Scholarships, awards and prizes

The Royal College of Ophthalmologists offers a range of scholarships, awards and prizes every year to undergraduates, researchers and clinicians. Interested? Find out more here.

Each year, we offer a generous number of scholarships, travel awards and clinical/research fellowships in partnership with other organisations. These cover a wide variety of areas, from specialist research, to help with funding electives for undergraduates.

An award grant is a great way to enhance continued professional development and contribute to research, service development and audit for the benefit of eye care services in the UK.

Awards are added through out the year. Please watch out for announcements in EyeMail and on College social media platforms.  Direct any travel awards and scholarship enquiries to [email protected].

Please note: the Patrick Trevor-Roper Undergraduate Travel Award has come to an end. There is no replacement undergraduate travel award planned at this stage. If this changes, there will be an announcement via the usual channels: EyeMail, College social media platforms, and on this page.

Please see the ‘Examinations Awards’ tab below for details of all awards offered to examination candidates. Please note, all queries regarding examinations award should be directed to [email protected]

 

Open Awards

Jack Kanski Lifetime Award for an Outstanding Ophthalmic Educator 2025

The Royal College of Ophthalmologists is delighted to announce that nominations are now open for the Jack Kanski Award for an Outstanding Ophthalmic Educator 2025. The ethos of the award will be that the winner should have displayed a clear “passion for education”. The areas of recognition include – but are not limited to – educational activity, leadership and scholarship in education.

Jack Kanski was a consultant ophthalmologist whose influence was primarily in the transfer of knowledge. Having published over 30 textbooks, ophthalmologists and ophthalmic professionals around the world have benefited from his endeavours.

The Jack Kanski Award is a lifetime achievement award to recognise passion, commitment and achievement in Ophthalmic Education.  Nominations for this lifetime award are open to UK based members or Fellows of the RCOphth. Following a very generous endowment from Mrs Val Kanski (Jack Kanski’s wife) the awardee will receive £5000 in addition to the Jack Kanski Award.

The closing date for nominations is Monday 24 February 2025.

Further details, and the nomination form, can be found here.

The following awards are offered to examination candidates on an annual basis. Please direct any queries regarding these awards to [email protected]

 

Crombie Medal = Awarded for the highest mark in Part 1 FRCOphth on first attempt (October-April/May).

Elizabeth Hunt Medal = Awarded for the highest mark in Refraction Certificate on first attempt (for the previous year December/January to July).

Harcourt Medal = Awarded for the highest mark in Part 2 Oral on first attempt (November to April).

Dr Sadhu Ram Gupta Award = Highest mark in Part 2 Oral for overseas candidates only.

Awards & Prizes Reports

Read the reports from previous successful applicants and hear what they achieved with their awards and prizes.

Read more