Outstanding medical students are nominated annually by their Head of Paediatrics or Undergraduate Lead for this RCPCH prize. Winners receive full registration at the three-day RCPCH Annual Conference and attend the prize ceremony hosted by the RCPCH President, gaining access to networking opportunities with paediatric trainees, consultants and specialists. Nominations are submitted via individual medical schools — contact your Head of Paediatrics to find out how your university nominates.

Guts UK and the Falk Foundation award annual prizes to medical students with a research interest in gastroenterology, hepatology or pancreatology. A £1,000 essay prize is available to students who completed an intercalated degree in these fields, while four £1,500 prizes are awarded to students currently in a full-time science degree focusing on these areas. The next round is expected to open in November 2026 with a deadline around February 2027.

The Royal College of Physicians offers bursaries of up to £500 to medical student members undertaking overseas electives. Applicants must have been a student member of the RCP for at least six months before applying. The scheme reopens in late Autumn each year — check the RCP website from November onwards for the next application window.

Award for medical students presenting ophthalmology research or clinical cases at the Annual Midland Ophthalmological Society Summer meeting in Cyprus. Submit declaration of interest by end of January to conference@pantheo.com.

The British Association of Dermatologists (BAD) offers a range of scholarships, research grants, travel awards, and recognition awards to support medical students, resident doctors, dermatology trainees, and SAS doctors in the UK and Ireland. Applications generally close on 31 January each year, with funding decisions made in March and awards available from April.

Awarded annually to the best essay on a designated ENT topic. Open to undergraduate medical students and foundation trainees.

Annual essay competition on spirituality in relation to psychiatry. Up to 5,000 words. Prize: £300 + SPSIG conference attendance. Open to medical students and psychiatry trainees. Run by the RCPsych Spirituality and Psychiatry Special Interest Group.

The British Society of Gastroenterology awards bursaries of up to £500 to medical students undertaking elective placements abroad in gastroenterology or hepatology. Free BSG student membership is available to all medical students interested in the field, and membership is required to apply. Applications typically open in the autumn — check the BSG website from September 2026.

Annual essay competition encouraging medical students to engage with themes in the psychiatry of intellectual disability. Submit to intellectualdisability@rcpsych.ac.uk by 1 December each year.

The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow awards six scholarships of up to £1,000 each year to medical students undertaking a 4–6 week overseas elective. Applicants must be affiliate members of the College and be enrolled at a UK or Republic of Ireland university. Applications typically close in November for electives taking place the following year, with successful candidates announced in January.

Mentoring, networking and bespoke training to develop innovative ideas, products and businesses to benefit NHS patients. The curriculum covers all aspects of start-ups such as funding and corporate governance.

Medical student and foundation doctor essay prizes, elective prize, surgical training research grants and travel bursaries.

The Student Voice Prize is an annual, international essay competition (run by Beacon for Rare Diseases and Medics4RareDiseases, now in its 10th+ year) that raises the profile of rare diseases among medical, nursing and life-science students. A unique Patient Pairing Scheme lets entrants interview a rare disease patient/advocate before writing. The winning essay is published in the Orphanet Journal of Rare Diseases, with runners-up featured on Springer Nature's blog and cash prizes awarded. The competition typically opens in September and closes in mid-November each year - check rarebeacon.org for the current year's exact dates and questions.

The BGS accepts abstracts for its Autumn Meeting (research and clinical quality studies, not case reports), and explicitly encourages submissions from those at the start of their career, including medical, nursing and AHP students, alongside Foundation/IMT doctors. Prizes are awarded for the best platform and poster presentation from a non-consultant-grade presenter. Symposium proposals for the Autumn Meeting are due by 5pm, 31 August 2026 - check bgs.org.uk/abstracts for the standard scientific abstract deadline, which may differ slightly.

Abstract submissions open for the RCEM Annual Conference 2027 (13–15 April, Manchester). Top abstracts invited for oral or poster presentation. All presenters eligible for 20% conference registration discount. Contact events@rcem.ac.uk.

