Since 2022, the ABIM Foundation’s Building Trust Essay Contest has offered students and trainees of health professions an opportunity to share how they have or are building trust with their schools, faculty, peers, family, patients, and communities.
The 2026 Building Trust Essay Contest invites students and trainees to reflect on a moment when medical professionalism helped you respond to or overcome a structural or systemic challenge in a way that built or strengthened trustorimproved care.
We’re looking for real-world stories that show how professionalism shows up in practice — not just as a personal value, but as a shared responsibility among individuals, teams, and systems.
Up to four winners will be invited to attend the 2026 ABIM Foundation Forum in Stowe, Vermont (July 25–28, 2026). Travel, lodging, and meals will be covered. Learn more about the ABIM Foundation Forum.
Submission deadline: March 30, 2026
- Learn more about the contest.
- Explore past essay prompts and read winning essays.
- Learn more about the ABIM Foundation Forum.
How you can help:
We’d appreciate your help spreading the word to students and trainees. You can support the contest by:
- Sharing the contest through email announcements, learning management systems, student portals, or intranets, include in newsletters, and promote on social media.
- Making announcements during classes, grand rounds, or student events.
- Including the contest in departmental or student organization newsletters.
- Posting on social media
- Encouraging students to reflect and submit their essays.
Direct students to: abimfoundation.org/2026EssayContest
Jump to: Social Media Promotion | Newsletter/Website/Blog Copy | Flyer
Social Media Promotion
- Utilize the provided hashtags in your posts: #BuildingTrustEssayContest
- Follow and tag ABIM Foundation on LinkedIn and X (formerly Twitter).
Images:
Suggested Posts:
The ABIM Foundation is now accepting submissions for the 2026 #BuildingTrustEssayContest! Health professions students and trainees are invited to reflect on how medical professionalism has built trust or improved patient care. Winners will be invited to the 2026 ABIM Foundation Forum (all expenses paid). Submit stories by March 30. abimfoundation.org/2026EssayContest
What does medical professionalism look like when health care systems are strained? The 2026 #BuildingTrustEssayContest invites students and trainees to reflect on moments when professionalism helped build trust or improve care in the face of structural or systemic challenges. Winning essayists will be invited to the 2026 ABIM Foundation Forum (all expenses paid). abimfoundation.org/2026EssayContest
Students in the health professions: Has an experience with a patient or a peer changed how you think of medical professionalism? Essays are due March 30. #BuildingTrustEssayContest. abimfoundation.org/2026EssayContest
The 2026 #BuildingTrustEssayContest is open to students and trainees across health professions — medicine, nursing, pharmacy, PA, social work, PT, and more. Submit an original essay about medical professionalism, trust, and improving care in real-world settings. Deadline: March 30. abimfoundation.org/2026EssayContest
Trust in health care isn’t built by individuals alone. The ABIM Foundation’s 2026 #BuildingTrustEssayContest invites essays that explore how teams and systems can practice medical professionalism to strengthen trust and care. Winners will be invited to the 2026 ABIM Foundation Forum in Stowe, Vermont. abimfoundation.org/2026EssayContest
Deadline Push (Early March) – Here are posts drafted and directed at driving last minute subisisons in March
⏳ Deadline approaching! Health professions students and trainees: Submit your essay to the 2026 #BuildingTrustEssayContest by March 30. Share how medical professionalism helped you navigate a challenge and build trust in care. abimfoundation.org/2026EssayContest
How have you worked to build trust with patients or communities in a system that doesn’t always make it easy? The 2026 #BuildingTrustEssayContest wants to hear your story. Submissions open until March 30. abimfoundation.org/2026EssayContest
Newsletter/Website/Blog Copy
As health professionals, trust forms the cornerstone of our relationships—with patients, colleagues, and communities—and is a central aspect of improving health care.
The ABIM Foundation is accepting submissions for the 2026 Building Trust Essay Contest. Health professions students and trainees are invited to share a story (750 words or fewer) about a moment when medical professionalism helped build trust or improve care in the face of a systemic or structural challenge. Up to four winners will be invited to attend the 2026 ABIM Foundation Forum in Stowe, Vermont (travel and lodging covered). Deadline: March 30, 2026.
Learn more about the contest and submit your essay: abimfoundation.org/2026EssayContest
Shorter Blurb:
Health professions students: Submit a 750-word essay to the 2026 ABIM Foundation Building Trust Essay Contest for a chance to attend the 2026 ABIM Foundation Forum in Stowe, Vermont (expenses paid). Deadline: March 30, 2026.
