The BPJ prize is awarded each year at the Colleges National Conference (or research conference) to the best research and presentation. As part of the reciprocal agreements with partner organisations around the world, the College is expected to exchange conference speakers. This is a process that has now been taking place for several years.

The prize will be to present at an international conference with a partner organisation of the College. The College will fund the airfare and expenses to a total of £2000. Only a full member of the College can be the recipient of the prize.

Eligibility

Papers published in the BPJ within the previous 12 months (BPJ volume runs Jun to May) prior to the annual conference are eligible for selection to present at the conference and for consideration for the BPJ prize. A shortlist of 5 papers will be chosen by the editor-in-chief and members of the editorial board. The presenter has to be a full member of the College to be eligible for the prize. Articles which have a panel member as a named author are excluded from the competition. Editorial board members cannot be recipients of the prize but are allowed to be a named author on the paper. Previous winners are excluded from entering the competition in the subsequent year but are allowed to be a named author on a paper entered to be presented by someone else.

Selection of panel.

The panel will be made up of at least three representatives, invited from the: BPJ editorial board; Research and Development Advisory Committee; College board and other College members invited by the editor who are attending the conference.

Selection of articles to be presented at the college conference.

The editor and editorial board will select papers from the previous 12 months (BPJ volume runs Jun to May) for presentation at the College of Paramedics annual conference. The presenter at the conference must be a full member of the College and named author of the published paper.

Marking of presentation

At the college conference the judging panel will assess each of the eligible presenters and presentations considering:

• Originality of paper
• Impact of paper on practice
• Conclusion(s) appropriate to results presented
• Use of visual aids (Clear, easy to read and understand)
• Presenters ability to communicate their message, and to present within the allotted time.

 In addition, there will be an audience vote. This will not affect the outcome of the main prize, but the winner of the audience vote will also be recognised at the conference.

Awarding of the prize

The winner of the main prize will be decided by the judges and the prize will be awarded at the conference. In the event of disagreement, the final decision will rest with the editor-in-chief. In the event that the audience choice is the same as the main prize winner, the second placed entrant will be awarded the audience award.

Expectations of winner

• To write a conference report for paramedic insight or BPJ on their return from the international conference.
• To attend the conference within 12 months of winning unless exceptional circumstances.
• To act appropriately at the partners conference, as a representation of the College of Paramedics.

Previous winners

2017 - Greg Whitley: Does current pre-hospital analgesia effectively reduce pain in children caused by trauma, within a UK ambulance service? A service evaluation

2018 - Laura Blair: Comparison of manual and mechanical cardiopulmonary resuscitation on the move using a manikin: a service evaluation

2019 - Shaun Tierney: The utilisation of a structured debriefing framework within the pre-hospital environment: a service evaluation

2020 - Jamie Miles: Using vignettes to assess the accuracy and rationale of paramedic decisions on conveyance to the emergency department https://doi.org/10.29045/14784726.2019.06.4.1.6  

2021 - Ben Mays: An Exploration of UK Paramedics Experiences of Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation Induced Consciousness https://doi.org/10.29045/14784726.2021.3.5.4.9 

2022 - Matt Capsey: Ambulance service use by patients with lower back pain: an observational study https://doi.org/10.29045/14784726.2022.03.6.4.11

2023 - Richard Pilbery: The effect of a specialist paramedic primary care rotation on appropriate non-conveyance decisions (SPRAINED) study: a controlled interrupted time series analysis https://doi.org/10.29045/14784726.2022.06.7.1.9 

Page last updated: 21st December 2023