Congratulations to the 2026 International Freezer Challenge Winners!

The International Freezer Challenge, organized by My Green Lab in cooperation with I2SL, encourages researchers and laboratories to adopt smarter, more sustainable cold storage practices to reduce energy consumption, and operational costs. Over 4,000 labs from 268 organizations across 42 countries participated this year. These labs took over 129,000 actions  to save 29.7 million kilowatt hours (kWh) of electricity and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 19,943 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent!

The Freezer Challenge provides resources to help labs optimize cold storage practices such as preventative maintenance, temperature optimization, equipment upgrades, and better cold storage management practices. Following is a list of this year’s winners, who were recognized during a virtual ceremony on October 8.

Biotech/Pharmaceutical Sector Winners

• Top Organization Award: Amgen

• Winning Streak Award: AstraZeneca

• Large Lab Award​: RTP, IQVIA Laboratories

• Medium Lab Award: Madison Sample Management, Labcorp

• Medium Lab Winning Streak Award: Shanghai/Specimen Management, Labcorp

• Small Lab Award: CAM – Research – BDD Lab – 6A-4, Biogen

• Small Lab Winning Streak Award: Regional HBS Centre Gothenburg Lab, AstraZeneca

• Biorepository Award: Biorepository US, Labcorp

Academic Sector Winners

• Top Organization Award: The Institute of Cancer Research (United Kingdom)

• Large Lab Award​: Retrovirus Lab, John Hopkins University

• Medium Lab Award: Social, Genetic and Development Psychiatry (SGDP), King’s College London

• Small Lab Award: Rule’s Lab, John Hopkins University

• Small Lab Winning Streak Award: Subramaniam Lab, University of Alabama

• Biorepository Award: Biobanc HUB-ICO-IDIBELL, Institut d’Investigació Biomèdica de Bellvitge (IDIBELL) (Spain)

Hospital/Clinical/Other Winners

• Top Organization Award: Siemens Healthineers

• Winning Streak Award: Boston Children’s Hospital

• Large Lab Award​: Blackrock Health, Galway Clinic (Ireland)

• Medium Lab Award: CSP Lab, University Health Network (Canada)

• Small Lab Award: Puder Lab, Boston Children’s Hospital

• Small Lab Winning Streak Award: CRB/CIC1403 Lab, CHU de Lille (France)

• Biorepository Award: Biopathology Center, Nationwide Children’s Abigail Wexner Research Institute

Government Sector Winners

• Top Organization Award:​ Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (Panama)

• Winning Streak Award: Cefas (United Kingdom)

• Large Lab Award​: Medicines Discovery Catapult (United Kingdom)

• Medium Lab Award: EURL, IVD 1, Paul-Ehrlich-Institut (Germany)

• Small Lab Award: MFF Weymouth, Cefas (United Kingdom)

• Biorepository Award: Biobank, Medical Research Council Unit, The Gambia at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (Gambia)