The 2026 SAPA-GP Song Li Scholarship Student Competition invites students in grades 7–12 to share their vision of the future of AI in biopharma and healthcare. Presented in recognition of Dr. Song Li, Founder and Chairman of Frontage Laboratories, the competition rewards creativity, business insight, and innovative thinking, and gives finalists the opportunity to present and defend their ideas in person before a panel of leaders from science, technology, and industry.
From Recombinant DNA to AI: What Scientific Revolutions Teach Us About Innovation, Risk, and Responsibility
The competition focuses on one of the most active areas in life science today: the meeting point of artificial intelligence and biomedicine. Students are asked to look back at an earlier scientific revolution, recombinant DNA, and draw lessons for how society should approach the promise and the risks of AI in biopharma and healthcare.
1. Write and submit an essay. Each student works individually and submits an original analytical essay of 1,000–2,000 words, written in English, on the competition theme. Students are expected to make substantial use of one or more AI large language models (LLMs) while researching and writing. The essay must include an appendix that lists every LLM prompt used and provides source links for the key references cited.
2. Finalist selection. The Competition Organizing Committee reviews all submissions and selects up to three finalists in each grade division: grades 7–9 and grades 10–12. Finalists are announced by September 15, 2026.
3. In-person final. On October 16, 2026, finalists present their work at the Science History Institute in downtown Philadelphia: a five-minute presentation followed by up to ten minutes of questions from the judges. Winners are determined by the quality of the essay, the presentation, and the Q&A, and are announced the same day.
The competition is open to students currently enrolled in grades 7 through 12. Each entrant must be sponsored by one of the following: a current SAPA-GP EEO member, a current or former SAPA-GP advisor, a current or former SAPA-GP president, or a past SAPA-GP conference speaker. Students compete as individuals, and every entrant must sign an Academic Integrity and Ethical Conduct Statement.
Essays must be original work created specifically for this competition; work that has been previously published, submitted, or presented elsewhere is not eligible. Parents, teachers, and other adults may offer general guidance only and may not contribute directly to the research, analysis, writing, or preparation of the entry. Submissions that do not comply with the rules may be disqualified.
Awards are judged separately for the grades 7–9 division and the grades 10–12 division. In each division: First place $1,000 · Second place $500 · Third place $300.
September 1, 2026 — Essay submission deadline
September 15, 2026 — Finalists announced
October 16, 2026 — In-person final competition and winner announcement, Science History Institute, Philadelphia
Submit your essay through the online form on this site: Submit your essay. The form asks for the student's name, email, school, grade, sponsor's name and role within SAPA-GP, the nature of the relationship with the sponsor, the essay title, and the essay file (PDF or Word). You can save a draft and return to finish it later.
For sponsorship opportunities, please contact bd@sapa-gp.org. For volunteer opportunities, please contact sapagp@sapa-gp.org.