cambridge medicine essay competition

Summer 2024 Admissions Open Now. Sign up for upcoming live information sessions here (featuring former and current Admission Officers at Havard and UPenn).

Discourse, debate, and analysis

Cambridge re:think essay competition 2024.

Competition Opens: 15th January, 2024

Essay Submission Deadline: 10th May, 2024 Result Announcement: 20th June, 2024 Award Ceremony and Dinner at the University of Cambridge: 30th July, 2024

We welcome talented high school students from diverse educational settings worldwide to contribute their unique perspectives to the competition.

Entry to the competition is free.

About the Competition

The spirit of the Re:think essay competition is to encourage critical thinking and exploration of a wide range of thought-provoking and often controversial topics. The competition covers a diverse array of subjects, from historical and present issues to speculative future scenarios. Participants are invited to engage deeply with these topics, critically analysing their various facets and implications. It promotes intellectual exploration and encourages participants to challenge established norms and beliefs, presenting opportunities to envision alternative futures, consider the consequences of new technologies, and reevaluate longstanding traditions. 

Ultimately, our aim is to create a platform for students and scholars to share their perspectives on pressing issues of the past and future, with the hope of broadening our collective understanding and generating innovative solutions to contemporary challenges. This year’s competition aims to underscore the importance of discourse, debate, and critical analysis in addressing complex societal issues in nine areas, including:

Religion and Politics

Political science and law, linguistics, environment, sociology and philosophy, business and investment, public health and sustainability, biotechonology.

Artificial Intelligence 

Neuroengineering

2024 essay prompts.

This year, the essay prompts are contributed by distinguished professors from Harvard, Brown, UC Berkeley, Cambridge, Oxford, and MIT.

Essay Guidelines and Judging Criteria

Review general guidelines, format guidelines, eligibility, judging criteria.

Awards and Award Ceremony

Award winners will be invited to attend the Award Ceremony and Dinner hosted at the King’s College, University of Cambridge. The Dinner is free of charge for select award recipients.

Registration and Submission

Register a participant account today and submit your essay before the deadline.

Advisory Committee and Judging Panel

The Cambridge Re:think Essay Competition is guided by an esteemed Advisory Committee comprising distinguished academics and experts from elite universities worldwide. These committee members, drawn from prestigious institutions, such as Harvard, Cambridge, Oxford, and MIT, bring diverse expertise in various disciplines.

They play a pivotal role in shaping the competition, contributing their insights to curate the themes and framework. Their collective knowledge and scholarly guidance ensure the competition’s relevance, academic rigour, and intellectual depth, setting the stage for aspiring minds to engage with thought-provoking topics and ideas.

We are honoured to invite the following distinguished professors to contribute to this year’s competition.

The judging panel of the competition comprises leading researchers and professors from Harvard, MIT, Stanford, Cambridge, and Oxford, engaging in a strictly double blind review process.

Keynote Speeches by 10 Nobel Laureates

We are beyond excited to announce that multiple Nobel laureates have confirmed to attend and speak at this year’s ceremony on 30th July, 2024 .

They will each be delivering a keynote speech to the attendees. Some of them distinguished speakers will speak virtually, while others will attend and present in person and attend the Reception at Cambridge.

Why has religion remained a force in a secular world? 

Professor Commentary:

Arguably, the developed world has become more secular in the last century or so. The influence of Christianity, e.g. has diminished and people’s life worlds are less shaped by faith and allegiance to Churches. Conversely, arguments have persisted that hold that we live in a post-secular world. After all, religion – be it in terms of faith, transcendence, or meaning – may be seen as an alternative to a disenchanted world ruled by entirely profane criteria such as economic rationality, progressivism, or science. Is the revival of religion a pale reminder of a by-gone past or does it provide sources of hope for the future?

‘Religion in the Public Sphere’ by Jürgen Habermas (European Journal of Philosophy, 2006)

In this paper, philosopher Jürgen Habermas discusses the limits of church-state separation, emphasizing the significant contribution of religion to public discourse when translated into publicly accessible reasons.

‘Public Religions in the Modern World’ by José Casanova (University Of Chicago Press, 1994)

Sociologist José Casanova explores the global emergence of public religion, analyzing case studies from Catholicism and Protestantism in Spain, Poland, Brazil, and the USA, challenging traditional theories of secularization.

‘The Power of Religion in the Public Sphere’ by Judith Butler, Jürgen Habermas, Charles Taylor, and Cornel West (Edited by Eduardo Mendieta and Jonathan VanAntwerpen, Columbia University Press, 2011)

This collection features dialogues by prominent intellectuals on the role of religion in the public sphere, examining various approaches and their impacts on cultural, social, and political debates.

‘Rethinking Secularism’ by Craig Calhoun, Mark Juergensmeyer, and Jonathan VanAntwerpen (Oxford University Press, 2011)

An interdisciplinary examination of secularism, this book challenges traditional views, highlighting the complex relationship between religion and secularism in contemporary global politics.

‘God is Back: How the Global Rise of Faith is Changing the World’ by John Micklethwait and Adrian Wooldridge (Penguin, 2010)

Micklethwait and Wooldridge argue for the coexistence of religion and modernity, suggesting that religious beliefs can contribute to a more open, tolerant, and peaceful modern world.

‘Multiculturalism’ by Tariq Modood (Polity Press, 2013)

Sociologist Tariq Modood emphasizes the importance of multiculturalism in integrating diverse identities, particularly in post-immigration contexts, and its role in shaping democratic citizenship.

‘God’s Agents: Biblical Publicity in Contemporary England’ by Matthew Engelke (University of California Press, 2013)

In this ethnographic study, Matthew Engelke explores how a group in England seeks to expand the role of religion in the public sphere, challenging perceptions of religion in post-secular England.

Gene therapy is a medical approach that treats or prevents disease by correcting the underlying genetic problem. Is gene therapy better than traditional medicines? What are the pros and cons of using gene therapy as a medicine? Is gene therapy justifiable?

Especially after Covid-19 mRNA vaccines, gene therapy is getting more and more interesting approach to cure. That’s why that could be interesting to think about. I believe that students will enjoy and learn a lot while they are investigating this topic.

The Hall at King’s College, Cambridge

The Hall was designed by William Wilkins in the 1820s and is considered one of the most magnificent halls of its era. The first High Table dinner in the Hall was held in February 1828, and ever since then, the splendid Hall has been where members of the college eat and where formal dinners have been held for centuries.

The Award Ceremony and Dinner will be held in the Hall in the evening of  30th July, 2024.

Stretching out down to the River Cam, the Back Lawn has one of the most iconic backdrop of King’s College Chapel. 

The early evening reception will be hosted on the Back Lawn with the iconic Chapel in the background (weather permitting). 

King’s College Chapel

With construction started in 1446 by Henry VI and took over a century to build, King’s College Chapel is one of the most iconic buildings in the world, and is a splendid example of late Gothic architecture. 

Attendees are also granted complimentary access to the King’s College Chapel before and during the event. 

Confirmed Nobel Laureates

Dr Thomas R. Cech

The nobel prize in chemistry 1989 , for the discovery of catalytic properties of rna.

Thomas Robert Cech is an American chemist who shared the 1989 Nobel Prize in Chemistry with Sidney Altman, for their discovery of the catalytic properties of RNA. Cech discovered that RNA could itself cut strands of RNA, suggesting that life might have started as RNA. He found that RNA can not only transmit instructions, but also that it can speed up the necessary reactions.

He also studied telomeres, and his lab discovered an enzyme, TERT (telomerase reverse transcriptase), which is part of the process of restoring telomeres after they are shortened during cell division.

As president of Howard Hughes Medical Institute, he promoted science education, and he teaches an undergraduate chemistry course at the University of Colorado

Sir Richard J. Roberts

The nobel prize in medicine 1993 .

F or the discovery of split genes

During 1969–1972, Sir Richard J. Roberts did postdoctoral research at Harvard University before moving to Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, where he was hired by James Dewey Watson, a co-discoverer of the structure of DNA and a fellow Nobel laureate. In this period he also visited the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology for the first time, working alongside Fred Sanger. In 1977, he published his discovery of RNA splicing. In 1992, he moved to New England Biolabs. The following year, he shared a Nobel Prize with his former colleague at Cold Spring Harbor Phillip Allen Sharp.

His discovery of the alternative splicing of genes, in particular, has had a profound impact on the study and applications of molecular biology. The realisation that individual genes could exist as separate, disconnected segments within longer strands of DNA first arose in his 1977 study of adenovirus, one of the viruses responsible for causing the common cold. Robert’s research in this field resulted in a fundamental shift in our understanding of genetics, and has led to the discovery of split genes in higher organisms, including human beings.

Dr Aaron Ciechanover

The nobel prize in chemistry 2004 .

