Prizes for Students | The Royal Society of Medicine

Prize submissions information

Anaesthesia Section: Student Essay Prize

Prize

First prize: £500
Second prize: £250

Submission deadline

Sunday 17 May 2020

Open to

Medical students at recognised teaching institutions in the UK.

Application guidelines

Submit an essay describing original research, audit or a case report that you have played an important part in. The paper must be anonymous; it should not include headings, acknowledgements, names or institutions.

Shortlisted finalists/candidates will be required to present their paper at the Student and trainee prize meeting and annual dinner on Friday 10 July 2020.

Apply here

BMDST-RSM Student Elective Awards

Prize

A grant of £500-£1,000 to undertake a specific project on a medical or dental elective.

Submission deadline

Application deadlines are twice annually on 31 January and 31 July. Confirmation on if you have been successful will be announced no more than 10 weeks after the deadline date. Your elective must take place AFTER the deadline date. We cannot offer grants to electives which are taking place before the deadline date.

Open to

Medical and dental students in the UK and other EU medical and dental schools.

Application guidelines

Submit a 700-word proposal on your medical elective that includes the following information:

The type of work involved (the scope is wide and includes any type of research)
Its purpose (aims)
The approach you intend to take to collecting information or data and to the analysis (methodology)
The projected outcomes or potential impact of the research
How this experience will help your career development

You will also need to attach the following documentation to your application:

Letter/email from your medical or dental school confirming that they support your elective
Confirmation letter/email from your host institution if applicable
Recommendation letter/email from your tutor/supervisor
Confirmation that full consideration has been given to the ethics of the proposal
Confirmation that full consideration has been given to health and safety of the student

https://www5.shocklogic.com/scripts/jmevent/Abstract.asp?Client_Id='RSM'&Project_Id='BMDST201'&System_Id=1

Cardiothoracic Section: Case Presentation Prize

Prize

Oral presentation: One year’s free RSM membership and a bottle of champagne
Poster presentation: One year’s free RSM membership and a bottle of wine

Submission deadline

Sunday 15 September 2019

Open to

All pre-clinical and clinical cardiothoracic students and trainees.

Application guidelines

Submit a 250-word abstract on a case presentation. The abstract can include figures, diagrams and scans. Shortlisted candidates will be invited to present their paper at a Cardiothoracic meeting.

Apply here

Clinical Forensic & Legal Medicine Section: Undergraduate Prize

Prize

First prize: £250

Submission deadline

To be announced

Open to

Undergraduate students in law or medicine.

Application guidelines

Submit a poster presentation; the entry should be anonymous – your name or your institution should not be mentioned. The poster design should be submitted in PowerPoint or PDF format and under 2MB in size.

Shortlisted candidates will be required to print their presentation in A1 to present at a Clinical Forensic & Legal Medicine meeting.

Submission closed

Clinical Immunology & Allergy Section: President's Prize 

Prize

First prize: £300 
Second prize: £100
Third prize: £100

Submission deadline 

To be announced

Open to

Medical students, young scientists and trainee doctors (not above specialist registrar, Grade B clinical scientist or equivalent grade) who have an immunological or allergy component in their clinical research.

Application guidelines 

Submit a 250-word abstract on original work with an immunology and allergy element, along with a supporting letter from a supervisor. Shortlisted candidates will be invited to present their abstracts at a Clinical Immunology & Allergy meeting.

Submission closed

Clinical Immunology & Allergy Section: Urticaria Poster Prize

Prize

First prize: £100
Second prize: £50

Submission deadline

To be announced

Open to

Medical students and trainees.

Application guidelines

Submit a 250-word abstract on a literature review or case study on urticaria. The abstracts should be clearly structured and should include the title of the poster; the presenting author's name, any other authors and their professional role and affiliation.

Shortlisted candidates will be required to print their presentation in A1 to present at a Clinical Immunology & Allergy meeting.

