We are delighted to invite submissions from undergraduate* medical students in UK Medical Schools for the 2026 Prof Iain Wilkinson Essay Prize. The prize is awarded in honour of Prof Iain Wilkinson, Professor of Magnetic Resonance Physics at the University of Sheffield who died in 2020. Prof Wilkinson was a leading figure in UK clinical brain imaging research and a long-standing friend and associate member of the British Society of Neuroradiologists.
Details of the 2027 award will be posted in due course.
2026 Winners
We are pleased to announce the 2026 winners of the Prof Iain Wilkinson Essay Prize, and you can read their winning entries below.
The title was: "Data, Consent, and the Public Good: Governance Challenges in Neuroradiological Research Engagement?"
Winner: Daniele Cotton, Imperial College London, 5th Year
You can read their winning essay here.
Runner Up: Sadeed Choudhury, Kings College London, 4th Year
You can read their essay here.
Previous Winners
2025
The title was: "Neuroradiology in a world with changing climate: How can we make our specialty more sustainable?"
Winner: Abhishek Saha, University of Oxford, 5th Year
![](https://bsnr.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/IMG_5628.jpeg")
You can read his winning essay here.
Runner Up: Mr Rohan Singh, University of Cambridge, 2nd Year
You can read his winning essay here.
Previous Winners
2024
The title was: "Should all neuroradiology examinations be reviewed by specialist neuroradiologists? How to manage the increasing neuroradiology reporting backlog when workload significantly outstrips the specialist reporting workforce."
Winner - Mr Aparajith Sathish Kumar – University of Dundee, 3rd year
You can read his winning essay here.
Runner Up - Miss Elizabeth Zachariah - University of Cambridge, 4th year
You can read her essay here.
2023
The topic was How can patient involvement shape neuroimaging research?
The winner was M Shihabul Hassan, a fifth year medical student at Birmingham. You can read his essay here: Hassan_2023
The runner up was Sophie Curran, a fourth year medical student at Sheffield. You can read her essay here: Curran_2023
2022 Winners
The winners for the 2022 Prof Iain Wilkinson Essay Prize addressed the question ‘Will artificial intelligence support or replace neuroradiologists 10 years from now?’
The 2022 winner is Syed Muzaffar Abbas, final year medical student at the University of Southampton. Syed receives the £250 Essay Prize. The judges were highly complimentary of Syed’s thoroughly researched and well written essay. Read it here.
The Judges also highly commended the essay by Divine Mwawasi, 2nd year medical student at St Andrew’s who receives the £150 Runner-Up prize. Read it here.