F or the discovery of ubiquitin-mediated protein degradation

Aaron Ciechanover is one of Israel’s first Nobel Laureates in science, earning his Nobel Prize in 2004 for his work in ubiquitination. He is honored for playing a central role in the history of Israel and in the history of the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology.

Dr Ciechanover is currently a Technion Distinguished Research Professor in the Ruth and Bruce Rappaport Faculty of Medicine and Research Institute at the Technion. He is a member of the Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities, the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, the Russian Academy of Sciences and is a foreign associate of the United States National Academy of Sciences. In 2008, he was a visiting Distinguished Chair Professor at NCKU, Taiwan. As part of Shenzhen’s 13th Five-Year Plan funding research in emerging technologies and opening “Nobel laureate research labs”, in 2018 he opened the Ciechanover Institute of Precision and Regenerative Medicine at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen campus.

Dr Robert Lefkowitz

The nobel prize in chemistry 2012 .

F or the discovery of G protein-coupled receptors

Robert Joseph Lefkowitz is an American physician (internist and cardiologist) and biochemist. He is best known for his discoveries that reveal the inner workings of an important family G protein-coupled receptors, for which he was awarded the 2012 Nobel Prize for Chemistry with Brian Kobilka. He is currently an Investigator with the Howard Hughes Medical Institute as well as a James B. Duke Professor of Medicine and Professor of Biochemistry and Chemistry at Duke University.

Dr Lefkowitz made a remarkable contribution in the mid-1980s when he and his colleagues cloned the gene first for the β-adrenergic receptor, and then rapidly thereafter, for a total of 8 adrenergic receptors (receptors for adrenaline and noradrenaline). This led to the seminal discovery that all GPCRs (which include the β-adrenergic receptor) have a very similar molecular structure. The structure is defined by an amino acid sequence which weaves its way back and forth across the plasma membrane seven times. Today we know that about 1,000 receptors in the human body belong to this same family. The importance of this is that all of these receptors use the same basic mechanisms so that pharmaceutical researchers now understand how to effectively target the largest receptor family in the human body. Today, as many as 30 to 50 percent of all prescription drugs are designed to “fit” like keys into the similarly structured locks of Dr Lefkowitz’ receptors—everything from anti-histamines to ulcer drugs to beta blockers that help relieve hypertension, angina and coronary disease.

Dr Lefkowitz is among the most highly cited researchers in the fields of biology, biochemistry, pharmacology, toxicology, and clinical medicine according to Thomson-ISI.

Dr Joachim Frank

The nobel prize in chemistry 2017 .

F or developing cryo-electron microscopy

Joachim Frank is a German-American biophysicist at Columbia University and a Nobel laureate. He is regarded as the founder of single-particle cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM), for which he shared the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2017 with Jacques Dubochet and Richard Henderson. He also made significant contributions to structure and function of the ribosome from bacteria and eukaryotes.

In 1975, Dr Frank was offered a position of senior research scientist in the Division of Laboratories and Research (now Wadsworth Center), New York State Department of Health,where he started working on single-particle approaches in electron microscopy. In 1985 he was appointed associate and then (1986) full professor at the newly formed Department of Biomedical Sciences of the University at Albany, State University of New York. In 1987 and 1994, he went on sabbaticals in Europe, one to work with Richard Henderson, Laboratory of Molecular Biology Medical Research Council in Cambridge and the other as a Humboldt Research Award winner with Kenneth C. Holmes, Max Planck Institute for Medical Research in Heidelberg. In 1998, Dr Frank was appointed investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI). Since 2003 he was also lecturer at Columbia University, and he joined Columbia University in 2008 as professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics and of biological sciences.

Dr Barry C. Barish

The nobel prize in physics 2017 .

For the decisive contributions to the detection of gravitational waves

Dr Barry Clark Barish is an American experimental physicist and Nobel Laureate. He is a Linde Professor of Physics, emeritus at California Institute of Technology and a leading expert on gravitational waves.

In 2017, Barish was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics along with Rainer Weiss and Kip Thorne “for decisive contributions to the LIGO detector and the observation of gravitational waves”. He said, “I didn’t know if I would succeed. I was afraid I would fail, but because I tried, I had a breakthrough.”

In 2018, he joined the faculty at University of California, Riverside, becoming the university’s second Nobel Prize winner on the faculty.

In the fall of 2023, he joined Stony Brook University as the inaugural President’s Distinguished Endowed Chair in Physics.

In 2023, Dr Barish was awarded the National Medal of Science by President Biden in a White House ceremony.

Dr Harvey J. Alter

The nobel prize in medicine 2020 .

For the discovery of Hepatitis C virus

Dr Harvey J. Alter is an American medical researcher, virologist, physician and Nobel Prize laureate, who is best known for his work that led to the discovery of the hepatitis C virus. Alter is the former chief of the infectious disease section and the associate director for research of the Department of Transfusion Medicine at the Warren Grant Magnuson Clinical Center in the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Bethesda, Maryland. In the mid-1970s, Alter and his research team demonstrated that most post-transfusion hepatitis cases were not due to hepatitis A or hepatitis B viruses. Working independently, Alter and Edward Tabor, a scientist at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, proved through transmission studies in chimpanzees that a new form of hepatitis, initially called “non-A, non-B hepatitis” caused the infections, and that the causative agent was probably a virus. This work eventually led to the discovery of the hepatitis C virus in 1988, for which he shared the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2020 along with Michael Houghton and Charles M. Rice.

Dr Alter has received recognition for the research leading to the discovery of the virus that causes hepatitis C. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal, the highest award conferred to civilians in United States government public health service, and the 2000 Albert Lasker Award for Clinical Medical Research.

Dr Ardem Patapoutian

The nobel prize in medicine 2021 .

For discovering how pressure is translated into nerve impulses

Dr Ardem Patapoutian is an Lebanese-American molecular biologist, neuroscientist, and Nobel Prize laureate of Armenian descent. He is known for his work in characterising the PIEZO1, PIEZO2, and TRPM8 receptors that detect pressure, menthol, and temperature. Dr Patapoutian is a neuroscience professor and Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator at Scripps Research in La Jolla, California. In 2021, he won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine jointly with David Julius.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why should I participate in the Re:think essay competition? 

The Re:think Essay competition is meant to serve as fertile ground for honing writing skills, fostering critical thinking, and refining communication abilities. Winning or participating in reputable contests can lead to recognition, awards, scholarships, or even publication opportunities, elevating your academic profile for college applications and future endeavours. Moreover, these competitions facilitate intellectual growth by encouraging exploration of diverse topics, while also providing networking opportunities and exposure to peers, educators, and professionals. Beyond accolades, they instil confidence, prepare for higher education demands, and often allow you to contribute meaningfully to societal conversations or causes, making an impact with your ideas.

Who is eligible to enter the Re:think essay competition?  

As long as you’re currently attending high school, regardless of your location or background, you’re eligible to participate. We welcome students from diverse educational settings worldwide to contribute their unique perspectives to the competition.

Is there any entry fee for the competition? 

There is no entry fee for the competition. Waiving the entry fee for our essay competition demonstrates CCIR’s dedication to equity. CCIR believes everyone should have an equal chance to participate and showcase their talents, regardless of financial circumstances. Removing this barrier ensures a diverse pool of participants and emphasises merit and creativity over economic capacity, fostering a fair and inclusive environment for all contributors.

Subscribe for Competition Updates

If you are interested to receive latest information and updates of this year’s competition, please sign up here.

Medical School Expert

Medicine Essay Prizes (7 Competitions For Year 12 and 13’s)

Every article is fact-checked by a medical professional. However, inaccuracies may still persist.

Having a medical essay prize on your CV looks absolutely fantastic when it comes time for you to apply to medical school.

In such an overcrowded marketplace, anything that sets you apart from the crowd in a positive manner is sure to drastically increase your chances of getting an offer.

Although when I was applying to medical school I hadn’t managed to win an essay competition (despite my best efforts!) hopefully you’ll have more luck than me!

To save you some research time, I’ve compiled a list of 7 medicine essay competitions that you can enter this year.

Competitions that if you win will skyrocket your chances of application success.

INCLUDED IN THIS GUIDE:

The Libra Essay Prize

The Libra essay prize is an annual essay prize for all students in years 12 and 13 looking to prepare for university.

Libra Education themselves describe it as:

“An excellent way for 6th-form students to demonstrate that they have the makings of a scholar, the Libra Essay Prize offers a chance to prepare for the academic rigour required by university assignments and provides a great accomplishment to discuss on a personal statement or at an interview.”

Students are free to choose any subject from a list of categories (one of which being science) and then have to write an essay with a title containing a chosen word.

The small pool of words you can choose from change each year but are all generally quite abstract so you can connect and use them in creative ways.

