UK medical prizes sit on college homepages, society prize pages, and university careers lists. Checking those sites one by one is the job we built Prizology to remove.
Students who rely on word of mouth hear about closing dates last. That is the same access problem as our Sunderland partnership. Scotland ST1 Trauma and Orthopaedics 2027 awards 5 points for a prize-winning national or international presentation (Scotland 2027 scoring). IMT 2027 has no prizes domain. The only matrix changes named are publications, 8 to 6, and presentations/posters, 6 to 8 (IMT 2027 summary).
Prizology is a weekly-updated database of 500+ UK prizes, awards, bursaries, and grants (Features, retrieved 10 September 2026). Create an account, filter to what you can enter, bookmark a shortlist, then open the official page from the listing before you write. We aggregate opportunities and do not run them.
The Bottom Line: Do not trawl fifty society sites. Create a Prizology account, filter by type, specialty, and stage, bookmark what you will enter, then confirm dates on the organiser page. Starter is free for 50 prizes. Premium unlocks the full database, filters, and deadline tracking.
Why trawling society sites fails
A single college hub, or a careers page of organiser names, will not show you everything you can enter this month.
Official pages go quiet. The RCS England medical student prizes page still said it was not accepting applications on 10 September 2026, and listed Harold Ellis winners from 2012 to 2016. It does not list prizes from other surgical societies.
Charity and careers pages are organiser names without live dates. The RMBF competitions page names 12 organisations that run student competitions and says the list is not exhaustive (retrieved 10 September 2026). There is no specialty or stage filter, and there are no deadlines to save.
| What you need | College hub or name list | Prizology |
|---|---|---|
| Cross-organiser search | No | Yes |
| Filter by specialty and stage | No | Premium |
| Deadline bookmarks | No | Premium |
| Official source link | Sometimes | Every listing |
Step 1: Create a free account and open search
You need an account to browse. Starter is free: 50 prizes and basic keyword search, with no card. Specialty and stage filters, bookmarks, and the rest of the 500+ listings are on Premium.
Before you start, pick a specialty or clinical interest (or a keyword you already recognise) and one type you can finish this term: essay, award, bursary, abstract, or poster. Allow about 15 minutes. This is beginner level.
- Browse prizes free and create an account.
- Land on search.
- Type a specialty, a prize name, or a society.
- Open the first matching card. You should see a title, a type, and a source link without leaving Prizology.
Step 2: Filter by type, specialty, and stage
Start with type. Essay competitions, awards, bursaries, abstracts, and posters are different opportunities. Mixing them is how people spend a term on funding that is not a prize.
- Open opportunities by type or set the type filter in search.
- Set specialty to the one you are building toward, or keep it broad for open essays.
- Set stage so you only see student or doctor-in-training prizes you can enter.
- Ignore anything that does not match.
If you want an essay, start on essay competitions. Specialty and stage filters are a Premium feature on the pricing page (retrieved 10 September 2026). Starter still searches by keyword.
See how search, filters, and bookmarks work if you want the screens before you sign in.
Step 3: Bookmark a shortlist and watch closing dates
You will not reopen a screenshot folder in week nine. Save the prizes you will enter, then use closing dates so you are not hunting again next month.
- Bookmark five to ten prizes that match type and stage.
- Scan closing dates. Work backwards from what shuts first.
- Open saved items once a week. New prizes and refreshed deadlines are added every week (Features).
- Do not rebuild a society-by-society crawl. Open the shortlist.
Bookmarks and deadline tracking are Premium. Starter readers hit this wall on purpose. Unlock bookmarks and the full database when you are ready to track rather than browse.
Step 4: Confirm the organiser page from the listing
Open the official URL from the card before you write a word.
We check listings and link the source. Organisers still change dates without telling anyone. Confirm deadlines, eligibility, and application details on the organiser site before you submit. That is the rule on how we keep listings current, and it applies to you as well as to our cards.
- Open the official link on the listing.
- Check year of study, geography, and student versus foundation stage.
- Check word count, evidence type, and any membership rule on that prize page.
- Copy the deadline from the organiser page. If the card and the source disagree, the source wins.
- If a listing looks wrong, use dashboard feedback or contact us.
Do not go back to college homepages to find the next prize. Return to search, filter again, and confirm the next card the same way.
When to stay on Starter and when to go Premium
| Starter | Premium | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free, no card | £20 a year, or £5 a month |
| Listings | 50 prizes | All 500+ prizes, awards, and grants |
| Search | Basic keyword search | Keyword plus specialty and stage filters |
| Tracking | None | Bookmarks and closing dates |
| Updates | Browse what is in the 50 | New prizes added every week |
Figures are from Starter versus Premium, retrieved 10 September 2026. The 500+ count is a live site claim, not a dated extract. Re-check the pricing page if you are deciding today.
Campus licences give every student the same database instead of leaving discovery to word of mouth. Ask about campus access if you buy for a school.
Common mistakes
People skip the account and Google college sites instead. Search inside Prizology, then confirm the source.
Do not treat one college homepage as the full list. If that hub is empty, go back to the filter rather than opening another society URL.
Do not save eighty screenshots when five to ten bookmarks would do. You will not work that folder. Premium tracking is the shortlist.
Do not mix bursaries into a prize hunt. A bursary is usually money. Change type on opportunities rather than keeping funding in a prize shortlist.
Do not write the essay before you open the organiser page. Listings can lag. Confirm, then write.
Do not repeat the whole internet search every month. Open bookmarks and weekly updates, and confirm anything that closes soon.
Frequently asked questions
Where do I find medical prizes in the UK?
On Prizology. Filter by type, specialty, and stage, then confirm dates on the organiser page before you apply.
Do I have to check every royal college website?
No. Open the official URL from the listing when you are ready to apply.
Do I need an account?
Yes. Starter browses 50 prizes with keyword search. Premium unlocks the full database, filters, and bookmarks (Features, retrieved 10 September 2026).
How do I keep up with new deadlines?
Bookmark a shortlist. New prizes and refreshed dates are added every week. Confirm the organiser page before you submit.
Are the listings always current?
We verify weekly and link the official source. Details can lag. Confirm on the organiser site and read listing accuracy.