WMHSIG Essay Prize

The Women's Mental Health Special Interest Group (WMHSIG) Essay Prize is an annual writing competition with a new theme each year.

The theme for the 2025 prize will be listed on this page, once announced (summer 2025).

  • Prize: £100 + free attendance at our annual conference
  • Word count: 2,000 words maximum (excluding references)
  • Eligibility: The prize is open to medical students studying in the UK, foundation doctors, psychiatry trainees and SAS doctors (with less than seven years full time equivalent experience of working in psychiatry) who are members of the RCPsych (including pre-membership as a psychiatry trainee).
  • Deadline: Please send an anonymised copy of your essay to sigs@rcpsych.ac.uk - the 2025 deadline will be listed here once the theme is announced. 
How will entries be judged?

A panel of assessors from WMHSIG executive committee will review the entries. All essays will be double marked. A marking scheme will be used consisting of the following criteria:

  • Coherence of the narrative and clear structure
  • Correct grammar and language
  • Understanding of the topic
  • Originality of the ideas
  • Ability to engage the reader

Entrants should expect to hear the outcome by the end of October 2025 and the prize will be presented at our annual conference. If you have any questions, please contact sigs@rcpsych.ac.uk

You can read past essay winners below. Please note, the opinions expressed in these essays are those of the author, not of the College.

  • The prize was open to medical students studying in the UK, foundation doctors, psychiatry trainees and SAS doctors (with less than seven years full time equivalent experience of working in psychiatry) who are members of the RCPsych (including pre-membership as a psychiatry trainee).
  • The title was "Women’s bodies- harm and healing"
  • Prize: £100 + free attendance at our annual conference

2024 Winner

2024 Highly Commended

  • The prize was open to medical students and trainees of any stage studying/working in the UK, as well as SAS doctors with less than seven years full time equivalent experience of working in psychiatry. 
  • The title was "Lessons from matriarchs – and what do we still need to learn?"
  • Prize: £100 + free attendance at our Annual Conference.

2023 Winner

  • The prize was open to medical students and trainees of any stage.
  • The title was "Violence against Women and Girls: what is the role of psychiatry?"
  • Prize: £100 + free attendance at our Annual Conference + joining a panel discussion on the same theme at the conference.

2022 Winner

  • The prize was open to medical students and trainees of any stage.
  • The title was “How can the arts shine a light on women's wellbeing and mental health?”.
  • Prize: £100 + free attendance at our Annual Conference + joining a panel discussion on the same theme at the conference.

We had a great response to the call for entries and the standard was really high.

2021 Winner

  • The prize was open to medical students and trainees of any stage.
  • The title was “The Female Psychiatrist in the 21st Century: A Vision of the Future”
  • Prize: £100 + free attendance at our 4 December Annual Conference + joining a panel discussion on the same theme at the conference

We had a great response to the call for entries and the standard was really high.

2020 Winner

Highly commended

Read more to receive further information regarding a career in psychiatry