The essay has to be between 1,500 – 2,000 words, with Harvard style referencing which isn’t included in the word count.

Libra accept entries from all over the world, but the essays must be written in English.

First prize wins £50, second prize £30, and third £20, all paid out in book vouchers. There’s also Commended and Highly Commended entries for each category.

Minds Underground Essay Competition

Minds Underground is an online learning platform, designed to support and enhance the learning and problem-solving of determined young students.

Every year they run a medicine essay competition, primarily aimed at year 12’s (although they do say younger or older students are also welcome to apply).

To enter, you have a choice of three questions, to which you need to write a 1,000 – 1,500 word answer.

“Should all healthcare be free? Discuss.” “What goes wrong for cancers to develop?” “Tell us about a key development/invention that you think has been most influential to medicine.” – Past Minds Underground medicine essay questions

If you’re feeling ambitious, students are permitted to enter an essay for more than one subject- so you could have a crack at the psychology or science one too!

Helpfully, under each question Minds also give you a few pointers to get your creative juices flowing.

Newnham Essay Prizes

Newnham College of the University of Cambridge runs a medicine essay competition with a twist:

Only female students are allowed to enter.

Again, students have a choice of three differing questions.

For example, the questions in the 2021-22 competition were:

• 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?

Newnham do give you a bit more of a range when it comes to the word count, accepting anything from 1,500 to 2,500 words.

There’s a generous £400 prize for first place, £200 for second and £100 for third.

Unfortunately for you as an individual though, prize money is split 50:50 between the essay prize winner and the funding of resources for their school…

John Locke Institute Essay Competition

“The John Locke Institute encourages young people to cultivate the characteristics that turn good students into great writers: independent thought, depth of knowledge, clear reasoning, critical analysis and persuasive style. “

The John Locke Institute arguably gives away the most generous prize out of any competition on this list.

You get a scholarship worth $2,000 towards the cost of attending any John Locke Institute program, as well as an invitation to their prize-giving ceremony in Oxford.

The essay questions for each subject are published in January, with the deadline for submission generally being in late June.

As well as the opportunity to secure the prize for medicine, the candidate who submits the best essay overall will be awarded an honorary John Locke Institute Junior Fellowship- which comes with a $10,000 scholarship to attend one or more of their courses!

American Society Of Human Genetics Essay Contest

Although this next essay competition comes from America, it’s open to students worldwide.

The American Society Of Human Genetics supports national DNA day through its annual DNA day essay contest: commemorating the completion of the Human Genome Project in April 2003 and the discovery of the double helix of DNA in 1953.

The contest is open to students in grades 9-12 worldwide and asks students to “examine, question, and reflect on important concepts in genetics.”

With a limit of only 750 words, not including reference lists, this is a short but sweet chance to bag yourself a considerable cash prize for your efforts.

In addition to the personal prize money, the ASHG will also provide you with a $1,000 grant towards genetics research or teaching materials.

Although it is a worldwide contest, so undoubtedly will have plenty of entries, there are also 10 honorable mentions up for grabs (in addition to 1st, 2nd and 3rd place) that all come with a $100 prize too.

Immerse Education Essay Competition

Immerse Education run summer programs for over 20 different subjects in Oxford, Cambridge, London and Sydney.

The reason why students get so much value from these courses is because they’re immersed in centers of academic excellence whilst learning from experts in their chosen field.

The good news for you is that their essay competition gives you the chance to attend one of their summer school programs for free.

10 winners receive a 100% scholarship and runners up are awarded partial scholarships of up to 50% to study their chosen subject.

According to Immerse, around 7% of entrants receive scholarship funding to attend a program- which is pretty good odds if you ask me!

“There is no downside to entering the competition. If you win, it is awesome. If you don’t win, you gained an experience. Entering the competition and working as hard as I did for it was one of the most gratifying experiences.” – Pedro L (100% scholarship winner)

You can find the full list of essay questions, in addition to top tips for writing academic essays (as well as the terms and conditions for the competition), simply by signing up via Immerse’s website.

The RCSU Science Challenge

The Royal College of Science Union (RCSU) is a student union at Imperial College London and run an annual science challenge open to both home and international school students.

The focus of the challenge is communicating scientific concepts in a non-technical manner, so that people without a science background could still understand and enjoy the content.

The big twist with this essay competition is that you don’t actually have to enter an essay!

The idea is to produce a ‘short piece of science communication’ which can be an essay or can be a short video in answer to one of the four questions set by the judges.

Written entries must be less than 1,000 words, whilst video entries must be less than 3 minutes and 30 seconds long.

For this competition, it’s really all about short and snappy responses that will captivate the reader whilst answering the question in a precise but easy to understand manner.

We hope to inspire those who take part in the Science Challenge to explore, develop and use their scientific skills along with their passion for their corner of science to help others see what all the excitement is about.

Why You Should Enter Medicine Essay Competitions

I think it’s fair to say that competition to get into medical school in the UK is insanely high- and it’s only getting worse.

With such large numbers of incredibly qualified candidates, medical schools have to find some way of differentiating them.

One way to make it easy for a university to pick you is to stand out from the crowd by having a medical essay prize on your application.

An essay prize demonstrates your dedication to the subject, scientific knowledge and an ability to write expressively and persuasively- all ideal qualities when it comes to being a doctor.

You may surprise yourself.

Often, not as many people as you might think enter these competitions.

Simply by writing the essay, you’re also going to greatly increase your knowledge about that particular topic, which can still come in really handy at interview.

Even if you don’t win, just discussing the fact you entered still looks good in the eyes of an interviewer.

It shows that you’re willing to go above and beyond your school curriculum, to explore subjects you’re interested in and that you’re a highly motivated candidate.

How To Increase Your Chances Of Winning An Essay Prize

Although when I was applying to medical school I didn’t manage to win an essay prize, there are a couple of things I did that would have greatly increased my chances of doing so.

First and foremost, I think you’ve got to cast your net wide.

Don’t limit yourself to just one shot at the target: if you’ve got the time then I’d recommend trying to enter at least a couple of different competitions.

More entries will mean more chances for you to have your essay officially recognised.

Secondly, if you have the choice between entering a local or national competition, I’d always go with the local one.

Although a national prize would look slightly better on your CV, simply due to the number of entries, you’ll have a much higher chance of winning the more local competition.

By local I mean this could be a more regional charity, nearby hospital or university, or even your school.

Even better yet, you could always enter both!

Lastly, I think one of the best ways you can increase your odds of winning a prize is by entering a competition around a topic that you’re genuinely passionate about.

If you’ve no interest in genetics, then I wouldn’t enter the American Society Of Human Genetics’ contest!

Your interest in the subject will come through in your language, depth of knowledge and motivation to go above and beyond for your essay- all of which will put you in a much better position for winning.

Where You Can Find Further Essay Competitions

In addition to the essay prizes described above, there are tonnes of other opportunities available for you to distinguish yourself as a medicine applicant.

Loads of the Royal Colleges run an ever changing variety of prizes and competitions, usually to encourage interest in their specialty.

The opening dates and deadlines for these prizes are always changing so it’s worth keeping an eye out for the perfect essay question or new prize that’s just been announced.

Some of these organisations that run their own competitions include:

• The Royal Society of Medicine
• Royal College of Emergency Medicine
• British Orthopaedic Association
• British Society for Haematology
• Royal College of Pathologists
• Royal College of Psychiatrists
• British Association of Dermatologists

But there are many more out there. If you have a particular interest in one specialty or area of science then I’d definitely recommend doing a bit of digging to see if there’s a society or organisation related to that field that runs their own competitions!

Final Thoughts

There really aren’t many downsides to entering one of these competitions.

You get a shot at winning, gain a talking point at interview and develop your scientific knowledge (not to mention technical writing skills).

Although you might feel that some of the smaller prizes aren’t worth your time and effort to write the essay, the real value comes from the boost one of these prizes would give your medicine application.

What UCAT Score Is Needed For Medicine? (UK Specific)

Best Podcasts For Medicine Applicants (11 Must Listen Shows)

Convert your interviews into offers

Learn the best ways of turning your upcoming interviews into medicine offers here.

© 2024 Medical School Expert Ltd

Kilsby student essay competition

We are listening to the voice of the next generation of healthcare professionals..

The BHMA runs an annual student essay competition to broadcast the voice of the best and most innovative thinking from those about to embark on a career in healthcare. We want your fresh insight and opinion on how to transform the health service into a more compassionate and caring version of its current self.

Our title for 2024 (BHMA’s 40th Anniversary):

‘Holistic Healthcare in Action: Reflections on the Past, Directions for the Future’ 

Please use 2 or 3 examples to illustrate your answer.

Essay option:

Essay of 1000-1500 words.

