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School Competitions And Prizes For Aspiring Medics

Learn about all of the competitions and prizes you can enter at school to boost your Medicine application.

If you’re an aspiring medic at school, you can boost your Medicine application by entering competitions and prizes. Regardless of whether you win or not, you’ll be able to include the experience in your Personal Statement and talk about it at Med School interviews . Here are some Medicine competitions you can enter to be proactive and make your application stand out.

Imperial College London – Science in Medicine School Teams Prize

Imperial College London has three team competitions to choose from:

• The British Heart Foundation Cardiovascular Prize – Submissions should focus on a topic with interactions between the cardiovascular system and the nervous system.
• The Lung Prize – Submissions can focus on any aspect of the prevention or treatment of respiratory disease.
• The Scleroderma and Raynaud’s UK Prize – Submissions should focus on promoting the health and wellbeing of individuals with Scleroderma and/or Raynaud’s.

For each competition, the challenge is to design an ePoster. A team can have up to six members (they recommend assembling a team with varied interests) and schools can enter one team per prize.

The top ten shortlisted teams in each contest will be invited to present their ePosters at an online finals event. In each stream, first, second and third prizes of £3,000, £2,000 and £1,000 will be awarded to schools in order to support science-related activities.

Deadline – midnight on 30th June 2023.

University of Cambridge – Robinson College Essay Prize

The Robinson College Essay Prize is open to Year 12 students in the UK, providing an opportunity to develop and showcase independent study and writing skills. It also allows students to experience the type of work that they might be expected to do at Cambridge.

Entrants submit an essay (no more than 2,000 words) answering a question from various options. Last year, one of the possible titles was ‘Can science tell us how we should live?’. Up to three entries can be submitted per school, so you should discuss your application with your school before entering.

Five prizes are awarded, with each winner receiving book tokens to the value of £50. Winners will also be invited to Robinson College for a prize-giving ceremony.

The 2023 prize will open with more info in June.

Specialist Application Advice

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Medic Mentor – National Essay Competition

Medic Mentor’s National Essay Competition requires students to write an essay (up to 1,500 words) from the perspective of a medical professional.

There are essay titles available for Medicine, Dentistry , Veterinary Medicine and Allied Health .

For 2023, the essay questions are:

• Medicine – Should the patient be viewed as part of the multidisciplinary team?
• Dentistry – How can the holistic approach minimise periodontal disease in patients?
• Veterinary – What is the importance of a holistic approach when caring for livestock?
• Allied Heath – How can the multidisciplinary team optimise the care of the older person in hospital?

Deadline – midday on 1st May 2023.

Minds Underground Medicine Essay Competition

Minds Underground Medicine Essay Competition is aimed at students in Year 12, but younger students are also welcome to enter, and there are various essay title options to choose from. For the 2023 competition, one of the possible titles was ‘Should all healthcare be free? Discuss.’

The competition is designed to give students an opportunity to engage in research, hone their writing and argumentative skills, and prepare for university interviews. Minds Underground also runs essay competitions for other science subjects like Psychology and STEM.

The submission deadline is typically around March/April. Get more info here.

The Libra Essay Prize

The Libra Essay Prize is for students in Years 12 and 13 who are looking to prepare for university. Inspired by the admissions process at All Souls College, Oxford, entrants write an essay (1,500-2,000 words) responding to a single-word title.

For the 2023 prize, the single-word options were: Control, Collaboration, Exchange, Freedom, Claim.

Entrants are encouraged to use imagination in their essays to build interesting links between their chosen title and their school learning. There are prizes available of £50 for first place, £30 for second place and £20 for third place.

The deadline has varied from year-to-year: it was June in 2022 and April in 2023, so keep an eye on their website for more details.

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Year 12 essay competitions for medicine (updated 2022), essay competitions you can enter to make your medicine application stand out..

Why should I enter an essay competition?

One unique way of making your medicine application stand out is by entering various essay competitions that are relevant to science, technology, or healthcare.

By entering (and winning) essay competitions, medical schools will see that:

• You take an interest in medicine and education beyond what you're taught in your curriculum
• You're very proactive and dedicated
• You have excellent time management skills as you can juggle this with other academic commitments
• You're interested in writing and research

You don't need to win the competition for this to look good in your application. The fact that you've gone through all the effort to apply is fantastic in itself. It's something you can write about in your personal statement and bring up in your interviews. It's also something your teachers can write on your UCAS reference too.

