Past GLADD Writing Prizes

In 2022 we launched the inaugural Student Prize for all UK medicine & dentistry students and Foundation Year doctors to present a piece of writing on a theme related to LGBTQ+ healthcare. The competition gave participants the opportunity to explore an area of healthcare that is often neglected in medical school curricula and present their findings to a panel of high-profile judges in a way that promotes creativity and originality in their work. A second iteration of the prize was launched in 2024.

A third iteration has launched for 2025, with two separate competitions; one for students, one for early-career doctors and dentists.

In 2024 we ran the GLADD Student Prize for a second time, inviting medical and dental students to present a creative submission in any form on the subject of 'The History of LGBTQ+ Medicine'.

Prizes were awarded by our special guest judges, Zoë Playdon and Adam Kay, in collaboration with GLADD committee members.

Winning Entries:

1st place: Lucy White - University College London Medical School: 'The Legacy of Ghosts'

First runner-up: Devni Peramunugamage - Imperial College London Medical School: 'A Cure That Erases'

Second runner-up: Sana Gharaee - Keele University Medical School: 'Prescription of Identity: A Century of Isolation, Struggle, and Hope'

In the inaugural Student Prize, we invited all UK medicine & dentistry students and Foundation Year doctors to present a piece of writing in any form under 1000 words on the subject of ‘LGBTQ+ Healthcare’. Congratulations to our 2022 winners, and in particular to our 1st place winner, whose work 'The Greying Rainbow' has now been published in the BMJ.

Prizes were awarded by our judging panel, made up of GLADD committee members and special judges Jacqueline Wilson and Adam Kay.

Winning Entries:

1st place: Aphra Luchesa Smith - 'The Greying Rainbow'

First runner-up: Shree Vijayakumar - 'Five Things You Can See'

Second runner-up: Johanna Russell - 'The Power of a Pin' and Francesca Bookham - 'The Lady with MS'