Creative Inquiry option:

The assignment should be in the form of a creative text (please submit photographs/DVD/music file as appropriate) alongside a written reflection of up to 1000 words. Marks will be allocated in four categories: Impact, Perception, Aesthetics and Reflection.

Please complete the form below along with your submission

Deadline June 30th

FIRST PRIZE – Essay and Creative Enquiry

• Your essay published in our journal and online
• Ticket to our conference & awards reception
• Free membership to the BHMA or free journal subscription for 1 year
• Your essay published online

For just £17 per annum, your student membership enables you to access our entire online library of the Journal of Holistic Healthcare plus 10-20% discounts on selected events, courses and other membership packages.

JHH 20.3 Journeys into Medicine

Journeys Into Medicine

Health Creation and Creative Health

Holism and Medical Education

What’s missing from medical education?

Embodiment and bodywork

Integrative Medicine

Shifting the paradigm

Frontiers of self-care

Flourishing in Medical Education

Beyond COVID

Mind-body self-care

Stories in medicine

The Real Food Issue

Faith, hope and love in healthcare

Nature Connections

Social Prescribing

Healing Journeys

Transformative innovation in healthcare

Men’s Health

Women’s Health

Children’s Health

Saving the NHS

Nutrition and Lifestyle

Shaping the invisible

Become an  Ambassador

How can a holistic perspective benefit practitioners, patients, and the planet? First Prize Essay

How can a holistic perspective benefit practitioners, patients, and the planet first prize creative enquiry, previous winners & runners-up.

Note that we have recently started publishing winners and a few other choice essays as blog posts. These appear in the side bar above.

2023: Sayed Adam Bukhari , King’s College London, How can a holistic perspective benefit practitioners, patients, and the planet?

2023: Felicity Smith , Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Arts and Crafts in Healthcare: What William Morris can Teach us About the Benefits of a Holistic Perspective for Practitioners, Patients and the Planet

2023: Kate Eustace , University College Dublin, How can a holistic perspective benefit practitioners, patients, and the planet?

2023: Alton Ajay Mathew , Medical University of Lodz, How can a holistic perspective benefit practitioners, patients, and the planet?

2022: Jonathan De Oliveira , St. George’s, University of London ‘What is missing in our clinical education’?

2022: Karla Hamlet , Canterbury Christ Church University – Creative Enquiry ‘What is missing in our clinical education?’ – The Student Voice

2022: Hamaad Khan , University College London ‘What is missing in our clinical education?’

2022: Lucy Butterfield , University of Manchester – Creative Enquiry ‘What is missing in our clinical education?’

2022: Andrew Zhou , University of Cambridge – Creative Enquiry ‘What is missing in our clinical education?’

2022: Pervana Kaur , University of Karol Marnkowski ‘What is missing in our clinical education?’

2021: Deeya Kotecha , Cambridge ‘ How can holistic healthcare influence health inequalities ‘

2021: Jabin Chowdhury , Birmingham ‘ If holistic healthcare is the answer what is the question? A take on healthcare inequality ‘

2021: Annie McKirgan , Liverpool ‘ All Animals are Equal … Or are They? ‘

2020: Lauren Wheeler, Imperial College London Faculty of Medicine ‘Holistic lessons from a pandemic…prevention is better than cure’

2020: Isabel Allison, University of Birmingham ‘Holistic lessons from a pandemic’

2020: Megan, University of Southampton: ‘Holistic lessons from a pandemic: Does anyone have a spare pen?’

2020: Simran , University of Southampton ‘Holistic Lessons from a pandemic: ‘All Lives Can’t Truly Matter Until Black Lives Matter’ ‘

2019: Jessica Frost Birmingham Medical School Let food be thy medicine, and let medicine be thy food

2019: Aaron Morjaria King’s College, London Is food the foundation for good health?

2019: Josephine Elliot University College, London Is food the foundation for good health?

2018: Thomas Christie Templeton College, Oxford Social Prescribing – are drugs or people the better cure?

2017: Fiona Field Imperial College London Re-imagining healthcare – in partnership with nature

2017: James Bevan University of Southampton Re-imagining healthcare – in partnership with nature

2017: Maddie Leadon University of Cambridge Re-imagining healthcare – in partnership with nature

2016: Robbie Newman Imperial College London Are we medicalising human experience? A radical review

2016: Alice Redfern University of Oxford Are we medicalising human experience? A radical review

2016: Vinay Mandagere University of Bristol Diagnosis: Are we medicalising human experience? A radical review

2015 Julius Kremling Germany, Why connection matters: Understanding patients’ illness by understanding their reality

2015: Tamar Witztum University of Bristol, Resilience in holistic care: Learning from Alice Herz-Sommer

2015: Lucy Brenner Brighton and Sussex Medical School, Cultivating compassion – students to lead the way?

2015: Eleanor Tanner University of Birmingham The Star of Compassion

2014: Olivia Sjökvist University of Hull, Coping with your own vulnerability in caring for a person who has a long-term condition

2014: Laura Clapham King’s College, London Coping with your own vulnerability in caring for a person who has a long-term condition

2014: Chiara Catterwell-Sinkeldam, King’s College London Coping with your own vulnerability in caring for a person who has a long-term condition

2013 Kundan Iqbal The importance of holism in medical care today and ways this can be promoted

2012 Reanne Jones Tears of Joy, tears of sorrow

2011 Thea Collins 2030: What made the NHS sustainable?

2010 Jason Ferdjani Improving global well being, improving personal well being

2009 Krishna Steedhar Student’s health matters

2008 Phoebe Votolato Being a Medical student

2007 Lewis Morgan A good holistic practitioner

Previous winners came from:

Privacy Overview

Essay Competition: Win a 100% Scholarship With Immerse Education

Take part in the Immerse Education Essay Competition for your chance to win a full or partial scholarship to our university and career preparation programmes

12th September 2024: Submission Deadline

Competition Open

full scholarships Awarded each year

entries each year

Share Your Success

Scholarship Award Certificate PDFs For Winners

What is the Essay Competition?

The Immerse Education Essay Competition provides the opportunity for students aged 13-18 to submit essay responses to a question of their choice relating to a subject of interest. There are over twenty questions to choose from which can be found in our full Essay Competition Guide. 10 winners will receive a 100% scholarship to study with us at a world-leading university of their choosing. Outstanding runners-up also receive partial scholarships.

23rd February 2024

Competition opens

12th September 2024

Competition closes

17th October 2024

Results announced

January, July & August 2025

Programme dates

Who Can Apply?

• The Immerse Education Essay Competition is open to students worldwide of all nationalities. You must be aged between 13-18 during your chosen programme.

10 winners will receive a 100% scholarship. Take a look at previous essay competition winners.

Runners Up will be awarded partial scholarships of up to 50% to study their chosen subject with Immerse. The number of runners-up will be determined by the number of entries received and the quality of the work submitted. The next category of entrants who are not runner-ups receive partial scholarships worth up to 20%.

Our Guest Judges

Arnold Longboy

Arnold Longboy has worked amongst the top business schools in the world, and is currently the Executive Director of the Recruitment & Admissions Team at London Business School.

Susmita Bhattacharya

Susmita won the Winchester Writer’s Festival Memoir Prize in 2016 and her novel, The Normal State of Mind was longlisted for the Words to Screen Prize at the Mumbai Association of Moving Images (MAMI) festival in India.

Amelia Suda-Gosch

Female Future Leaders Judge, Co-CEO of Female Founders

Tom Ireland

Tom Ireland is an editor at The Biologist, an award-winning magazine of the Royal Society of Biology. He is a regular contributor to the monthly magazine BBC Science Focus and has also written for The Guardian, New Scientist, and BBC News.

Programmes Our Scholarship Can be Redeemed Against

Reviews and winners, what do our alumni say.

I loved the little conversations we had when a question about the topic turned into explanations of the ethical, personal and economic issues that surround medicine. Overall, I found my lessons very beneficial. I know so much more about medicine and its different subsets, but also about what a career in medicine really looks like.

Immerse alumni, and scholarship winner

I could see that the essay competition was an incredible opportunity for international students to win a scholarship purely based on merit. More importantly, after doing some more research, I realised that the process for choosing winners was incredibly fair, that everyone would get an equal chance regardless of their socio-economic background, race, nationality, gender, etc.

100% Scholarship Winner

I enrolled because I wanted to expand my knowledge of physics and meet other people with the same interests as myself. Both of which I was successful in doing! My favourite aspect of the programme was the small class sizes – this helped both the tutor and students with learning and understanding the subject.

Immerse was very fun as well as useful. You were able to experience what it would be like if you studied here for university. The most beneficial part of the course was being able to see what International Relations is like, and it helped me decide what I want to study in the future.