It's important to remember there are many other important skills admission tutors andinterviewers will be looking for during your application. Our Medmentor SuperPack is tailor-made to help track your progress and plug any gaps to ensure you're the holistic candidate that every medical school is looking for.

Essay competitions for Year 12 students applying to medicine

Throughout the year, there are different essay competitions open for sixth form students to enter. We've compiled a list of some of the ones that are most relevant for your medicine application. Some of the deadlines are soon, whilst others are in a few months, so be selective and make sure you're giving yourself enough time to write something that is of a high standard.

American Society of Human Genetics Annual DNA Day Essay Contest

https://www.ashg.org/dna-day/ - Deadline: 2nd March 2022

You're expected to write a 750 word essay answering the following questions:

• How do Mendel’s discoveries help us understand Mendelian disorders?
• How does the study of Mendelian disorders help us understand complex diseases?

Please note essays must be submitted by a teacher or administrator however if you are home schooled parent submission is acceptable.

Newnham College University of Cambridge Medicine Essay Prize

https://newn.cam.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Medicine-Information-and-Questions-2022.pdf - Deadline: 11th March 2022 at 12pm

Open to all female students currently in Year 12 at a UK state school. Choose 1 question from:

• How realistic is it to develop a small molecule therapy for Covid-19? Could such a therapy be rolled out in a timeframe that it could have an impact on the current pandemic?
• Sleep deprivation in clinical health settings. Does it matter?
• Looking to the future. Will stem cell therapies be outpaced by machine-brain interfaces for the treatment of retinal disease?

Minds Underground Medicine Competition

https://www.mindsunderground.com/medicine-competition - Deadline: 31st March 2022

Choose 1 question from:

• If you could invent a new drug, what would it be and why?
• What will the impact of an ageing population on the NHS look like?
• "This idea must die: We can't find new antimicrobials fast enough to make a difference." Do you agree?

Minds Underground Psychology Competition

‍ www.mindsunderground.com/psychology-competition - Deadline: 31st March 2022

• What is more important: nature or nurture?
• Psychology Challenge: Design a research study.
• Does consciousness exist – how can we test for it?

Minds Underground Advanced Sciences Competition

www.mindsunderground.com/sciences-competition - Deadline: 31st March 2022

The questions you can choose from cover the different STEM subjects. Therefore, it may be preferable to select the one most closely related to medicine:

• Some people have argued that the discovery of DNA was the greatest scientific discovery of the 20th Century. Do you agree?

The Libra Education Essay Prize

‍ www.libraeducation.co.uk/essay-prize ‍ - Deadline: 24th June 2022

You have a lot more flexibility and autonomy with this competition, where you can choose any essay title inspired by the following words.

The words that are arguably most relevant to medicine, science, and healthcare include 'sustainability', 'memory', and 'senses', though you can definitely make links with any of the words. For example, somebody could choose to write an essay on "Why is sustainability important in healthcare?" or "How has the pandemic impacted healthcare sustainability ?"

For these types of essays, think boldly and be unique if you want your essay to stand out.

Essay competitions for Year 12 students that will open later this year

Various other competitions will open up throughout the year. Keep tabs on these two pages below as their competitions will open up later this year.

• Robinson College Essay Prize (University of Cambridge) - https://www.robinson.cam.ac.uk/prospective-students/essay-prize
• University of Oxford Sixth-form prize in Medicine - https://www.ndorms.ox.ac.uk/research/research-groups/oxford-trauma/university-of-oxford-sixth-form-prize-in-medicine

How important are essay competitions for Year 12 students? 

We would only recommend going out of your way to participate in essay competitions if you're quite comfortable with your academic grade. To write a good essay, you'll need to do extra reading and research in the topic area, and this can take some time. If your time is better spent revising and securing your grades, then please prioritise this. Essays are just another way to help your medicine application stand out, but they are by no means essential.

If you do have the time for it and you're not compromising your other commitments, then you've got nothing to lose - so give it your best shot!

Can I do anything else besides enter an essay competition? 

If you're not quite ready to commit to an essay, you can also consider submitting articles to particular magazines or news outlets. If you're lucky, your piece may feature on their magazine, and this is sure to impress medical schools.

