Lilly announces call for Leonard Award nominations as part of global initiative celebrating 100 years of insulin

Leonard Award program recognizes innovation and positive achievements in the diabetes community

Lilly to give $100,000 to Life for a Child in recognition of five Award winners

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Jun 24, 2021, 08:00 ET

INDIANAPOLIS, June 24, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- In honor of the 100th anniversary of the discovery of insulin, Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE: LLY) today launched the Leonard Award to recognize diverse champions dedicated to advancing diabetes management through innovative thinking and novel approaches. Nominations are being accepted now until August 31, 2021 at Lilly.com/LeonardAward.

The Leonard Award is inspired by the life of Leonard Thompson, the first person with diabetes to be treated with insulin in 1922, and looks to celebrate ongoing achievements in the diabetes community. The Award is open to eligible participants from the following categories:

Teen/young adult: 18- to 25-year-old living with diabetes or with a strong personal connection to someone impacted by diabetes
Advocate/advocacy professional: Active advocate for people with diabetes, either through personal channels or with an established organization
Endocrinologist/primary care physician: Health care professional specializing in endocrinology or who acts as a primary care physician to people with diabetes
Diabetes educator/nurse: Diabetes educator and/or nurse specializing in the care of people with diabetes
Researcher: Research professional dedicated to research in the field of diabetes care (therapeutics, technology or otherwise)

"The Leonard Award will recognize a variety of strides made in diabetes management, while looking ahead to future, and continued, innovations," said Leonard Glass, M.D., F.A.C.E., vice president of Lilly Diabetes Global Medical Affairs. "Each submission to the Leonard Award will represent the strength and dedication of a broad community, and we are eager to hear from individuals who have made a positive impact through their commitment to people living with diabetes."

Five winners – one from each category – will be selected, and Lilly will give $20,000 in recognition of each winner ($100,000 total) to Life for a Child, a non-profit organization that provides access to care, education, and lifesaving medicines and supplies to children and young people with type 1 diabetes in less-resourced countries.

"We're honored to receive such a donation from Lilly and look forward to learning more about the individuals who are addressing important needs within the diabetes community. This donation supports our shared vision to build a healthier world and continued mission of supporting children and youth with type 1 diabetes," said Graham Ogle, general manager of Life for a Child.

To be considered for the Leonard Award, nominees will be required to submit an original project, innovation, or effort – beyond drug or device therapy – that addresses either an important need or challenge in the management of diabetes or aims to support the community. Winners will be selected by an external judges' panel comprised of esteemed leaders in diabetes care, and Dr. Glass will represent Lilly on that committee. The five Leonard Award winners will be announced in November in advance of World Diabetes Day.

Nominations and submissions for the Leonard Award are being accepted now through August 31, 2021, at 11:59 p.m. ET. To learn more, nominate someone you know, or complete a submission, visit Lilly.com/LeonardAward. The Leonard Award is free to enter. Official eligibility criteria and terms and conditions can be found on the website.

About Diabetes
Approximately 34 million Americans¹ (just over 1 in 10) and an estimated 463 million adults worldwide² have diabetes. Type 2 diabetes is the most common type internationally, accounting for an estimated 90 to 95 percent of all diabetes cases in the United States alone¹. Diabetes is a chronic disease that occurs when the body does not properly produce or use the hormone insulin.

About Lilly Diabetes
Lilly has been a global leader in diabetes care since 1923, when we introduced the world's first commercial insulin. Today we are building upon this heritage by working to meet the diverse needs of people with diabetes and those who care for them. Through research, collaboration and quality manufacturing we strive to make life better for people affected by diabetes and related conditions. We work to deliver breakthrough outcomes through innovative solutions—from medicines and technologies to support programs and more. For the latest updates, visit http://www.lillydiabetes.com/ or follow us on Twitter: @LillyDiabetes and Facebook: LillyDiabetesUS.

About Eli Lilly and Company
Lilly is a global healthcare leader that unites caring with discovery to make life better for people around the world. We were founded more than a century ago by a man committed to creating high-quality medicines that meet real needs, and today we remain true to that mission in all our work. Across the globe, Lilly employees work to discover and bring life-changing medicines to those who need them, improve the understanding and management of disease, and give back to communities through philanthropy and volunteerism. To learn more about Lilly, please visit us at lilly.com and lilly.com/newsroom. P-LLY

Lilly Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements (as that term is defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995) about Lilly's Leonard Award, including its objectives, selection criteria, nomination process, intended donations, and related activities, and reflects Lilly's current beliefs and expectations. There can be no assurance that the Leonard Award will achieve Lilly's objectives or that Lilly will execute its strategy as planned. For further discussion of risks and uncertainties relevant to Lilly's business, see Lilly's Form 10-K and Form 10-Q filings with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission. Except as required by law, Lilly undertakes no duty to update forward-looking statements to reflect events after the date of this release.

International Diabetes Federation. IDF Diabetes Atlas, 9th edn. Brussels, Belgium: 2019. Available at: http://www.diabetesatlas.org.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. National Diabetes Statistics Report, 2017. Available at: https://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/pdfs/data/statistics/national-diabetes-statistics-report.pdf. November 2017.

Refer to:
Becky Polston; [email protected]; 317-796-1028 (Media)
Kevin Hern; [email protected]; 317-277-1838 (Investors)

SOURCE Eli Lilly and Company