My school invited everyone to participate, and the further I read about Immerse Education, the more motivated I was to enter the competition. Not only did I have the chance to study a subject I love, I would also be able to expand on my essay skills since writing has always been a passion of mine.

I really wanted to go to medicine summer school this year, and so I literally was searching for summer school opportunities and Immerse is one that came up. Through this, I found out about the essay competition and I decided to submit an answer. Immerse was very helpful whilst I was writing my essay, especially with things like the referencing guide.

I’m 16, so I’ve never written an academic essay before, so it was really important that I actually knew what I was doing in the first place and it definitely helped me with that. The programme so far has been very enriching. It’s helped me understand more about medicine and made me realise that this is what I want to do in life. Meeting new friends, tutors, and the mentors, they’re all amazing. My favourite things on the programme have been the evening activities, like murder mystery night. I am so happy to be able to have seen people that are like minded, and competitive as well. I really think that the tutors and the mentors have all been very supportive of me.

Academic Insights, Medicine

Hear From a Previous Scholarship Winner

The Immerse Education Essay Competition is open to entries from young people aged 13-18 interested in all subjects, from Architecture to Medicine, Creative Writing to Film Studies. However, students aged 18 should only submit an essay if they will still be 18 when the programmes the scholarships are valid for begin.

To confirm, if participants are successful, they should be aged between 13 and 18 at the start of their programme.

This current round of the essay competition is valid for 2025 Immerse Education programmes.

Immerse provides a full essay-writing guide which is sent to your email address once you register your interest in the competition. This guide includes a full list of essay questions, our essay specification, top tips for writing an academic essay, referencing guidance, our terms and conditions and guidance on plagiarism! Registering interest also ensures that you’re on track to submitting your essay on time, through a series of helpful reminder prompts. To support further you can register for our  webinars , which offer top tips and guidance with essay writing from our experts. You are also welcome to explore our  creative writing resources .

Funded scholarship to study abroad:  Our essay competition offers students like you the chance to win a full or partial scholarship to one of our Online Programmes or residential programmes in locations such as Oxford, Cambridge, Sydney, London and more.

Ongoing support from Immerse while you write:  Full support from our team as you write your essay, with free guides and top tips to help you along the way. Sign up to receive our full Essay competition Guide and free tips and tricks as you write. You can also follow us on Instagram and Tik Tok to get more useful essay writing tips.

Demonstrate what you know:  The competition is a chance for you to demonstrate your content knowledge by answering advanced university-style questions.

Build your skills and knowledge:  The opportunity to apply and advance your essay writing skills. You will likely learn something new in the process!

Develop your self-discipline:  A chance to strengthen your self-discipline as you commit to a challenging project and complete it from start to finish.

If you win a scholarship via the Essay Competition 2024/2025 you can use it toward any residential course in any of our locations. Use your scholarship to enrol on one of our renowned online programmes* or enriching in-person/residential summer school programmes in cultural melting pots such as Cambridge, Oxford, London or Sydney and more. * Essay competition schorlaships cannot be redeemed against online Intensive programmes.

No, there is no entry fee and you do not need to have already enrolled onto any of our programmes to take part in the essay competition.

The deadline for all essay entries for the last round of the competition is 4th January 2024. The next deadline will most likely be on 12th September 2024.

Register to receive free Essay Competition guidance

The Immerse Education Essay Competition provides the opportunity for students aged 13-18 to submit essay responses to a pre-set question relating to their chosen subject. Register interest to receive your guide with the comprehensive list of questions including:

• – Essay Specifications
• – Top Tips for Writing an Academic Essay
• – Referencing Guidance
• Name * First Name Last Name
• School City
• School Country
• School Name
• I would like to receive updates from Immerse Education. See Privacy Policy

Receive priority enrolment for new summer school locations by registering your interest below.

" * " indicates required fields

Our programme consultant will contact you to talk about your options.

• Family Name *
• Phone Number
• I'm a Parent
• I'm a Student
• Yes. See Privacy Policy.
• First Name *

Would you like to receive anything else?

• Prospectuses
• Residential Syllabus Overviews (ages 13-15)
• Residential Syllabus Overviews (ages 15-18)
• Residential Syllabus Overviews (ages 16-18)
• Online Syllabus Overviews (ages 13-18)
• Immerse Education Prospectus 2024
• Career Insights - London Course Guide
• Career Insights New York
• Career Insights San Francisco
• Online Insights Prospectus
• Online Research Programme Prospectus
• Academic Insights - Cambridge & Oxford Prospectus
• Academic Insights Sydney
• Academic Insights Toronto
• Female Future Leaders
• Dates & Fees
• Architecture
• Artificial Intelligence
• Business Management
• Business Management (Sydney)
• Business Management (Career Insights)
• Computer Science
• Creative Writing
• Creative Writing (Sydney)
• Creative Writing & Film (Career Insights)
• Earth Sciences
• Engineering
• Engineering (Career Insights)
• Engineering (Sydney)
• Film Studies
• International Relations
• International Relations (Sydney)
• Medicine (Career Insights)
• Medicine (Sydney)
• Natural Sciences
• Psychology (Sydney)
• Veterinary Studies (Sydney)
• Banking & Finance (New York)
• Business Management (London)
• Data Science & Analytics (San Francisco)
• Creative Writing & Film (London)
• Entrepreneurship (San Francisco)
• Engineering (London)
• Fashion & Design (New York)
• Health Tech & Biotechnology (San Francisco)
• Marketing & Entertainment (New York)
• Medicine (London)
• Law (New York)
• Software Development & AI (San Francisco)
• Architecture & Design (Career Insights)
• Biotechnology
• Business Management (Toronto)
• Computer Science & AI (Toronto)
• Criminology
• Engineering (Toronto)
• English Literature
• Fine Art (Career Insights)
• Game Design (Career Insights)
• Law (Career Insights)
• Mathematics
• Medicine (Toronto)
• Nanotechnology
• Computer Science & AI
• Sustainability

Complete Your Request

• Telephone Tel: +44 (0) 20 7499 2394
• Email Email: [email protected]

Strategic Guidance

• Private Oxbridge Consultation
• International Oxbridge Consultation
• Postgraduate Applications Guidance
• Book a Complimentary Call

Comprehensive Support

• The Premier Service
• Oxbridge Preparation Course

Targeted Support

• Oxbridge Personal Statement Support
• Oxbridge Admissions Test Support
• Oxbridge Interview Preparation Support

Application Guidance

• ‘Aspiring to Oxbridge’ School Talk
• Teacher Training Workshop
• Individual Guidance Consultations

Personal Statement Support

• Personal Statement Group Workshop
• Personal Statement Consultations

Admissions Test Preparation

• Admissions Test Day
• Admissions Test Course

Interview Preparation

• Interview Preparation Day
• Interview Preparation Course

Free Library

• Oxbridge Interview Resources

Admissions Tests Resources

• Student Library
• Teacher Library
• Keeping You Current
• Webinar Library

Our Publications

Course reports, oxbridge applications.

