Essay Prize 2025 - closed
Winner 2025 - Dr Olga Pawlik
Sunscreen is central to skin cancer prevention, but its effectiveness is undermined by myths, underuse, and improper application technique.
Katie’s testimonial story illustrates how misinformation influences behaviour, even in health-conscious individuals.
Honorable mentions 2025
Honorable runner-ups for the 2025 Essay Prize competition
- Sayana Santhirasegar - 5th year medical student, Imperial College London
- Karishma Mahtani - International Medical Trainee, Barts and the London
- Chelsea Butler - 3rd year medical student, University of Ottawa
A great opportunity for budding dermatologists
Getting a dermatology specialty training number in the UK has become increasingly difficult and the extracurricular requirements are often overwhelming. Dimitrios Karponis, an ST4 Academic Clinical Fellow in dermatology, together with Altruist, would like to motivate budding dermatologists to achieve their dream. The winner will receive a 1-to-1 mentorship from Dimitrios himself, £100 and the whole range of Altruist products (except the Altruist 1 litre bottles)!
Who can join?
Medical students and doctors in early training (FY1-IMT3 in the UK, or medical school graduates from overseas prior to SpR/resident training) are eligible to participate.
Topic 2025 - closed
Several studies support the effectiveness of SPF in reducing skin cancer and photoaging. It is undeniable that, due to Global Warming and the increased impact of UV radiation, proper sun awareness and prevention is of the essence. Yet, with the rising of social media and influencers, the number of false claims and myths on the usage of sunscreen is increasing. Therefore, the topic for 2025 is; How can we debunk false myths on the usage of sunscreen?
How does this work?
The prize will run on a yearly basis, with a different question every year. The essays will be marked by a multidisciplinary team of dermatologists, scientists or medical anthropologists in different stages of training.
The 2025 Essay Prize is now closed - we'd like to thank all contestants for their participation and great inspiration, too. See you in 2026!
Please submit your entries as a word document to our mail address below, with the title “essay prize” and including your name and stage of training. Please ensure not to include any personal identifiable information in the essay document.
In case you have any questions, please contact suncream.prize@gmail.com
Formatting
Referencing: Please use the Vancouver referencing style for any citations.
Figures: Maximum of 2 allowed.
Maximum word count: 1000 (excluding any figure legends, title and citations)
Feedback: Feedback will not be provided for the entries.