Submission closed

Clinical Neurosciences: Gordon Holmes prize

Prize

First place: £300

Submission deadline

Sunday 12 January 2020

Open to 

Students and trainees in neurosciences, including neurology, neurosurgery, neurophysiology, neuropathology or neuroradiology.

Application guidelines

Applicants are invited to submit no more than 500 word summaries of research which they have carried out. Those considered to be the best will be asked to give a 10 minute presentation (including 3 minutes discussion) at a meeting of the Section. Factors which will be taken into account in the assessment of the research will include the originality, the degree to which the research was carried by the presenter, the difficulty of the work and the extent to which it throws new light and understanding on any aspect of the aetiology, epidemiology, pathogenesis, diagnosis, investigation, treatment or management of patients, and the importance and relevance in clinical practice, as well as the clarity of presentation.

Apply here

Clinical Immunology & Allergy Section: Professor Jonathan Brostoff Award 

Prize 

£750 to be used towards research or training in clinical immunology and allergy, and a year's free RSM membership

Submission deadline 

To be announced

Open to 

Medical students, trainees (up to ST3) and young scientists.

Application guidelines 

Submit a 750-word essay that highlights development and progression on any of the following topics: gut allergy, microbiotica, or food intolerance. 

Shortlisted candidates will be invited to present their essay at a Clinical Immunology & Allergy meeting.

Submission closed

Critical Care Medicine Section: Student Elective Prize 

Prize 

Up to £1,000 and a year’s free RSM membership

Submission deadline 

To be announced 

Open to 

UK medical students undertaking an elective or overseas observership as a recognised course component of their final year MBBS/MBPhD studies during the 2018-2019 academic year.

Application guidelines 

Submit a 500-word statement outlining the purpose of the elective or observership and its relevance to critical care medicine. In addition, please provide:

A letter of support from your current institution or a local placement
A summary of where and when the placement will be taken
Full details of any other scholarship awards, bursaries and financial support procured for the purpose of the placement

The winner will be required to give a 15-minute presentation at a Critical Care Medicine meeting.

Submission closed

Digital Health Section: Prize for Innovation 

Prize 

First prize: £500 and a year’s free RSM membership

Submission deadline 

Monday 8 July 2019 

Open to 

All RSM members and non-members.

Application guidelines 

Submit a 500-word paper on a digital innovation project that is applying a digital voice to improve healthcare or social care. The project should be currently underway or been completed in the past 12 months. Concept papers for projects that have not been started will not be accepted.

The top three submissions will be invited to present their paper at a Digital Health meeting, where the winner will be selected.

Apply here

Emergency Medicine Section: Research and Innovation Prize 

Prize 

A single prize of £500 will be awarded to the best application.

Submission deadline 

Friday 6 December 2019

Open to

Anyone carrying out original research or innovation in the field of Emergency Medicine

Application guidelines

Applications are invited to submit for a new Emergency Medicine Section Research or Innovation Prize. This is open to anyone carrying out original research or innovation in the field of emergency medicine. This could include equipment, software or management projects relevant to emergency medicine.

Applications should consist of a summary of the project, its relevance to emergency medicine and what the prize money would be spent on (max 800 words).

The winning applicant will be invited to present their work at a future meeting of the Emergency Medicine Section once the project is completed.

Apply here

Emergency Medicine Section: Essay Prize

Prize

First prize: £500 and a year’s free RSM membership 
Second prize: £500 and a year’s free RSM membership

Submission deadline 

To be announced

Open to 

All medical practitioners below consultant grade.

Application guidelines 

Submit a 1,500-word essay on an original piece of research work in emergency medicine. The essay should summarise your research, and include information about its evidence data, the quality of the research and its relevance to emergency medicine and clinical practice.

The winning applicant will be invited to present their work at an Emergency Medicine meeting.

Apply here

Emergency Medicine section: Innovation in ED education

Prize

£100 will be awarded to the best three applications.

Submission deadline

Friday 6 December 2019

Open to

Undergraduate students studying at a UK university or who are taking a postgraduate degree such as an MSc in public health or similar and are travelling abroad on an elective module related to public health or epidemiology.