• Become A Tutor
• Our Offices
• Dukes Education

News & Press

• Widening Access
• Publications
• Sign In Register
• Sign In    Register

A Comprehensive Guide to the Cambridge College Essay Competitions

Cambridge college essay competitions, thinking of applying to oxbridge but need new ways to get ahead of the game with your application what plenty of students aren’t aware of is the fact that many of the cambridge colleges hold essay prizes for students in year 12 focusing on various subjects, allowing prospective applicants to get a taste of what uni-level essay writing might be like, as well as giving you something great to put on your cv. below is a comprehensive list of the essay competitions help by the various cambridge colleges, listed by subject. if any of them take your fancy, be sure to head over to the college website to get more details about how to enter and when the deadlines are we’ve also included past and present questions to give you a bit of an idea about what each competition is likely to entail., multi-disciplinary/humanities robinson college essay prize the robinson college essay prize is open to all students in year 12 (lower sixth, or equivalent) at a uk school during the 2020-21 academic year. it is designed to give students the opportunity to develop and showcase their independent study and writing skills. entrants are invited to submit a response to any one of the questions given, which should be no longer than 2,000 words (including footnotes and captions). the questions may be discussed with reference to any academic discipline or area of interest. up to three entries may be submitted per school, so please discuss your application with your school prior to entry. 2021 questions: 1. "a person may cause evil to others not only by his actions but by his inaction, and in either case he is justly accountable to them for the injury." (js mill). do you agree 2. 'creativity should be the highest goal of education.' discuss. 3. "in policy making, there is no such thing as 'the data', and therefore no such thing as 'acting on the data'." do you agree 4. "the translated text must add up to the original... [translation] is like a problem in math—using different numbers, the answer must be the same, different numbers must add up to the same answer." (lydia davis). discuss. 5. watch this video featuring the poet kamau braithwaite and discuss the significance of 'archives of freedom'. girton college humanities writing competition this annual competition is an opportunity for year 12 students to research and write beyond the curriculum, using one or more of the lawrence room museum objects, as their focus. essays or creative responses (such as dramatic monologues or short stories) are equally welcome. the judges are looking for the ability to connect different areas of knowledge, to think about details and to communicate clearly. archaeology fitzwilliam college archaeology essay competition this essay competition is for students in year 21 or equivalent; limit of 2500 words. 2022 questions: 1. what can responses to climate in the past teach us today 2. in what ways does the study of archaeology remain political 3. how is construction and building in the past symptomatic of imminent social collapse architecture fitzwilliam college architecture design competition 2022 brief: you are challenged to design a new building somewhere on the fitzwilliam college site. this building will serve as a hub for interaction between teaching staff and students, where they can share and explore ideas. during the design process, you will need to think about what programmes or activities need to be accommodated in the new building. for instance, you can consider including spaces for social interaction such as a new cafe, as well as spaces to have quieter conversations in groups of different sizes. you must also consider possible locations for the new building within the college site, taking into consideration the other college buildings in your design, as well as the landscaped areas preserving mature trees as much as possible. this should be seen as an opportunity to create an interesting relationship between the interior and exterior spaces. you are required to submit: - project title that best describes your design intention and final design solution - design narrative of 500 words that concisely explains your design inspiration, design objective, and final design strategy developed to meet your design objective - drawings that show the following: 1) floor plan(s) of your building at 1:200 scale 2) one elevation and one section of the building that best describes main features of the design solution 3) one site plan that indicates the location of the building in relation to existing buildings in the college site. a detailed site plan showing the ground floor plans of the individual buildings is available on the essay competition website for reference, but you should produce a new drawing for the competition submission. 4) one perspective drawing of your building that highlights your design intention and shows the placement of a new building in relation to existing college buildings nearby. classics fitzwilliam college ancient world and classics essay competition this essay competition is for students in year 21 or equivalent; limit of 2500 words. 2022 questions: 1. do ancient audiences / readers / listeners matter to our interpretations of ancient texts discuss with reference to any text or texts of your choice. 2. why do we need new translations of ancient texts discuss with reference to any text or texts of your choice. 3. “the ancient world was more concerned with controlling nature than conserving it.” discuss with reference to any area or period of your choice. 4. when does childhood end in the ancient world discuss with reference to any area or period of your choice. 5. why does aristotle say that people are ‘political animals’ was he right 6. how important was trade with the near east and / or egypt in any period of your choice english trinity college gould prize for essays in english literature trinity college launched the gould prize for essays in english literature in 2013. this is an annual competition for year 12 or lower 6th students. the prize has been established from a bequest made by dr dennis gould in 2004 for the furtherance of education in english literature. candidates are invited each year to submit an essay of between 1,500 and 2,500 words on a topic to be chosen from the list of questions. newnham college the woolf essay prize n 1928, virginia woolf addressed the newnham arts society on the subject of ‘women and fiction’, and from this talk emerged her seminal text, a room of one’s own. a room of one’s own raises a number of questions surrounding the place of women in society and culture, and the competition allows students to contemplate these themes and ideas while developing the independent research and writing skills essential to university-level study. 2021-22 questions: 1. ‘only the fellows and scholars are allowed here; the gravel is the place for me.’ how have female writers been inspired by limitations placed on their educational experiences you may discuss historical or modern-day examples. 2. ‘a woman might write letters while she was sitting by her father’s sick-bed. she might write them by the fire whilst the men talked without disturbing them’. how might letters add to our understanding of female writers and their work you may discuss the letters of any female author, poet or playwright. 3. ‘anonymity runs in their blood. […] they are not even now as concerned about the health of their fame as men are, and speaking generally, will pass a tombstone or a signpost without feeling an irresistible desire to cut their names into it’. should the women of the past be commemorated in a different manner to their male counterparts explain. queen’s college the estelle prize for english queens' college invites submissions for the english prize 2021, which will be awarded to the best essay submitted by a year 12 (lower sixth form) student. essays must be less that 2500 words., fitzwilliam college history essay competition this essay competition is for students in year 21 or equivalent; limit of 2500 words. 2022 brief: fitzwilliam college traces its origins to 1869, when the university of cambridge launched an initiative to facilitate access to higher education for the many students who could not afford the costs of college membership. the initiative was part of the broader transformation of education in britain, as the changes wrought by industrialisation and urbanisation created a need to cater for a growing, increasingly diverse and literate population. earlier decades had already witnessed the establishment of king’s college london, durham university, and the university of london, for instance, and colleges for women were beginning to open in cambridge and oxford. these radical social and economic changes were themselves connected to the intensification of globalisation in the second half of the nineteenth century, which placed britain at the heart of an ever-tighter web of economic relations between the world’s continents. but the same year also witnessed the birth of mohandas – later mahatma – gandhi, who would come to challenge britain’s colonial rule and lead india on the path to independence; the death of alphonse de lamartine, the poet and politician who had proudly proclaimed france’s second republic in 1848, but whose final years were lived under the more authoritarian second empire; the marriage of emperor meiji, which consolidated japan’s monarchy as the country began a new process of industrialisation; and the establishment by susan b. anthony and elizabeth cady stanton of the national woman suffrage association in a united states still recovering from the civil war. in 1869, as throughout history, old and new worlds collided. we invite applicants to examine, in their essays, a topic of their choice, connected to the changes taking place in or around the year 1869. essays may focus on a particular event, a person, a political movement, or even a process of social, economic or cultural change, but they should consider the interaction of ‘old’ and ‘new’ forces which the chosen topic illuminates. fitzwilliam college rosemary horrox medieval world essay competition this essay competition is for students in year 21 or equivalent; limit of 2500 words. 2022 questions: 1. how can the study of dead languages help us understand medieval cultures 2. what qualities made heroes heroic and villains villainous in medieval literature 3. how far do medieval texts give us any cause for optimism in their presentation of gender 4. did the european middle ages witness the “invention of race” 5. were war and/or rebellion the defining features of medieval society 6. “medieval europe cannot be studied in isolation from the rest of the world”. do you agree trinity college robson history prize the robson history prize is an annual competition for year 12 or lower 6th students. the prize was established in 2007 in memory of the historian robert robson, who was for many years a fellow and tutor at trinity. the aims of the robson prize are twofold: firstly, to encourage ambitious and talented year 12 or lower sixth students considering applying to university to read history or a related discipline; and secondly, to recognize the achievements both of high-calibre students and of those who teach them. 2022 questions: the robson history prize for 2022 had 94 questions in the categories of british history, european history, world history, and historiography, so head to the website for the full list. newnham college history essay prize the newnham history essay prize is open to all female students currently in year 12 (lower sixth) at uk state school. essays should be between 1500 and 2500 words. 2021-22 questions: 1. ‘historians shouldn’t be political pundits’. discuss 2. can the history of clothing tell us about anything other than changes in fashion 3. is historical change driven by great individuals, land economy fitzwilliam college land economy essay competition this essay competition is for students in year 21 or equivalent; limit of 2500 words. 2022 questions: 1. do you believe that environmentalist civil society organisations, such as extinction rebellion and greenpeace, can be effective at pushing governments to adopt environmental policies aimed at addressing the climate and ecological crises 2. ‘territorial inequality between different parts of the uk is extremely high. this undermines the principle of equality of opportunities, because individuals’ life chances crucially depend on where one happens to be born and raised.’ discuss, possibly drawing on examples from your own area of residence. 3. some argue that the covid-19 pandemic has dramatically impacted the fate of inner cities and, in the future, expensive, commuter-driven urban cores will decline in favour of less compact/dense areas such as towns and the countryside. do you agree, law trinity college robert walker prize for essays in law the prize is named after an honorary fellow of the college, lord walker of gestingthorpe, a retired justice of the supreme court and former law student at trinity. essays can be of any length up to 2,000 words (including footnotes). 2022 question: ‘what responsibilities in connection with the environment and sustainability, if any, should the law assign to owners and to occupiers of land’, linguistics trinity college linguistics essay prize this annual essay competition aims to raise awareness of the systematic study of language as an interesting and multifaceted subject in and of itself. the competition is open to all students with an interest in how language works regardless of the specific subjects they are currently studying at a-level (or similar qualification). for example, it may be of interest to students taking a-levels in modern languages, english language or classics, but also to students taking psychology or mathematics. 2022 topic: ‘people who speak two or more languages or dialects sometimes switch between them within the same conversation, and even within the same sentence. what reasons make people switch languages (or dialects) why is this interesting for linguists should linguists prescribe if switching is good or bad’, philosophy trinity college philosophy essay prize the philosophy essay prize is open to year 12 or lower 6th students. the aim of the prize is to encourage able sixth formers to pursue their interest in philosophy, with the hope that they will be encouraged to read this or related subjects at university. 2022 questions: - which philosophical insight that you have come across in your life so far has been the most important one for you - what is the difference between knowledge and understanding - is truth a human invention newnham college philosophy essay prize the newnham philosophy essay prize is open to all female students currently in year 12 (lower sixth) at a uk state school. it is designed to give students the opportunity to think and write about philosophy and philosophical matters in the broadest sense, while developing their independent study and writing skills. through exposure to the type of work they might be expected to do at cambridge, newnham hope to encourage philosophy applicants to the university – and hopefully to newnham, where women’s history and educational excellence are, of course, central. 2021-22 question: ‘sentences such as “a good oak tree has deep roots” can be true, and true irrespective of anybody’s opinion. in other words, such sentences can be objectively true. now, the word “good” doesn’t change its meaning just because it’s being applied to members of one species rather than another. so, sentences such as “a good human being is kind” can be objectively true as well.’ should we be convinced by this kind of argument for the objectivity of ethical judgements, politics trinity college r.a. butler politics prize the objectives of the r.a. butler prize are twofold. firstly, it aims to encourage students with an interest in modern politics and world affairs to think about undertaking university studies in politics, international studies or a related discipline; it is not limited to those already studying these subjects or indeed other social sciences. secondly, its intention is to recognise the achievements both of high-calibre students and of those who teach them. essays can be up to 3,000 words, including all footnotes and references but excluding the bibliography. 2022 questions: - whom do elected representatives, in practice, represent - are the police institutionally discriminatory -  is it ever legitimate for one country to invade another - should countries be punished for the actions of their leaders - do international regional organisations offer the best prospects for cooperation between states in the contemporary world - are international organisations biased towards the interests of wealthy countries - what should the uk be doing to help refugees - should every family own its own home - what statues should come down, and which (if any) should stay up - what policies should the uk government be implementing to ensure it meets its commitments made at the un climate change conferences, maths newnham college philippa fawcett mathematics essay prize the philippa fawcett mathematics prize is open to all female students currently in year 12 (lower sixth) at a uk state school. the prize may be of particular interest to those studying mathematics, statistics or further mathematics but we welcome entries from interested students studying any combination of subjects. entrants are invited to submit a response to any one of the questions below. submissions should comply with the following: • 4-6 a4 sides maximum including all figures, diagrams, tables and bibliography • 12 point font minimum • 2 cm margins minimum • 2500 words max. 2021-22 questions: 1. how does mathematics protect your privacy online 2. what are the most fascinating aspects behind the mathematics of music discuss how mathematics is related to the theory of musical structures and/or instruments. 3. mathematics and climate change: what role do you think mathematics can play in guiding policy makers and in helping public understanding, medicine newnham college medicine prize the newnham college medicine prize is open to all female students currently in year 12 (lower sixth) at a maintained sector uk school. the prize may be of particular interest to those studying biology and chemistry, but we welcome entries from interested students studying any combination of subjects. entrants are invited to submit a response to any one of the questions below. submissions should comply with the following: • 6 a4 sides maximum including all figures, diagrams, tables and bibliography • 12 point font minimum • 2 cm margins minimum • 1500-2500 words total (including footnotes and figure captions, but excluding bibliography) 2021-22 questions: 1. 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 2. sleep deprivation in clinical health settings. does it matter 3. looking to the future. will stem cell therapies be outpaced by machine-brain interfaces for the treatment of retinal disease, music newnham college music essay prize the newnham music essay prize is open to all female students currently in year 12 (lower sixth) at a maintained sector uk school. it is designed to give students the opportunity to think and write about music in its broadest context, while developing their independent study and writing skills. 2021-22 questions: 1) how have improvements in transport and communications infrastructure affected the history of music – and in what ways might they do so in future 2) evaluate the challenges and opportunities presented to musical culture in a time of global pandemic. 3) in some ways music can be thought of as the ultimate interdisciplinary subject, but it is also highly specialised in other respects. examine this paradox in the context of the debate about music’s role in primary and secondary education., sciences newnham college engineering essay prize the newnham engineering prize is open to all female students currently in year 12 (lower sixth) at a uk state school. the prize may be of particular interest to those studying physics, mathematics, further mathematics, chemistry, biology, design and technology or economics, but they welcome entries from interested students studying any combination of subjects. 2021-22 questions: 1. what can engineers do to mitigate climate change - atmospheric levels of co2 are increasing and the world is waking up to the problem of climate change brought about by human-generated greenhouse gas emissions. as engineers, we have the skills and expertise to make a difference, providing technological solutions to reduce global carbon emissions. all engineering disciplines have a role to play and some areas are suggested below. (a) electric power generation and consumption. what are ‘renewable sources’ of electric power generation how do they work and what are their strengths and limitations are there any new sources being researched and developed that might provide solutions for the future could the uk generate all its electricity from renewable sources - how can we reduce our demand for electric power so that we don’t need to generate so much - there may be opportunities in both domestic and commercial/industrial consumption, e.g. energy efficient homes, energy-efficient manufacturing, low power consumer electronics. (b) transport. modern lifestyles involve a lot of transport, of people as well as goods. how energy-efficient are different modes of transport, and what is the potential for reducing their carbon footprint (c) construction. this sector is one of the biggest emitters of carbon globally. the carbon emissions arise from many sources, especially the huge amount of concrete used in construction projects but also including the energy to power machines. do we have any alternatives for materials or technology strategies to reduce these emissions (d) other engineering areas. technological solutions can be found in all engineering disciplines. you are encouraged to choose for the topic of your essay an example that interests you. 2. data and information engineering data and information engineering is being used everywhere around us. our life increasingly relies on data analysis, from the recent developments in the automotive sector to social media, from machine assisted surgery to law forensics. the data deluge provided by recent technological advances has made automation in data analysis necessary to identify hidden patterns of information within the considered datasets. it is also true that a fully automated world could bring new risks and dangers that did not exist even just a few years ago (e.g., the ethical dilemmas of self driving cars). write an essay on the major aspects of social awareness in ai development, and how this could impact: a) the health sector. b) government, democracy and policing. c) sustainable development. d) another major topic of your interest. you are encouraged to think about the engineering considerations related to some of these topics as well as the ethical considerations. what makes an algorithm particularly helpful or harmful newnham college biological sciences essay prize the newnham college biological sciences prize is open to all female students currently in year 12 (lower sixth) at a uk state school. the prize may be of particular interest to those studying biology, chemistry, physics, or mathematics, but we welcome entries from interested students studying any combination of subjects. entrants are invited to submit a response to any one of the titles overleaf. submissions should comply with the following: - 5 a4 sides maximum including all figures, diagrams, tables and bibliography - 12 point font minimum - 2 cm margins minimum - 2500 words max. 2021-22 questions: 1. is biology in a reproducibility crisis 2. assess the contribution of artificial intelligence (ai) to recent scientific advances. 3. past and present: how has infection shaped the human genome newnham college computer science essay prize the computer science essay prize is open to all female students currently in year 12 (lower sixth) at a maintained sector uk school. the prize may be of particular interest to those studying computer science, mathematics, physics, or chemistry, but we welcome entries from interested students studying any combination of subjects. entrants are invited to submit a response to any one of the questions overleaf. submissions should comply with the following: - 4-6 a4 sides maximum including all figures, diagrams, tables and bibliography - 12 point font minimum - 2 cm margins minimum - 2500 words maximum 2021-22 questions: 1. is there a fundamental difference between self-driving cars and a "slaughter army" of killer drones 2. mobile phone apps are generally written by commercial entities for private gain. if you had the same resources to design one mobile phone app that would make the world better, what would it be and how would it work, get in touch.