These don't have to be related to medicine or healthcare, it can be about your life as a student and any challenges you're experiencing. Even though it may not directly relate to medicine, it's certainly impressive and will show the medical school that you're not afraid to put yourself out there. For example:

• Consider writing for the Llama magazine: https://www.llamamag.com/about-the-llama/
• Push yourself further and submit a pitch to the Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/education/mortarboard/2013/sep/23/blogging-students-how-to-pitch-and-blog

Discover more golden opportunities to help you stand out in our Blog , Navigator and/or Superhub.

Recommended articles: How to Become a COVID-19 Vaccinator , Summer School Opportunities for Medical School Applications & Online Courses for Medical School Applicants

Prepare for Success with the SuperPack

Entries Open: Medical Student Essay Prize

Attention all UK Medical Students!

We are thrilled to announce that entries are now open for the BSPRM Medical Student's Essay Prize.

The winner of the prize will receive £250 and will also have a prestigious platform to showcase their innovative ideas in the medical field.

To read the award criteria and to submit your entry, please click HERE.

Entries will close on 2 September 2024

Best of Luck!

Prizes for students

The RSM has numerous prizes and awards aimed at students. By submitting an application, you will have the chance to present at a meeting, add to your CV and open up more career opportunities.

Please note this page is updated regularly.

All submissions must be sent in by 11.59pm on the stated deadline date.

Generally prizes, awards or travel grants must be claimed before the end of the academic year in which they are gained (30 September).

For more information or help please contact [email protected]

Patient Safety

Patient Safety Section: Oral and poster presentation

Deadline: Thursday 19 September 2024 at 23:59

Open to: All students and doctors below consultant level

Prize: A year's free RSM membership or £50 Apply here

Plastic Surgery

Plastic Surgery Section: UPRAS Prize

Deadline : Sunday 20 October 2024 

Open to : Students and trainees 

Respiratory Medicine

Student Award

Submission deadline: Monday 3 February 2025

Open to: All current UK medical students and FY1 doctors who completed the research whilst at medical school.

Prize:  £100 and free attendance to the RSM Respiratory Careers Day on Monday 12 May 2025

Surgery section: MIA Prize

Deadline : Sunday 22 September 2024

Open to : Surgical trainees, pre-doctoral surgical researchers and students. 

Surgery Section: Adrian Tanner Prize

Deadline : Sunday 22 September 2024  

Open to : All surgical trainees and foundation doctors (Medical students should apply for the John Dawson prize)

Surgery Section: John Dawson Medical Student Prize

Deadline : Sunday 22 September 2024 

Open to : Medical students (Qualified doctors should apply for the Adrian Tanner Prize)

Welsh Surgical Society (WSS) Prizes 

Ivor Lewis Prize

Prize : £250

Open to : Registrars (or SAS equivalents) and Clinical Research Fellows

Richard Johnson Prize

Open to : Core trainees(or SAS equivalents), foundation doctors and medical students

For more information on the WSS prizes, submission guidelines, and how to prepare for the abstract click here .

To apply for the Welsh Surgical Society prizes, download the template then email your submission to [email protected] . Make sure to include which prize you are submitting for ( Ivor Lewis or Richard Johnson ). 

"It’s a great privilege for our team to have been recognised by this prestigious award from the RSM Surgery Section and reflects the dedicated work behind this exciting innovation."

See more from prizes and awards  or hear from  previous prize winners.

MWF Katherine Branson Essay Prize 2024 - Now Open

Katherine Branson Essay Prize 2024

Open to: All Medical Students

Prize: £100

Submission Deadline: Sunday 17th March 2024 

We are delighted to announce that the annual Katherine Branson Essay Competition is now open! Undergraduate medical students are invited to submit a 600 - 800 word essay on the following question:

The Medical Women’s Federation sees barriers for women doctors and for good health - which should we fight about?

The winner will win £100

Please Note:  Competition entry for MWF members is free of charge and non-members will be charged £5 to enter at the point of submission. Submissions that do not follow the entry requirements will not be accepted and the entry fee is non-refundable.

Kindly Note : All entries should be anonymized and include your essay title

Closing date for all entries is strictly: Sunday 17th March 2024 at Midnight .

You don't have to be a member of MWF to enter this prize but for just £5 a year, you might as well become a student member!  Join here .

Upon completion of the form below, essay entries should be submitted to: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

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