but the focus is on great people doing great things outside of established pathways and projects.

Nomination (not required) Anyone can nominate someone they know. And nominators can put forward one or several individuals they think should win. An individual does not need to be nominated to go for The David Prize; self-nominations are fine! Similarly, the number of nominations a person receives does not impact their evaluation or probability of winning. Please note that a nomination is not the same thing as a submission. The David Prize will notify each nominee so that they can start the David Prize process.

Step 1 Submission All interested individuals – nominated or self-nominated – must complete the Step 1 Submission. This is a short form to collect information about candidates and their ideas for The David Prize. It shouldn’t take more than 30 minutes (we really mean this). Only those that are a good fit will move onto the next step — called the Step 2 Submission. The Prize team reviews entries on a rolling basis; therefore, individuals will move on at different times throughout the Open Call period. The deadline to submit a Step 1 Submission (i.e. enter the process for this year’s David Prize) is December 21, 2021 at 5 pm EST. All individuals who submit a Step 1 Submission will hear back from The David Prize by January 15, 2022.

Step 2 Submission Individuals invited to complete a Step 2 Submission will receive an email notification. The Step 2 Submission is intended to collect more detailed information about candidates’ ideas and stories. All Step 2 Submissions will be due February 4, 2022. No late submissions will be accepted. Individuals will be notified of their status throughout March 2022.

Diligence This is where we get to know our candidates. Once we’ve reviewed all the Step 2 Submissions, we’ll meet selected folks in person, have conversations, ask for references, check with experts in relevant sectors, and explore intriguing ideas further. Because of volume, we can only do extensive diligence for a smaller group of candidates.

Final Interview After a further narrowing of the field to our David Prize finalists, we’ll ask them to do one more round of meetings with a small group of decision-makers.