This is a wonderful opportunity for students to network with professionals within the specialty, demonstrate a commitment to their own career development and expand their portfolio.
About the prize
The prize includes:
- Registration for all three days of RCPCH Conference, including free access to all workshops, seminars and practice sessions, and the conference dinner
- Prize ceremony the evening before the conference to meet senior clinicians and staff and be awarded a prize certificate by RCPCH President
- Travel and accommodation for the conference
Eligibility criteria and how to apply
This prize is open to medical students in the UK and Republic of Ireland.
Each autumn we invite medical schools to nominate one outstanding medical student with a keen interest in paediatrics.
As a medical student, you can apply to be nominated through your Head of Paediatrics or Undergraduate Lead of your medical school. You'll need to provide a personal statement of no more than 500 words about why you are applying for the award, with evidence of your passion for the paediatric specialty.
Nominations are now closed.
Honouring the class of 2026 prize winners
We presented the awards at RCPCH Conference 2026 in Birmingham in May. This photo shows the prize winners holding their certificates. Congratulations to you all!
Some of the feedback
Thank you so much for the opportunity to attend the RCPCH26 conference in Birmingham! It was an incredible 3 days filled with fascinating talks from leading clinicians in Child Health, and has left me feeling inspired and excited for a future career in paediatrics. The community at the conference were extremely welcoming and friendly, and it was wonderful to meet so many other medical students from all across the UK!
Attending the RCPCH Conference 2026 as a recipient of the RCPCH Medical Student Prize was an absolute honour. The conference was inspiring and provided a fantastic opportunity to learn from expert clinicians and researchers across paediatrics. I particularly enjoyed the engaging talks on global child health and the future of child health. It was also lovely to meet other like-minded students and professionals, including fellow prize winners, and to hear about the work that brought them there. I’m very grateful to have had the opportunity to be part of such an incredible experience!
Attending the awards reception was a really inspiring experience. It was great to meet so many motivated and like minded people who are passionate about paediatrics and to hear about their different experiences through medical school and into F1 training. I also really enjoyed meeting members of the RCPCH and seeing how welcoming and supportive everyone was. The evening was a lovely opportunity to make new connections and feel even more excited about a future career in paediatrics.
I am so grateful to the RCPCH for the opportunity to attend the 2026 conference and represent my university. This was my first national conference and it completely exceeded my expectations. Our days were filled with inspiring talks and so many opportunities to get to know our future colleagues. Overall, an incredible experience that has positively strengthened my career ambitions!
I am incredibly grateful to have attended the RCPCH Conference this year as a medical student prize winner. The experience was amazing throughout, providing so many opportunities to make friends, attend workshops, and gain an insight into a rewarding career in paediatrics. I learnt so much about future developments within the specialty, hearing from experts and participating in some really interesting discussions around complex paeds cases. The RCPCH community were so welcoming and friendly, I couldn’t recommend it enough to others next year!
I’m incredibly grateful to the RCPCH for the opportunity to attend the 2026 Conference in Birmingham. It was a brilliant experience to hear from inspiring speakers and learn about such a wide variety of topics in child health, including the challenges of delivering healthcare in humanitarian settings such as Gaza, as well as rare diseases in the UK. I especially enjoyed meeting other medical students and paediatricians from across the country, all of whom were so friendly and welcoming. I would strongly encourage any student with an interest in child health to apply for this opportunity!
Attending the RCPCH 2026 Conference as a Medical Student Prize Winner was an incredibly inspiring and memorable experience. I’m very grateful to the College for the award and for such a warm and welcoming atmosphere throughout the conference. From hearing about new developments in child health to meeting other medical students from across the UK with shared interests, every part of the experience was incredibly valuable. The warmth, encouragement, and advice from paediatricians and College leaders were especially inspiring, and the President’s welcome made us feel genuinely valued as students. The conference strengthened my interest in child health and working with young people in the future, and I’m very thankful to the RCPCH for such a fantastic opportunity.
The conference was an incredible experience. It was so much fun to meet others with a similar passion, and the conference sessions were very eye-opening - I think I now have too many things I’m interested in! Massive thank you to everyone involved, I’m very grateful for the opportunity. I would absolutely love to attend next year!
I was honoured to be invited to the RCPCH Conference 2026 as a medical student prize winner. It was an extremely memorable event, where I learnt about emerging developments in paediatrics and attended workshops on the use of digital tools in healthcare, not to forget the unforgettable night of dancing at the conference dinner.
Most importantly, I got to connect with fellow medical students and leading paediatricians. Hearing about their experiences, career journeys, and wonderful advice was incredibly motivating and gave me valuable insights into life as a paediatrician.
This conference has strengthened my passion for paediatrics and reminded me why I am so drawn to the specialty: the strong community, the commitment to innovation and the shared goal of improving outcomes for children and families.
An enormous thank you to the RCPCH for the invitation and such a genuinely warm welcome to the 2026 Conference in Birmingham! Travelling all the way from Japan, I honestly did not know what to expect, but the entire experience exceeded anything I could have imagined, and every second of the journey was worth it. Being surrounded by so many passionate people in paediatrics was incredibly inspiring. From hearing about exciting advances in child health, to meeting medical students and clinicians from across the country, the whole conference reminded me exactly why I love this field so much.
There was such a strong sense of kindness, enthusiasm, and shared purpose throughout the event. There was also a huge variety of talks and workshops, but what made it even more special was how welcoming everyone was. It’s such a tight-knit community, and the genuine sense of belonging made me feel part of something truly special. I came away from Birmingham feeling even more passionate about paediatrics than before, and incredibly grateful to have had this opportunity. I would encourage absolutely anyone with an interest in child health to apply in the future , it is an experience you truly will not forget! And to make the most of it if you get the chance!
Contact
For any more information, please contact: choosepaediatrics@rcpch.ac.uk