We invite undergraduate medical, biomedical and clinical science, physician associate and nursing students from UK schools to create a presentation on a subject chosen by the Education Committee.
The winner will receive a prize of £500, and the runner-up will receive £250.
The topic for the 2026 Student Communication prize is:
"In an era of increasing population diversity and technological advancement, how should we rethink the concept of ‘normal’ in haematological reference ranges—and what are the implications for diagnosis, communication, and care?"
Submission deadline for abstracts: Monday, 2 February 2026
If your abstract is selected as a finalist, you will be asked to present via video to a panel of judges the week of February 16.
Eligibility criteria:
- Undergraduate medical students from UK medical schools.
- Healthcare scientists (HCPC registered biomedical and clinical scientists) Band 6 and below, undertaking any formal training programme under the remit of the Institute of Biomedical Science (IBMS), accredited undergraduate BSc degrees with registration portfolio and postgraduate MSc level with specialist diploma and trainees undertaking the British Blood Transfusion Society (BBTS) specialist certificate and the National School of Healthcare Science (NSHCS) Scientist Training Programme (STP).
- Physician assistants/associates (PAs) undertaking formal training in any recognised/accredited physician associate higher education institution prior to passing the PA National Examination.
Please send your abstracts to: [email protected]
When submitting your abstracts, please follow the guidelines listed below:
- In writing
- No subheadings
- Maximum 400 words
- No references
- Abbreviations defined
- In English
If you are selected as a finalist for the prize, please follow the guidelines below for your oral presentation.
- On Teams
- 8 minutes presentation, 2 minutes questions
- PowerPoint with maximum 8 slides
- Include references
Topic of last year's Student Communication Prize (2025)
"Reflecting on a clinical encounter where you encountered a patient with a haematological disorder (e.g., anaemia, leukaemia, or sickle cell disease), describe the diagnostic process, your differential diagnosis, and how your understanding of haematology influenced your approach to patient care.
How did this experience shape your perspective on the role of haematology in general medical practice?"
The winner for the 2025 Student Communication Prize was Gerard Gurumurthy, for his submission titled:
"When is ITP not ITP?"