The Glpverdict GLP-1 Access & Health Equity Scholarship

• $2,000

  Award

  Single recipient annually

• Oct 1 - Apr 30

  Open window

  Each academic year

• US undergrad + grad

  Eligible

  Pre-health, public health, nursing, pharmacy

• Published

  Past winners

  Names + schools listed below

Eligibility

• Currently enrolled in a US-accredited undergraduate or graduate program at the time of application.
• Pursuing a degree in: pre-health (any pre-med, pre-nursing, pre-PA, pre-pharmacy track), public health (BPH, MPH, DrPH), nursing (BSN, MSN, DNP), pharmacy (PharmD), or health policy.
• US citizen, permanent resident, or eligible international student attending a US institution.
• Minimum 3.0 cumulative GPA at the time of application.
• Have not previously won this scholarship.

The essay prompt

GLP-1 medications (semaglutide, tirzepatide, orforglipron) cost between $1,000 and $1,700 per month at retail in 2026. Coverage varies sharply by insurance type, employer size, state Medicaid policy, and FDA-approved indication. Access to these medications increasingly correlates with insurance status, income, geography, and time spent navigating prior authorization.

In 500 words, address ONE of the following:

1. One specific structural reform (regulatory, legislative, or insurance-design) that would meaningfully expand equitable GLP-1 access in your state or nationally.
2. One under-discussed equity dimension of GLP-1 access (racial disparities, rural access, workplace insurance type, age cohort, etc.) and what the evidence currently shows.
3. A policy critique of the current Medicare Part D exclusion of weight-loss drugs (or the analogous coverage gaps in your country/state if relevant).

Cite at least 3 primary sources (FDA labels, peer-reviewed studies, CMS documents, state-level data). AI-assisted essays are disqualified — see the rules below for what we consider AI-generated.

Judging criteria

• 35%

  Originality of insight

  Does the essay surface an angle on GLP-1 access we haven't covered before? Anecdotal, qualitative, or data-driven insights are all welcome — what we reward is the framing that we didn't think of.

• 25%

  Evidence grounding

  Claims cite primary sources (FDA labels, peer-reviewed studies, government data, CMS documents). We are explicit: ChatGPT/Claude/AI-generated essays without verifiable citations are disqualified. Human work + named sources only.

• 20%

  Equity lens

  Does the essay engage with how GLP-1 access differs by income, insurance type, race, geography, or other axes of inequity? We are not looking for one specific lens — but the absence of any equity consideration is a major deduction.

• 20%

  Clarity and structure

  Plain English, well-paragraphed, 8th-9th grade reading level. The essay must be readable by a non-clinical reader.

Timeline

1. October 1: Applications open
2. April 30 (11:59 PM PT): Applications close
3. May 1 - May 31: Judging period
4. First week of June: Winner notified by email
5. Second week of June: Winner publicly announced on this page + press release
6. Second week of June: Scholarship funds disbursed via check or bank transfer

How to apply

1. Write your 500-word essay (PDF or Word, double-spaced).
2. Include a 100-word author bio with your school, program, expected graduation year, and one sentence on why this topic matters to you.
3. Attach an unofficial transcript (PDF) showing your current enrollment and GPA.
4. Email all three documents to [email protected] with subject line “GLP-1 Scholarship 2026-2027 — [Your Last Name]”.
5. Confirmation auto-reply within 24 hours. Status updates by April 30. Winner notified first week of June.

Rules & fine print