Application guidelines

Submissions should be no longer than 300 words.
The project should have been led or a substantial contribution to the project made by the entrant.

Students, nurses and doctors all grades working in Emergency Departments

Describe the project, its implementation, and your role in that implementation.
What were the barriers to implementation and how were these overcome?
What impact has your project/initiative had on the department?

For more information, contact: emergency@rsm.ac.uk

Apply here

Emergency Medicine Section: Students’ Prize

Prize

£1 x £500 and one year's free RSM membership

Submission deadline

Friday 6 December 2019

Open to

Anyone carrying out original research or innovation in the field of Emergency Medicine

Application guidelines

The winning applicant will be invited to present their work at a future meeting of the Emergency Medicine Section once the project is completed.

Apply here

Gastroenterology & Hepatology Section Prize

Prize

First prize: £100 and a year’s free RSM membership
Second prize: £50 and a year’s free RSM membership

Submission deadline

To be announced

Open to

Medical students and trainees.

Application guidelines

Submit a 250-word abstract describing the nature and purpose of your poster presentation. The abstract should be clearly structured and describe original research, case studies only. Please include the title of the poster, the names of presenting and other authors and their professional role and affiliation.

Shortlisted applicants will be given a free place to the meeting. Posters should be printed on A1 size for presentation.

Submission closed

General Practice with Primary Healthcare Section: John Fry Prize

Prize

First prize: £300

Submission deadline

To be announced

Open to

GP registrars, postgraduate students based in primary care, medical students and other undergraduates from professional groups involved in primary care and patients with experiences from primary care.

Application guidelines

Submit an essay of up to 3,000 words on one of the following topics:

An account of an audit or research project carried out in primary care
A reflective account of a health consultation in your primary care practice
A reflective account of an example of a team working in primary care

The winner will be required to present their essay at the GP Update meeting on 11 September 2019.

Submission closed

General Practice with Primary Healthcare Section: Medical Student and Trainee Poster Prize

Prize

First prize: £100
Second prize: £50

Submission deadline

Monday 1 July 2019

Open to

Medical students and trainees.

Application guidelines

Submit a 250-word abstract describing the nature and purpose of your poster presentation, which should be relevant to a topic to be discussed at the 39th Primary Care Update. The abstract should be clearly structured and describe original research, a literature review or case studies.

Please include the title of the poster, the names of presenting and other authors and their professional role and affiliation.

Shortlisted applicants will be given a free place to the meeting. Posters should be printed on A1 size for presentation.

Apply here

Geriatrics & Gerontology Section: A.C. Comfort Essay Prize

Prize 

First prize: £300

Submission deadline

To be announced

Open to

Medical students (pre-clinical and clinical) and medical graduates within five years since qualification. 

Application guidelines

Submit a 5,000-word essay on any aspect of ageing.

The winner will be required to present their essay at a geriatrics and gerontology meeting.

Submission closed

History of Medicine Society: Norah Schuster Essay Prize

Prize

£100 Amazon voucher and a year's membership of the RSM

Submission deadline 

Monday 14 October

Open to 

Pre-clinical, clinical medical and dental students. Please note that you must be a medical or dental undergraduate to be eligible to submit for this prize

Application guidelines 

This prize will be awarded for the best essay or essays submitted on any subject related to the history of medicine, including medical science.

Essays should be between 3,000 - 5,000 words and the standard should be comparable to a third year dissertation. Personal details such as name and institution should NOT be included in the abstract or PDF essay.

A 500-word summary should also be submitted along with the full essay. This should not merely be an abstract; it should outline not only the topic under discussion, the aims and principal conclusions of your research, but also the sources you have consulted. Preliminary short-listing of the essays will be performed on the basis of these summaries.

