EULAR Edgar Stene Prize Competition 

Every year, the competition is co-ordinated by EULAR PARE. Competition details are distributed to the EULAR PARE member organisations so they can run the competition nationally. The Edgar Stene Prize is awarded at the Opening Plenary Session of the EULAR European Congress of Rheumatology to the person with an RMD submitting the best essay describing their individual experience of living with their condition around a specific topic.

Participate in the next competition through a EULAR PARE national member organisation! Call now open!


2023 EULAR Edgar Stene Prize topic:
“How better communication with my doctor improved my life with an RMD”
 
 

 

See the list of EULAR PARE Member Organisations


Congratulations to the 2023 winner and finalists!

First prize 
“Your daughter has arthritis, trust me” 
by Shauna O'Connor

" Don’t try to blend in. Your pain will still be there whether you say something or not. The difference is, it doesn’t have to be that bad. You deserve to have adjustments made in your life to make things less difficult. Ask for help with long queues, ask for the exam support in university, ask about the medication you are being prescribed, ask for any and all supports available to you. I plan to                                                      keep using my voice, because at the end of the day it is my future and I believe                                                      it deserves to be as pain free as possible."

                                                   (Read the full essay)



Runner-up 
'The Waiting Room ' 
by Stefanie Hulst

"What do you want to do?” With that one simple question he gave me ownership back over my treatment, and my life. He pointed his pen to a strange balloon-like structure between the bones of my wrist on the computer screen. “The MRI you asked me to do clearly shows a ganglion.” A fluid-filled cyst in the wrist joint capsule, he explained. "Unfortunately, it’s in a location we can’t get to, so we 
                                                     can’t remove it." He looked at me and waited patiently for the explanation to sink                                                       in. Then I asked: "What are my options?" 

                                                    (Read the full essay)



Third place 
'Between hope and trepidation' 
by Annette Vogt

"This situation and others showed me what a difference good communication makes and how I feel so much better as a result. For people on the outside these may seem like trivial questions. “How did your exams go?” “Are you on holiday now?” or “What are you doing for your holidays?” That shows me that I’m not just viewed as a patient with a disease, I'm viewed as a real person with goals and                                                           projects in my life." 

                                                    (Read the full essay)



Meet the EULAR Edgar Stene Prize 2023 Jury


Names listed from left to right:

  • Zoltan Szekanecz, Scientific Member Societies Vice President
  • Jeanette Andersen, Leader of the EULAR PARE Editorial Board, PARE Committee Member and Leader of the Stene Prize 2022 Jury
  • Hristina Bankova, Stene Prize winner 2020
  • Joana Vicente, EULAR Young PARE member
  • Anette Slåtta, Vice Chairman of BURG, the Youth Organisation of the Norwegian Rheumatism Association
  • Leticia LeonHealth Psychologist PhD Researcher, Rheumatology Unit, Hospital Clinico San Carlos  


Who can apply

EULAR PARE Member Organisations invite people living with RMDs (minimum age of 18 years) in their respective countries to participate in the competition by writing and submitting an essay on the topic of the year. Essays may be written in any national language and should not exceed two typewritten pages. 

Direct entries to EULAR will not be accepted.

Deadline for submissions by EULAR PARE member organisations: 20 January 2023


Competition rules

The 2023 EULAR Edgar Stene Prize competition rules are distributed to EULAR PARE Member Organisations so they can run the competition nationally.

Member organisations select the best entry from their country to submit to the EULAR Office for judging by the Edgar Stene Prize Jury.

The winners are selected by the 2023 Edgar Stene Prize Jury, to be announced on 15 March 2023. The first prize will be awarded at the Opening Plenary session taking place at the EULAR European Congress of Rheumatology, EULAR 2023, 31 May.


Prizes

The competition has a first prize money of EUR 1,000 including a travel bursary to attend the EULAR 2023 Opening Plenary session and an invitation to the EULAR Congress dinner in Milan*. Second and third prizes are awarded with prize money of EUR 700 and EUR 300 respectively. 

See the 2023 EULAR Edgar Stene Prize competition rules for more details.


About the Edgar Stene Prize

First awarded in June 1975 during the EULAR European Congress of Rheumatology in Helsinki-Finland, the Edgar Stene Prize was created by EULAR to honour the memory of Edgar W Stene.

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Related Information
Stene Prize Booklets

Access the Stene Prize booklets from previous competition editions to read the inspiring and moving stories from its winners:

2022  
How treating my RMD has influenced my hopes for the future  
2021
How digital solutions benefit my life as a person with an RMD  
2020
Being a person with a rheumatic or musculoskeletal disease – How my voluntary work benefits me
2019
My ideal employer - Work without barriers for people with rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases 
2018

My personal champion - Supporting my everyday life with a rheumatic and musculoskeletal disease    


2017
Don’t Delay, Connect Today - Early diagnosis and access to care in rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases – the ideal world and the reality    

2016


Living with a rheumatic or musculoskeletal disease – How I take action to enjoy life to the full   
2015
Taking control of my life: working together with health professionals to take control of my personal goals    
2014
Vision 2043: My ideal world for people with rheumatic or musculoskeletal diseases  
2013
Growing up or growing older - my secret for ageing with a rheumatic or musculoskeletal disease   
2012
Overcoming the challenges of getting around with a rheumatic or musculoskeletal disease
2011 How exercise improves my life with a rheumatic disease      
2010 Living with a rheumatic disease - my daily reality  
2009 Rare but no less severe: the challenge of coping with a rare rheumatic disease 

EULAR in the context of persons living with RMDs

EULAR exists to reduce the burden of RMDs on individuals and society, and to improve treatment, prevention and rehabilitation outcomes. It demonstrates the impact of RMDs on society, the economy and individuals – including families and loved ones.
The EULAR family gives its time to share experiences of living or working with a condition, and to raise awareness of the need for early diagnosis and the right treatment at the right time.

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