How do I enter?

To enter this year’s Student Voice competition, you need to answer one of the following questions in no more than 1,500 words:

Q1. Patients are the most important group of people involved in a clinical trial, but many do not feel respected or listened to. With reference to rare disease examples, evaluate existing approaches to patient engagement in clinical research and suggest ideas for the future.

Q2. Living with a rare disease is a life-long learning experience in which patients become experts in their own disease. Use a case study to demonstrate what future doctors can learn from patients with rare diseases.

Q3. The diagnosis and delivery of treatment for rare diseases can vary greatly from country to country. Compare and contrast rare disease healthcare provision of two countries of your choice. You may want to focus on a specific disease or stage in the patient journey e.g. newborn screening, diagnosis, access to treatment or access to clinical trials.

Entries must accompanied by an entry form, and submitted by email to [email protected] by 9:00am on Monday 12th November.

Please review our rules and regulations before starting your essay.

Pair up with a patient group

Listening to the patient perspective is crucial to understand rare conditions. 

For the first time this year, we are giving you the opportunity to talk directly to a patient group representative in preparation for your essay. 

If you would like to take advantage of this opportunity please complete our patient pairing form and return it to [email protected] no later than Monday 29th October.