Here at Oxbridge Applications we specialise in offering tailored, subject-specific advice to applicants every single day, all curated by a team of Oxbridge graduates who have all made the most of the process themselves. For more details about how we can support you in your application, email [email protected] , or call us on +44 (0)20 7499 2394 .

Related Content

Cambridge university announces online interviews for december 2023, the autumn ahead, my oxbridge experience 2022.

Our Oxbridge-graduate consultants are available between 9.00 am – 5.00 pm from Monday to Friday, with additional evening availability when requested.

• Tel: +44 (0) 20 7499 2394
• Email: [email protected]

Oxbridge Applications, 14 – 16 Waterloo Place, London, SW1Y 4AR

• Private Oxbridge Application Consultant
• Oxbridge Personal Statement Support Package
• Oxbridge Mock Interview Preparation and Support
• Personal Statement Workshop and Checks
• Schools Mock Interviews – Online and In-School
• Teacher Training Workshops – Online and In-School
• Oxbridge Preparation Days – Online and In-School
• Terms and Conditions
• Privacy Policy
• Safeguarding & Child Protection
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Company Registration Number: 3757054

Recently Updated Blogs

Blog exercising self-care during school or university exams, blog our experts’ tips for a productive easter holidays, blog changes to cambridge a-level requirements for 2025 applicants, blog how will my gcses impact my university applications, blog which a-levels should i take, choosing a college, a slippery question, added to cart.