Apply here

Hypnosis & Psychosomatic Medicine Section: Elliotson Prize 

Prize 

First prize: £200 and an RSM certificate 
Second prize: £100 and an RSM certificate 
Third prize: £50 and an RSM certificate

Submission deadline 

Sunday 29 March 2020

Open to

Trainees in hypnosis (those who are undertaking a training course, and those who are within one year of completing their course)

Clinical trainees in medicine, dentistry nursing or psychological fields
Students enrolled in related graduate academic courses
Those qualified in medicine, dentistry nursing or those in psychological fields

Shortlisted applicants must be available to attend the prize meeting and to present their submission on Monday 27 April 2020.

Application guidelines

Entrants are invited to submit a case study or an essay of no more than 1000 - 1500 words in response to the following question: “Discuss the rationale for the use of the term hypnosis or hypnotherapy.”

Apply here

Nephrology Section: David Oliveira Medical Student Award

Prize

First prize: £200

Submission deadline

Sunday 13 October 2019

Open to

Any students in nephrology and wider specialties.

Application guidelines

The section invites medical students to submit clinical abstracts in the area of clinical research, case series or individual case histories. Clinical cases or pedigrees should demonstrate novel clinical findings, illustrate classic conditions in new or unusual ways, and illuminate or expand knowledge concerning physiology, cell biology, genetics, radiology, or molecular mechanisms. Abstracts should be no more than 300 words.

Submissions will be shortlisted for oral presentation at a Section meeting. The prize of £200 will be awarded to the best 15 minute presentation, with an additional five minutes of discussion at the presentation meeting

Apply here

Obstetrics & Gynaecology Section: Dame Josephine Barnes Award

Prize

First prize: £100

Submission deadline

To be announced

Open to

All medical undergraduate students.

Application guidelines

Submit a 1,000-word essay on the following title: How will artificial intelligence be used in the routine clinical practice of obstetricians and gynaecologist in 10 years’ time?

References included in the essay should be in Vancouver style.

The winner will be required to present their essay at an Obstetrics & Gynaecology meeting. Please include your essay under the abstract section on the submission form. 

Submission closed

Odontology Section: Colyer Prize

Submission deadline:
Sunday, 2 December 2019

Prize:
£200

Open to:
Undergraduate and post graduate Students, and Trainees who have gained their qualification within the last 12 years (as at the date of presentation - September)

Application guidelines
This is awarded every three years. Candidates are invited to submit a clinical or research abstract of no more than 250 words on original work in dental science completed in a UK institution during the preceding five years.

Shortlisted applicants will be invited to present their poster at a future Odontology Section meeting.

Submit

Open Section: Are guidelines the answer to good medical practice?

Submission deadline: To be announced

Posters should ideally focus on the theme of the day: Primary care ethics. They may also deal with any issues within the field of primary care ethics. They may focus on clinical practice, on teaching and personal development, or on research (empirical or philosophical) within this field. Posters focusing on the main theme of the day are also particularly welcome and these need not necessarily be restricted to primary healthcare though they should have implications that transcend professional boundaries.

Poster abstracts should be no more than 500 words and should include the title of the poster, the names of presenting and other authors, and their professional role and affiliation. They do not have to follow the traditional format of introduction, method, results, conclusions, but should make clear the issue or issues which will be considered, the approach to be taken, and the conclusions drawn from its study.

The best poster presenter will be invited to give a short oral presentation

Posters should be A0 in size, portrait in orientation and should be printed. Poster presenters must be available on the day and are asked to ensure that their posters are in place as early as possible - no later than 12.30pm.

Submission closed

Ophthalmology Section: Students and Trainees Prize

Prize

First prize poster: £150
First prize paper: £150

In addition, the overall winner will receive the Dermot Pierse prize of one year’s subscription to the British Journal of Ophthalmology. 

Submission deadline

To be announced

Open to

Medical students and trainee doctors.

Application guidelines

Submit a 300-word abstract on research work or a case report in ophthalmology.

Shortlisted candidates will have the opportunity to present their work at an Ophthalmology meeting from which judges will select eight oral finalists and 24 poster finalists.

