Dr. Hope Babette Tang Humanism in Healthcare Essay Contest

Eligibility, Selection Criteria, and Process

Following are details about 2026 Dr. Hope Babette Tang Humanism in Healthcare Essay Contest eligibility and the review and selection process. This year, the contest expanded to include graduate psychology students. Read the announcement.

Here was the 2026 quote used as the essay prompt: “Face-to-face conversation is the most human—and humanizing—thing we do. Fully present to one another, we learn to listen. It’s where we develop the capacity for empathy. It’s where we experience the joy of being heard, of being understood.” — Sherry Turkle, PhD

The 2026 essay contest is now closed. Applicants will be notified of their status by the end of May.

Eligibility

The Dr. Hope Babette Tang Humanism in Healthcare Essay Contest is open to:

Beginning in 2026, the Dr. Hope Babette Tang Humanism in Healthcare Essay Contest will expand to include psychology students, who will join medical and nursing students in this annual opportunity for reflection on humanism in healthcare. This expansion reflects the Gold Foundation’s emphasis on the importance of interprofessional collaboration and humanistic care across all roles and healthcare fields.

  • Nursing students must be pursuing a bachelor’s degree or higher (i.e. master’s, doctorate, etc. are acceptable).
  • Medical students who are enrolled at schools with at least preliminary accreditation status from AAMC or AACOM. Students at international medical schools that have a Gold Humanism Honor Society (GHHS) chapter are also eligible.
  • Psychology students must be enrolled in a psychology doctoral program at an accredited institution.

Terms and Conditions

By submitting an essay, you agree to abide by the following:

  1. I am committed to protecting the right to privacy of patients and others. I have changed names where applicable, and have omitted or altered other identifying characteristics of individuals and contexts within my essay.
  2. I verify that this essay meets the ethical and HIPAA requirements of my educational institution and that I have obtained any necessary permissions to submit this essay.
  3. I grant The Arnold P. Gold Foundation permission to publish all or parts of my essay on their website, in Academic Medicine, the Journal of Professional Nursing, Journal of Health Service Psychology or another academic journal, and in other venues to promote the Essay contest.
  4. I signify that I am the sole author of this essay, that I have written all sentences myself and that no sentences were written by AI, that all sources of information have been properly acknowledged, and that it has not been published elsewhere.
  5. I signify that I will not submit this essay simultaneously to other contests or publications.
  6. If my essay should win the Dr. Hope Babette Tang Humanism in Healthcare Essay Contest, I will postpone any further publication routes until the essay has first appeared in (for medical or nursing student winners) both Academic Medicine, the journal of the Association of American Medical Colleges, and The Journal of Professional Nursing, of the American Association of Colleges of Nursing, or (for psychology student winners) the Journal of Health Service Psychology, of the National Register of Health Service Psychologists.
  7. Any subsequent publication shall include a note that it was originally published in the title of the relevant journal (Academic Medicine and The Journal of Professional Nursing; or Journal of Health Service Psychology) as a winning essay of The Arnold P. Gold Foundation’s Dr. Hope Babette Tang Humanism in Healthcare Essay Contest.
  8. The Gold Foundation reserves the right to disallow essays based on editorial, ethical or other considerations.

Review Process

The Gold Foundation includes outside experts to support the review process and make recommendations to the Gold Foundation.

Judges will be looking for essays that connect strongly to the Gold Foundation’s mission of humanism in healthcare for all. Winning essays will illuminate how the human connection can make a meaningful difference in care.

Based on these external recommendations and internal reviews from Gold Foundation staff, Essay Contest winners are selected based on the following criteria:

  • Reflects the annual contest prompt and resonates with the mission of the Gold Foundation.
  • Narrative content (the piece is compelling, thought-provoking, and/or elicits a strong emotional response by the reader)
  • Demonstrates strong writing style (grammar, spelling, structure, etc)

The Gold Foundation champions humanism in healthcare, which we define as clinically excellent care that is kind, safe, and trustworthy. Winners of the Essay Contest are expected to reflect these values in daily practice and to continuously strive to be exemplars of humanism in healthcare.

How to Enter

The 2026 essay contest is now closed. Applicants will be notified of their status by the end of May.

To learn about the opening of the essay contest and the announcement of winners each year, sign up for the Gold Foundation’s monthly newsletter, News and Notes.

Honoring the Winners

Winners receive a monetary award of up to $1,000 for first place, $500 for second place, and $250 for third place.

The nursing and medical student essays will be published both in Academic Medicine, the journal of the Association of American Medical Colleges, and The Journal of Professional Nursing, published by the American Association of Colleges of Nursing. The psychology student essays will be published in the Journal of Health Service Psychology.

Winners of the 2025 Dr. Hope Babette Tang Humanism in Healthcare Essay Contest have been announced.