The Student Voice Prize
Open for entries!
Here’s how it works:
Students have a maximum of 1,500 words to answer one of three questions set by the Student Voice Prize team.
To help inform their essay, the competition gives students the opportunity to speak with a rare disease patient or advocate through the patient pairing scheme.
Once the competition has ended our expert panel of judges selects the best essays to win our incredible prizes!
The competition is open for entries until 12:00 PM GMT on Wednesday the 13th of November.
Who can enter?
The Student Voice Prize is primarily aimed at medical students, but anyone studying medical and biological sciences is able to enter the competition.
It is an international competition! Wherever you are in the world you can submit an essay, however, all submissions have to be written in English.
Not sure if you’re eligible? Contact us at studentvoice@rarebeacon.org to find out.
You can submit an essay if you are studying any of the following:
Medicine
Nursing
Pharmacy
Biology
Pharmacology
Biomedical science
Genetics
and more!
The competition is open to undergraduate and master’s students only.
Entries from PhD students will not be accepted.
Check out the questions for 2024
Essays can be submitted between the 2nd October – 13th November.
Question 1
The priorities of young people should be high on the agenda in rare disease policy and action given that most rare conditions start in childhood and are lifelong.
Explore key issues amongst young people impacted by rare conditions. To what extent are their priorities represented in national and global health policy?
Question 2
Living with a rare condition can have a significant impact on childhood, adolescence, and the formative stages of adulthood. During these years, interactions with individual healthcare professionals can have a significant impact on a young person’s life and their relationship with their condition.
Using case studies, explore the impact of a rare condition on young people. You may wish to explore issues such as identity, social life, education and relationships with healthcare.
Reflecting on both the case studies and your own experiences, how can individual healthcare professionals create a positive healthcare experience for children and young people?
Question 3
Research can be a vital element of a patient’s management plan when they are living with a rare condition. It can bring hope and the chance to alleviate difficult symptoms or even prolong life. However, with small populations and conditions often starting at birth, research in rare disease can have major challenges.
Explore the challenges of conducting clinical research in children and young people with rare conditions. Reflect on the potential risks and benefits to the patient, their family and healthcare in general.
Case study consent
The Student Voice encourages all participating students to incorporate real-life stories from rare disease patients, advocates, and their families/caregivers as case studies in their essays.
It is of the utmost importance to share these stories without breaching anyone’s confidentiality. Students are advised to use pseudonyms where appropriate.
However, complete anonymity may not always be possible due to factors such as the prevalence and nature of the condition and the patient location. In specific cases where the student is sharing the story of a relative, anonymity is almost impossible to guarantee.
Therefore, it is essential that students obtain consent from the patient or advocate whose story they have referred to in their essay.
Consent should be obtained via this form provided by the SVP team, to be completed by the participating patient or advocate and submitted by the student at the same time as their essay.
You must obtain a consent form in the following cases:
- If you participated in the SVP patient pairing scheme you must submit a signed consent form.
- If you have not participated in the patient pairing scheme, but your essay contains information that could lead to identification of an individual, you must submit a signed consent form. For example, you may have included your own case studies of person(s) living with rare condition(s). These individuals could be identifiable if they are a member of your family or due to the prevalence of the condition they represented or their location.
A consent form is not required in the following cases
- If your essay does not contain any patient-identifiable information.
Before submitting your essay please ensure you have read the competition’s rules and regulations!
Don’t miss your chance to be paired with a patient!
Don’t forget you also have the opportunity to take part in our Patient Pairing Scheme! This gives you the chance to speak to a rare disease advocate to learn first-hand about their condition and patient experience.
The insights gained during the conversation should be used to inform and enhance your essay.
Please note the scheme is only open for a limited amount of time. If you’d like to take part, you must apply before Wednesday the 30th of October.
Learn more about the Patient Pairing Scheme!