Submission closed

Orthopaedics Section: President’s Prize

Prize

First prize: £600
Second prize: £400
Third prize: £200

Submission deadline

Sunday 20 October 2019

Open to

Medical students and trainees.

Application guidelines

Submit a 300-word abstract describing original (not previously published) work exploring clinical case studies and case reports.

Shortlisted candidates will be invited to present their work at an Orthopaedics meeting and attend the dinner following the event.

Apply here

Paediatrics & Child Health Section: President’s Prize

Prize

First prize: £250

Submission deadline

Sunday 12 January 2020

Open to

Students and paediatrics trainees.

Application guidelines

Submit a 750-word case summary related to the topic: "Paediatric emergency medicine".

Four case reports will be shortlisted to present their work at a Paediatrics & Child Health meeting, from which the winner will be selected.

Apply here

Palliative Care Section: Research Prize

We would like to invite submissions of abstracts for poster and/or oral presentations to showcase current research in palliative care (no more than 300 words)

Prize: 3 prizes for oral presentations and a poster prize.

• 1st prize £250 plus a year's free membership
• 2nd prize £100
• 3rd prize £50
• Poster prize £50

Open to: All students either currently studying, or within eighteen months of completion of, an MSc or MA in palliative medicine or an allied discipline. Healthcare students and healthcare professionals with research up to Masters level, quality improvement or audit in the field of palliative medicine.

Submission deadline: 30 September 2019

Apply here

Palliative Care Section: Call for abstracts: Future directions of hospice care: IPU or ITU?

Submission deadline

Monday 15 July 2019

Meeting date

Monday 14 October 2019

Application guidelines

Abstracts of no more than 250 words for oral and/or poster presentation are welcomed on research in palliative and end of life care. The submission must be anonymous; it should not include headings, acknowledgements, names or institutions.

Whilst abstracts relevant to the meeting topic are more likely to be chosen for oral presentation, we welcome submissions on any subject in palliative and end of life care.

Apply here

Patient Safety Section: Dragons den

Prize:

Oral presentation: 1 year's free RSM membership
Poster presentation: £50

Submission deadline:

Saturday 5 October 2019

Open to: Students and trainees

Trainees and students are invited to submit an abstract of no more than 250 words. We welcome abstracts based on audits, quality improvement projects or prototypes of new devices or software that may be useful in patient safety. Each submission should define a problem in the hospital or community setting related to patient safety and describe how a solution clearly addresses this problem.

Abstracts that rate highly on originality, clarity, show significant improvement in patient safety and impact at a national or international level will have a higher likelihood of selection for oral presentations.

Shortlisted submissions will be invited for oral and/or poster presentation. The presentations must be given by the submitting candidate. Please ensure before submitting your abstract that you will be free to present at the Patient Safety Section meeting in November.

Submit

Plastic Surgery Section: UPRAS Prize

Prize
RSM certificate

Submission deadline
Sunday 6 October 2019

Meeting date
Saturday 30 November 2019

Open to
Medical students and trainees.

Application guidelines
Applicants are invited to submit an abstract up to 250 words on all plastic surgery related topics. When submitting an abstract, please state whether you would like to be considered for a poster or oral presentation. Please note only one presenter can present for each oral presentation.

Apply here

Psychiatry Section: Students and trainees award

Prize

First prize: A year's membership to the RSM and a cash prize for outstanding contributions.

Submission deadline
Sunday 12 July 2020

Open to
Medical students, foundation and specialist trainees.

Application guidelines

Show your potential as an outstanding psychiatrist for the future.
Submissions should consist of an abstract of no more than 300 words and an essay of no more than 3000 words of an anonymised case history or series, a research report, an essay or elective report; reflecting your experience and interests in psychiatry. Submissions should be accompanied with a summary CV and a covering letter. Your career stage will be taken into consideration when judging.

Submit

Sexuality & Sexual Health Section: Medical Student and Trainees’ Essay Prize

Prize

First prize: £250 and a year’s free RSM membership
Second prize: a year’s free RSM membership

Submission deadline

To be announced

Open to

Medical students and trainee doctors within the field of sexual health and associated specialisms within GU/SRH.