The American College of Cardiology's Annual Scientific Session, held jointly with the World Heart Federation's World Congress of Cardiology, is one of the largest global cardiology meetings. Abstract and case submissions span 10+ learning pathways plus Young Investigator Awards; accepted abstracts are published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology (JACC). Open to trainees and students conducting cardiovascular research, not just consultants/attendings - check eligibility details on the submission portal.

The winners will receive a prize for an essay on an aspect of chronic pain, of not more than 3000 words. The winning entries are presented at the Pain Relief Foundation.

The British Society for Gynaecological Endoscopy provides awards and bursaries to support education, research and professional development in gynaecological endoscopy. Funding opportunities are available for consultants, SAS doctors, GP hysteroscopists, doctors in training, nurses and paramedics who are BSGE members.

Annual essay competition for UK undergraduate medical students and FY doctors on perinatal mental health. Prize: £150 + free conference registration to the annual Perinatal Psychiatry Faculty conference. Run by the Royal College of Psychiatrists.

The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health invites abstracts for its 2027 Annual Conference (19-21 May, LEX Liverpool) across 30+ specialty and special interest groups covering nearly every paediatric subspecialty, quality improvement, ethics, education and trainee-focused categories. Several groups (e.g. Paediatricians with Expertise in Cardiology, the Trainee Committee) explicitly welcome submissions from medical students. Free to submit; no RCPCH membership required. ePoster and oral presentation opportunities, with accepted abstracts published in Archives of Disease in Childhood.

If you have an interest in Pathology as a specialty, sign up for undergraduate membership for the society and submit an essay to their annual essay competition.

Twice a year (January and July rounds) the British Society for Dermatological Surgery (BSDS) sets an essay or poster title on a topic related to dermatological surgery. Open to anyone with medical student status at the time of application, or graduating that year. The winning entry receives a prize of £300.

Annual prize for the best Quality Improvement Project (QUIP) in Trauma & Orthopaedics. Submit an essay on a completed PDSA cycle. Opens February, closes mid-March each year. Run by the British Orthopaedic Association.

Cost of living bursary of £6,000 for up to three 3rd or 4th year medical students studying in the UK and internationally. Must be intending to study for an intercalated degree with strong pharmacology or industry components. Research and Taught degrees will be considered. Applicants should apply for free undergraduate membership in advance. The supervisor need not be a BPS member.

Outstanding abstract awards at the BSACI Annual Conference, including a dedicated medical student category. For 2026 Conference (11–13 October, ICC Wales): abstract submission deadline midnight 30 July 2026. Submit at bsaciconference.org.

The largest medical research conference for medical students in the US, open to medical students, residents and international medical graduates across all specialties. Submit a 400-word abstract (no images, graphs or citations) on original, unpublished research using the AMA's approved template. Semifinalists present at a virtual Poster Symposium in October 2026, with a grand prize of $10,000. AMA membership is required by the submission deadline to be considered.

An annual national competition to give healthcare students a platform to share innovative ideas on creating a more compassionate, patient-centred healthcare system. Students can submit either a 1,000–1,500 word essay or a creative project with a reflective piece, exploring themes related to holistic healthcare and the future of medicine. Winners receive cash prizes, publication opportunities, free access to the BHMA Holistic Practitioner course, and a year of BHMA membership or journal subscription.

Annual prize of £350 in book tokens for the best case study showing outstanding insight and analytical ability in O&G. Open to final year medical students and FY1 doctors in the UK and Republic of Ireland. Submissions via Oxford Abstracts.

Open to clinical medical students (and recent graduates who have not yet started Foundation jobs) with an interest in ENT, with the winner published on the SFO UK website and invited to present at BACO (the ENT UK annual conference). SFO UK also runs a separate Elective Prize (an elective report rather than an essay) with a typical deadline of around 1 December each year. Requires SFO UK (ENT UK) membership to enter.

Create a short teaching video (max 5 minutes) on a urology topic aimed at medical students or FY doctors. Submit as MP4 or unlisted YouTube link. Opens December, closes February each year. Prize: £750 winner, £500 runner-up.