“Speedrunning for a Cause: Games Done Quick Surpasses $2.5 Million in Support of Prevent Cancer Foundation”

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Kyra Meister
703-836-1746
kyra.meister@preventcancer.org

Alexandria, Va. – Once again, the gaming community has achieved something impressive. Awesome Games Done Quick (AGDQ), an annual livestreamed video game marathon organized by Games Done Quick (GDQ), has collected over $2.5 million for the Prevent Cancer Foundation.

Top gamers from across the globe assembled in Pittsburgh to compete in speedrunning—playing their preferred games as quickly as possible. Alongside nearly 2,000 participants attending in person from the Steel City, tens of thousands observed via the official GDQ Twitch channel from throughout the U.S. and globally, witnessing the “best of the best” tackle their favorite games. All games were performed live starting January 5, continuing until the early hours of Sunday morning, January 12.

The amount exceeding $2.5 million raised consisted mostly of smaller, individual contributions, which collectively made a significant difference. The gaming community demonstrated their support for cancer prevention and early detection initiatives by tuning in for a total of 9,422,155 hours and donating to the Prevent Cancer Foundation, contributing more than 40,000 individual donations throughout the week.

This was the second physical AGDQ gathering since prior to the pandemic, with this year’s highlights featuring a week-long “wellness quest” organized by the Foundation. During the week, participants undertook various wellness challenges—including the ever-popular planking challenge—advocating for healthy habits and lifestyle choices, culminating in a prize drawing for a plushie of the Foundation’s mascot, Earl E. Bird.

In its 14 years of collaboration with the Prevent Cancer Foundation^®, the speedrunning community has amassed $25 million for the Foundation. Funds from AGDQ have facilitated the financing of new research, innovative technologies, cancer prevention and early detection education and outreach, and community grants—both domestically and internationally. In 2024, the Foundation announced support for nine research initiatives, four of which were made possible due to AGDQ. The Foundation will reveal its 2025 research grants at the end of this month, with five grants anticipated to be funded by AGDQ.

“Awesome Games Done Quick has established itself as a significant force in the advancement of cancer prevention and early detection,” remarked Jody Hoyos, CEO of the Prevent Cancer Foundation. “They are the ones providing the resources necessary for research, outreach, and education, allowing us to stay ahead of cancer, and we are motivated every day by their vision and generosity.”

To discover more about the impact of AGDQ on the Prevent Cancer Foundation, visit preventcancer.org/agdq.

Special thanks to the 2025 AGDQ sponsors:

Platinum:

Gold:

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About the Prevent Cancer Foundation^® 

The Prevent Cancer Foundation^® is the only nonprofit organization based in the U.S. solely focused on cancer prevention and early detection. Through research, education, outreach, and advocacy, we have assisted numerous individuals in avoiding a cancer diagnosis or detecting their cancer early enough for successful treatment. We are driven by a vision of a world where cancer is preventable, detectable, and surmountable for everyone.

The Foundation is poised to tackle the challenge of reducing cancer fatalities by 40% by 2035. To accomplish this, we are dedicated to allocating $20 million for innovative technologies to detect cancer in its early stages and advance multi-cancer screening, $10 million to broaden cancer screening and vaccination availability to medically underserved populations, and $10 million to inform the public about screening and vaccination options.

For additional information, please visit www.preventcancer.org.