Application guidelines

Submit a 2,000-word essay on any research objective of your choice that relates to the following topic: Critically analyse the challenges faced working in abortion services today.

Shortlisted candidates will be invited to present their essay at a Sexuality & Sexual Health meeting.

Submission closed

Sleep Medicine Section: Student Essay Prize

Prizes:

First prize: 300
Second prize: £200
Third prize: £100

Submission deadline:

Sunday 27 October 2019

Meeting date:

4 February 2020

Open to:

Pre-clinical, clinical medical and dental undergraduate students

The title of the essay this year is 'Perils and pitfalls of sleep apps'

The aim of this prize is to promote discussion and understanding of sleep medicine and its relevance to current medical practice.

The three highest-scoring essays will be shortlisted for 1st, 2nd and 3rd prize respectively. The entrant awarded the 1st prize will be invited to deliver a presentation on the topic of their essay at a Sleep Section meeting at the Royal Society of Medicine.

Essays should be no longer than 1000 words. The word count does not include the reference list
References should be formatted in Harvard style. There is no limit for the number of references used
There should be no more than 1 figure and 1 table
The name of the author should not be included in the essay
The essay should be entirely your own original work, and should not have been previously published

Submit

Sport & Exercise Medicine Section: Helal and Harries Prize

Prize

RSM certificate

Submission deadline

To be announced

Open to

Students and trainees, allied health professionals and intercalated students.

Application guidelines

Submit a 250-word abstract describing your work on a subject relevant to sport and exercise medicine. The abstract should describe the background to the work, methods, results and conclusions, and be accompanied by a supporting letter from a consultant or supervisor. The work must not have been previously published.

Shortlisted candidates will be required to give a poster presentation at a Sport & Exercise meeting.

Submission closed

Students Section: Sidney Linton Prize

Prize

First prize: £250
Second prize: A year's free RSM membership

Submission deadline

To be announced

Open to

Medical and other healthcare students.

Application guidelines

The Sidney Linton Prize is an opportunity for students to explore novel ways to teach cardiology through peer-produced resources. For this prize we ask participants to take a pre-determined theme and identify different ways to convey the information in the form of an e-resource for a medical student audience.

Possible submission styles include (but are not limited to): Poster (A3), A4 leaflet, video submission, podcast, audio recording. It is designed to test the understanding of participants of core material as well as their ability to convey the information they decide to include.

The title for this year’s prize is: TBC

Submission closed

Students Section: TeachMe Series Research Presentation Prize

Prize

First prize: £300
Second prize: £150
Third prize: £100

Submission deadline

To be announced

Open to

Medical and other healthcare students, and those within six months of graduating.

Application guidelines

Submit a 200-word abstract on original research undertaken during your undergraduate studies. The main author must be highlighted in the paper and only one submission per author can be submitted.

Please note this prize is not intended for research undertaken as part of a PhD degree.

Submission closed

Surgery Section: John Dawson medical student prize

Prize

£250

Submission deadline

Sunday 12 July 2020

Open to

Medical students

Application guidelines

Candidates should submit clinical case reports detailing original work. The report should be no longer 500 words and have a maximum of 5 references.

Shortlisted candidates will be expected to present their papers at the Surgery Section's 'President's Day' in September 2020.

Apply here

Venous Forum: Annual Meeting Prize

Prize

First prize: £250
Second prize: £200
Third prize: £150
Poster prize: £200

Submission deadline

Sunday 5 April 2020

Open to

Medical students and trainees

Application guidelines

Submit a 250-word abstract on a topic relating to the Venous Forum annual meeting. The abstract should be structured to include aims, methods, results and conclusions.

Shortlisted candidates will be asked to present an oral presentation at a Venous Forum meeting. A selection of submissions that not shortlisted for oral presentation will be invited to present a poster at the meeting. All accepted abstracts will be published in Phlebology.

Apply here