The American Heart Association has announced its second annual Periodic Table of Food Initiative (PTFI) data visualization challenge, themed “Future Food + Nutrition Facts,” inviting interdisciplinary teams to reimagine how nutrition information is presented using advanced molecular data. The challenge is open until January 30, 2026, and offers $40,000 in cash prizes, including $20,000 for the top entry.
The PTFI, managed by the American Heart Association and the Alliance of Biodiversity and the Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT), is one of the most advanced open-access food composition databases. It includes molecular profiles of thousands of foods worldwide, detailing ingredients, nutritional content, and growing conditions. This year’s challenge aims to translate this complex biomolecular and environmental information into actionable insights for a wide range of audiences, from consumers to policymakers.
“This is a translational competition meant to rethink what we know about food, how we share that data in compelling ways and how it informs action,” said Selena Ahmed, Ph.D., global director of The Periodic Table of Food Initiative and dean of Food EDU at the American Heart Association. The challenge encourages collaboration between scientists, designers, farmers, nutritionists, and other food system stakeholders.
John de la Parra, Ph.D., director of Food Initiatives at The Rockefeller Foundation, which funds the challenge, noted that for the first time, researchers can detect the full richness of chemistry in the world's food biodiversity. “But how do we communicate that? How do we make it mean something, have impact and ultimately improve human and planetary health? That is what this challenge seeks to address,” he said.
The competition includes two tracks: a general design category and a specialized research category for scientists and researchers submitting technical summaries. Winning designs will be showcased at an upcoming PTFI Science Symposium in 2026 and across digital platforms. Entries will be evaluated on creativity, scientific accuracy, accessibility, and real-world relevance.
Participants can register for a webinar detailing the challenge at this link. The challenge builds on previous research, including a scientific statement from the American Heart Association on food is medicine interventions, published in Circulation (see https://doi.org/10.1161/cir.0000000000001343).
The initiative is supported by The Rockefeller Foundation and its public charity, RF Catalytic Capital, Inc., along with other funders. For more information about the PTFI, visit foodperiodictable.org.