Username or email  *

Password  *

Forgotten password?

[email protected]

+44 (0)20 8834 4579

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

Want expert advice to navigate the Medicine application process?

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.

Prep Packages

Get the best prep at the best price. Save up to 25% with prep packages for UCAT or Interview. Plus a new range of exciting medical experiences.

Trusted Courses

Our courses are trusted by world-leading schools and thousands of aspiring medics every year. 5*-rated UCAT and Interview Courses are available in person or live online.

1-2-1 Tutoring

Need one-to-one help? Our Doctor-trained Medicine tutors are ready to help you boost your UCAT score, nail your interviews and get you into Medical School.

Join Our Newsletter

Join our mailing list for weekly updates and tips on how to get into Medicine.

PREVIOUS ARTICLE

How To Set Up A Medical Society At School

NEXT ARTICLE

Medicine Entrance Exam Results: What's Next?

Loading More Content

Cambridge Essay Competitions

Essay competitions are brilliant for a number of reasons!

You can use them to:

The essay competitions usually become open for submissions after the winter holidays. Be sure to check any eligibility criteria, requirements and deadlines. This page will be updated when new competitions are announced, and when deadlines are passed, so check back regularly! All essay competitions and events at Cambridge (both online and in-person) can be found here 🔗 🌟.

Magdalene College Arts and Humanities Essay Competition 2024 🔗 🌟 Any student in their penultimate year at a state school can enter this competition, which will open in early 2024. Last year, there were 12 questions covering a variety of topics within the arms and humanities - you can read the winning entries here 🔗. To register your interest in this competition for 2024, fill in this form 🔗.

Fitzwilliam College Essay Competitions: various subjects 🔗 🌟 Fitzwilliam College runs a variety of competitions in Ancient World and Classics, Archaeology, History, Land Economy, Medieval World, Architecture, and Economics (this last one is for state-school UK students only). All competitions are open to Year 12 students and are designed to encourage students to pursue their interests in subjects they might not be able to study in depth at school. Last year, the deadline for all competition entries was the 1st of March, so make sure to check back in early 2024 for updates.

Newnham College Woolf Essay Prize 🔗 🌟 The Woolf Essay Competition is focussed on women in literature, history, society and culture. There are also competitions for other subjects - more information these will be coming soon. Webinars to help support your entry can be found here 🔗 . The deadline for the Woolf Prize last year was the 14th of July.

Girton College Humanities Writing Competition 🔗 An opportunity for students interested in pursuing any humanities subject to write creatively! Year 12 students may enter with an essay or piece of creative writing using an object from Girton College’s small antiquities museum, the Lawrence Room, as their prompt.

Robinson College Essay Prize: various subjects 🔗 Year 12 students may submit an essay of up to 2,000 words in response to one of the set questions, which cover a wide variety of academic subjects. The prize did not run in 2023, but may in 2024.

Trinity College Essay Prizes 🔗 These competitions give entrants the opportunity to write an essay of up to 2,000 words in response to the set question/(s). Last year there were competitions for English Literature, Launguages, Linguistics, Philosophy, Politics, Law, and History.

Did you spot a typo or formatting issue? Let us know by emailing us at [email protected] .

• Architecture
• Biotechnology
• Business Management & Economics
• Computer Science
• ENG 4U Canadian Credit
• Engineering
• English Language & Leadership
• Global Leadership
• Journalism & Media
• Liberal Arts
• Literature & Creative Writing
• Mathematics
• Medicine & Life Sciences
• Physics & Astronomy
• Politics & International Relations
• SAT Preparation
• Social & Political Sciences
• Video Reviews
• Useful Info

Scholarship

The next call for scholarship essay competition applicants from the general public will be in autumn 2024 for the summer of 2025. Full details will be released in autumn 2024 on www.reachcambridge.com/scholarship .

Reach Cambridge is committed to providing opportunities for promising students who would otherwise be unable to attend our programs. For many years Reach Cambridge has offered a variety of scholarships to individual students and through our valued partners all over the world.

Register Your Interest

• First Name *
• Country * Select Country Afghanistan Albania Algeria Andorra Angola Antigua and Barbuda Argentina Armenia Aruba Australia Austria Azerbaijan Bahamas Bahrain Bangladesh Barbados Belarus Belgium Belize Benin Bhutan Bolivia Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswana Brazil Brunei Bulgaria Burkina Faso Burma Burundi Cambodia Cameroon Canada Cape Verde Central African Republic Chad Chile China Colombia Comoros Congo Costa Rica Cote d'Ivoire Croatia Cuba Curacao Cyprus Czech Republic Denmark Djibouti Dominica Dominican Republic Ecuador Egypt El Salvador Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Estonia Ethiopia Fiji Finland France Gabon Gambia Georgia Germany Ghana Greece Grenada Guatemala Guinea Guinea-Bissau Guyana Haiti Holy See Honduras Hong Kong Hungary Iceland India Indonesia Iran Iraq Ireland Israel Italy Jamaica Japan Jordan Kazakhstan Kenya Kiribati Korea, North Korea, South Kosovo Kuwait Kyrgyzstan Laos Latvia Lebanon Lesotho Liberia Libya Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Macau Macedonia Madagascar Malawi Malaysia Maldives Mali Malta Marshall Islands Mauritania Mauritius Mexico Micronesia Moldova Monaco Mongolia Montenegro Morocco Mozambique Namibia Nauru Nepal Netherlands Netherlands Antilles New Zealand Nicaragua Niger Nigeria North Korea Norway Oman Pakistan Palau Palestinian Territories Panama Papua New Guinea Paraguay Peru Philippines Poland Portugal Qatar Romania Russia Rwanda Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Samoa San Marino Sao Tome and Principe Saudi Arabia Senegal Serbia Seychelles Sierra Leone Singapore Sint Maarten Slovakia Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia South Africa South Korea South Sudan Spain Sri Lanka Sudan Suriname Swaziland Sweden Switzerland Syria Taiwan Tajikistan Tanzania Thailand Timor-Leste Togo Tonga Trinidad and Tobago Tunisia Turkey Turkmenistan Tuvalu Uganda Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom United States Uruguay Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela Vietnam Yemen Zambia Zimbabwe
• Phone/Whatsapp Please include a country dialling code
• Which best describes you * Select Student Parent Teacher Agent Other

• Webcast Schedule
• Valery Gergiev
• Orchestras and Conductors
• Also involved in #TCH15
• Concert Halls
• Tchaikovsky 175
• Children's Album
• Tchaikovsky Festival
• Daily Journal
• Brad's Diary
• Press Releases

The Competition

• Prizewinners

Founded in 1958 in Moscow, the International Tchaikovsky Competition is held every four years.

Since 2011, the Competition is held in two cities: Moscow and Saint Petersburg. It aims to highlight the most promising talents in the fields of the piano, violin, cello (since 1962) and voice (since 1966).

Past prizewinners include the pianists Van Cliburn, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Grigory Sokolov, Mikhail Pletnev, Boris Berezovsky, Nikolai Lugansky, Denis Matsuev, and Daniil Trifonov; violinists Viktor Tretiakov, Gidon Kremer, Viktoria Mullova, and Akiko Suwanai; cellists Natalia Gutman, Mischa Maisky, David Geringas, Boris Pergamenschikov, Antônio Meneses, Ivan Monighetti, and Alexander Kniazev; and singers Deborah Voigt, Paata Burchuladze, Evgeny Nikitin, Mikhail Kazakov, and Jong Min Park.

The 2015 Competition (the 15th since 1958) will take place from June 15 to July 3. It is "a milestone year that could well be a musical Olympics," said Vladimir Medinsky, Minister of Culture of the Russian Federation. This year's Competition is dedicated to the 175th anniversary of the great Russian composer Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky.

Visit the XV International Tchaikovsky Competition's official website .

Photos: The city of Moscow, where the piano and violin competitions are held (top) and a view on Moyka river from Nevskiy prospect in Saint Petersburg, where the cello and voice competitions are held (bottom).

Let's talk MUSIC

Be the first to learn everything about the candidates, the jury members and the Competition... you're gonna love the #TCH15 newsletter!

Latest news

And the grand prix winner is... ariunbaatar ganbaatar, maxim vengerov: "turning point of my life", jian wang: "no more secrets", children's album: focus on..., join the #tch15 club, get exclusive information, news & updates, the competition is presented by, the webcast is presented by.

© medici.tv/MUSEEC – France 2015 Contact: [email protected] Press: [email protected]

Select your timezone