The William Bynum Essay Prize for 2023 is now open. The deadline for submissions is 31 March 2023.

The editors of Medical History, in conjunction with The Royal Society of Medicine, have established this prize with the aim of encouraging, recognizing and promoting high-quality research among postgraduate and early career scholars.

The winner’s prize will consist of:

• Publication of the winning submission in Medical History £400 worth of CUP books.
• Other entries of quality may be invited to publish their submission in the journal.

Editorial statement from Medical History

Medical History is a refereed journal devoted to all aspects of the history of medicine, health and related sciences, with the goal of broadening and deepening the understanding of the field, in the widest sense, by historical studies of the highest quality. The membership of the Editorial Board reflects the commitment to the finest international standards in refereeing of submitted papers and the reviewing of books. The journal publishes in English but welcomes submissions from scholars for whom English is not the first language; language and copy-editing assistance will be provided wherever possible.

The entry requirements are as follows:

• The Prize is open to anyone currently registered for a PhD (or equivalent), or to anyone within 3 years of their PhD viva (excepting career breaks*), without geographic limitation. * We define a career break as any extended period of time during which the applicant is not actively engaged in scholarly research or teaching at a Higher Education Institution. We reserve the right to define which activities constitute a career break.
• Submissions are to be no longer than 8,000 words, excluding footnotes and references. The article should be submitted through the journal’s online submission system.
  
• Submissions can be on any theme relating to the history of medicine and its related sciences. Any entry eligible for publication will be subjected to the journal’s normal process of blind peer review.
• When submitting the article, authors should indicate that they wish it to be considered for the Prize by filling in the relevant field ‘William Bynum Essay Prize’.
• Securing permission for the reproduction of illustrations and quotations from copyrighted material is the responsibility of the author.
• Submissions should conform to the guidelines for authors that appear on the journal’s website. 
• The closing date for entries will be 31 March each year.
  
• Entries submitted to the William Bynum Essay Prize must not be under consideration for publication elsewhere.
• All entries should be accompanied by a short biographical note in a separate document that includes a statement of how the author meets the eligibility requirements for the Prize.