Undergraduate Pharmacology writing competition 2025/26

Now open: Undergraduate Pharmacology Writing Competition

Our first undergraduate pharmacology writing competition is now open!

This competition is an opportunity for our undergraduate members to showcase their work by submitting a longform article about their area of research or a pharmacology project they have undertaken. These articles should inform our members about the work or research you have been doing, provide up-to-date references, and explain why you think the topic is important.

The winner of the competition will receive a £100 cash prize from the British Pharmacological Society, and their article will be published on the BPS website. We may also select up to two runners-up, who will also have the opportunity to publish their article on the website.

To be in with a chance of having your voice heard and winning a £100 prize, submit your article before 23:59 on Monday 2nd February 2026.

How to apply

Articles should be between 800 and 1100 words, aimed at a public audience and follow our author guidelines. Images and figures can be included, but remember these must be understandable by a non-specialist audience. Any references should be added as hyperlinks to the relevant text. For more information about how to write an engaging article for the BPS, please read our guidance.

Please note, we can only accept original submissions. Articles will be reviewed by our Content Board and any amendments will be made with the consent of the author.

When your article is ready, please submit it via email to karim.akhtar@bps.ac.uk using the subject line ‘Pharmacology Matters UG Competition Entry’. Please submit your entry as a Word document along with any image files.

The closing date is 10:00 on Monday 2nd February 2026.

The entries will be judged anonymously by a panel of judges from the BPS Content Board. We are aiming to publish winning articles at the beginning of June 2026.

If you have any questions, please contact karim.akhtar@bps.ac.uk

Tips from our Editors

To support you with writing your article, Editor-in-Chief Dr Aisah Aubdool pulled together five top tips:

Confidence is key: A confident argument about a topic you’ve researched thoroughly will make for an article that both educates the audience but also encourages positive discussion.
Have a plan: List the points you want to cover in the article chronologically and always think about the end result of your project or research – who benefits from it, and how?
Bring your unique self to the article: Pick a topic/research field you’re truly interested in, perhaps something that influences your choice to be an ECP, or pharmacological innovations or therapies you have recently enjoyed learning about.
Engage the audience: Tell your story clearly, proofread your work and if possible, get feedback from your peers.
Enjoy the process: This is a chance to expand your writing skills and become better at sharing your science with the pharmacology community and beyond. Our editors will guide you to shape the article for publication – we want to hear your original thoughts and ideas and enable you to demonstrate your writing skills.

Editor Prof Steve Tucker says:

“What I always look for is an article that really stands out! To do that it needs to pull together the science into an interesting and engaging story that is entertaining, but also relevant. I want to be left in no doubt as to the significance of the work to me and society more broadly!

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