Secondary schools

Entries must be received no later than 23:59 on Thursday 30 April 2026.

• Overall national winner(s) will have their entry displayed publicly for their local community to see. They will also each receive an Amazon voucher worth £50, an NHS goody bag and a framed certificate. They will also receive a class prize which will be discussed with the school.
• Regional winners will each receive an Amazon voucher worth £25, an NHS goody bag and a certificate.
• One highly commended certificate per pupil per entry will be awarded to the top entries per region.
• Winners will have their entries showcased in an online gallery.
• A digital ‘well done’ certificate will be available to download online to those who weren’t chosen as a national or regional winner, or as highly commended.

Whether they enter individually or as a pair, each pupil will receive a prize if they have a national or regional winning entry.

When judging students’ entries, we will be looking out for the following:

30%: Student appeal

• Fun, lively and appealing to peer group.
• Was the idea/solution showcased effectively?
• Does it have clear structure and presentation?

30%: Creativity

• Are there any creative ideas shown?
• Is there anything particularly innovative in its execution?
• Have the student(s) created something different?

40%: Understanding of chosen role

• Understanding of role in job advertisement and what it involves such as duties and tasks.
• Understanding of entry routes to chosen career including qualifications and skills needed.

Competition terms and conditions

1. The competition is open to all secondary schools in England only.
2. Group and individual entries will be accepted. Groups must comprise of no more than four students.
3. Only one entry per student or group of students will be accepted. There is no restriction on the number of entries received from schools.
4. All postal entries must clearly state student name(s), year group and school and be sent with completed teacher and student entry forms. Please see the entry page for more information.
5. Postal entries must be sent to FREEPOST STEP INTO THE NHS COMPETITION. The competition name must always appear in caps as shown. No other addressing details such as road, town or postcode should be used. Postal entries must be submitted with the official teacher and student entry forms.
6. Online submissions must be uploaded to the entry page. Each file must be named with the student(s)' names, year group and school. Please see the entry page for more information.
7. Additional material can accompany the entry should the student(s) and/or teacher feel it will enhance their submission.
8. Entries will only be accepted once all compulsory competition requirements have been included.
9. The closing date for the competition is 23:59 on Thursday 30 April 2026.
10. No responsibility will be accepted for entries lost or delayed in the post or incorrectly uploaded. Proof of posting will not be accepted as proof of delivery.
11. The panel of judges will include at least one member who is independent of the promoter. The decision of the judges is final and binding and no correspondence will be entered into.
12. The first prize will be awarded to the entry deemed by the judges to have met the judging criteria most comprehensively. This student or group of students will be announced as the ‘national winner’.
13. Seven regional winners will be selected, with one regional winner being chosen as the overall national winner. One regional winner will be chosen from each of the following regions: East of England, London, Midlands, North East and Yorkshire, North West, South East (excluding London) and South West.
14. The student or group of up to four students submitting the national winning entry will receive a prize for their school, offered the opportunity to see their entry displayed in public and each receive a goody bag, an Amazon voucher to the value of £50 and a framed certificate.
15. The student selected as regional winners will each receive a goody bag, a certificate and an Amazon voucher to the value of £25.
16. Highly commended certificates and best school entry certificates are awarded per entry, not per student.
17. Digital certificates will be available to download for teachers of pupils who were not selected as national or regional winners or as highly commended.
18. There is no cash alternative for any prize in this competition.
19. We will aim to notify winning schools in writing in June 2026.
20. Entries will not be returned to school at the end of the competition.
21. Winners will be listed on the NHS Health Careers website and the Step into the NHS online gallery in July 2026.
22. NHS England reserves the right to reproduce and utilise in whole or in part the entries submitted by students for information, publicity and promotional purposes. This includes entries being displayed in an online gallery page on the Step into the NHS website. By entering, each class agrees to secure parental agreement and authorises the use of names and addresses of the establishment to which it belongs and the names of participating teachers and students in any information, publicity or promotional activity linked to this competition.
23. Entering this competition implies full and complete acceptance of these terms and conditions of which entry instructions form a part. Promoter: NHS England. Registered address: NHS England, Wellington House, 133-135 Waterloo Road, London, SE1 8UG. (Please DO NOT send entries to this address. Thank you.)