In October 2015, the World Bank Group and nonprofit  Sexual Violence Research Initiative (SVRI) announced an open call for funding proposals for work aimed at preventing gender-based violence in low- and middle-income countries. The competition provided grants of up to $150,000 USD for innovations to prevent gender-based violence—a severe and neglected problem affecting more than one in three women worldwide and a major development challenge.

This first competition was sponsored by the World Bank Group and by an anonymous donor in honor of victims of gender-based violence around the world, and in memory of Hannah. The competition, Development Marketplace: Innovations to Prevent and Respond to Gender Based Violence (in memory of Hannah Graham), is now held annually, with award winners announced in April immediately before the World Bank Spring meetings.

The first award winners, nine teams from around the world, chosen from more than 300 submissions, were announced in April 2016.

Ten winning teams from a second call for proposals, made in July 2016, were announced in April 2017.

On April 17, 2018, the 2018 award winners were announced at a ceremony held in Washington, D.C. $1.1 million USD was awarded to 11 research teams from around the world. The event, including opening remarks by Jim Yong Kim, President of the World Bank Group, may be viewed on the World Bank website.