Spotlight on the Medicine 2026 abstract competition
Last month, as part of the RCP annual conference, we hosted the Medicine 2026 abstract competition, welcoming authors from all career grades to showcase their ideas and hard work to the RCP community.
Video: Hear from medical students and resident doctors, presenting abstracts on the day.
This year we were delighted to receive 540 abstract submissions, 303 of which were shortlisted into the second stage of the competition and asked to submit a poster. With many candidates presenting their work on site at Regent’s Park, the occasion reflected an impressive breadth of research. Judges praised the excellent standard of presentations, noting how enthusiastic, engaging and clearly passionate presenters were about their work, which fostered lively discussion among attendees and expert judges alike.
The competition would not have been possible without the generous support of more than 70 volunteer judges, who gave their time and expertise throughout. Judges described the experience as a privilege and a joy, highlighting the energising conversations and the opportunity to learn from work beyond their own specialties. Judges also commented that opportunities like this matter enormously: they give resident doctors a platform to share their ideas, build confidence, and engage with the wider medical community in a meaningful way.
That was certainly evident in our winner of the best presentation award, Dr Stefan Sepamalai, who is currently a foundation doctor. Stefan shared that he ‘thoroughly enjoyed participating in the Med26 abstract competition, where the high standard of presentations and diverse research were truly inspiring. The conference offered a welcoming yet intellectually stimulating environment, with excellent opportunities for discussion, networking, and learning. Winning was an unexpected honour and a significant confidence boost, making the recognition especially rewarding.'
‘I would highly encourage other resident doctors to take part, as it’s a great platform to showcase work, develop skills and connect with peers.’
Congratulations to Stefan and all our other winners and runners up, who you can find on the Medicine 2026 platform alongside our virtual exhibition that showcases all of our participants’ posters. Don’t forget to take a look at the conference photos too! Looking ahead, the next opportunity to submit an abstract and share your work will be in the Med+ 2026 abstract competition. Submissions open this summer, with the competition concluding at the RCP’s largest specialty conference, Med+ 2026, taking place on 23–24 November 2026 at the RCP at Regent’s Park and online. Please note, this competition is open to resident doctors only. Updates will be shared in the coming weeks on the RCP website. For non-resident career grades, the next opportunity for you to take part in a competition will be at Medicine 2027. Keep an eye out for further details which will be released later this year.
Medicine 2026 may be over, but the learning doesn’t stop
Across 2 days of expert-led sessions, Medicine 2026 brought together leading voices to explore the biggest challenges and opportunities in modern healthcare, from the rapid evolution of AI to the realities of delivering care in communities. If you couldn’t make every session live, want to revisit the insights that matter most to your day-to-day practice or buy an online pass now, Medicine 2026 content is still open to access. On-demand access is available until September, keeping you connected to the conversations shaping the future of medicine. Access, pause, replay whenever it suits you. Secure your on-demand ticket today.
This article was produced for the June 2026 version of Commentary, the RCP's membership magazine.