9 award-winning health articles every health writer should read

by Michelle Guillemard

As writers, we read widely in order to improve our craft. While it’s important to read a variety of writing styles, formats, publications and subject matters – and not just health topics – following writers who have had their work commended is a great way to improve.

Analysing articles written by award-winning writers, recognised for their superior storytelling abilities, meticulous medical research and ability to marry a unique perspective with excellent communication skills, can help you to become a better health writer.

Whether you want to improve your storytelling technique, sentence structure, topic ideas or communication for a lay audience, striving to produce content of a similar standard to industry-recognised authors will enable you to develop your writing skills and techniques.

While many of the award-winning health articles listed below are long-form features, which may not be the style of writing you specialise in, you can still learn a lot from them. For example:

Medical research – these writers describe research in accurate way and include the right amount of detail
Interviews – consider who the writers have chosen to interview (both health experts as well as case studies) and study the way they quote their sources
The beginning – many award-winning feature articles begin with a compelling, emotional story which engages readers immediately
Flow and sentence structure – as great writers, these authors know how to string sentences together to create meaningful, interesting and impactful dialogue
Topic – award-winning health articles often cover unusual or unique stories that don’t get a lot of mainstream media coverage

Every year, hundreds of competitions and awards around the world celebrate excellence in health and medical writing. The publications, associations and companies awarding health, medical and scientific articles include universities, medical journals, research institutions, industry associations and health professional associations.

Familiarising yourself with the judging criteria is important as it helps you to understand the specific reasons why the article won. Some judges may be looking at the quality and breadth of research, while others might consider the writer’s storytelling ability, natural writing style and original topic.

Here are nine award-winning health articles, mostly long-form features, which have won prestigious writing awards in the past couple of years.

Guns & Suicide – The Hidden Toll

Award: Grand Gold Award, Best Article of the Year
Awarder: Council for the Advancement and Support of Education (CASE)
Author: Madeline Drexler
Publication: Harvard Public Health

Light-bulb Moments for a Nonprofit

Award: ASJA Writing Awards, Arlene, 2015
Awarder: American Society of Journalists and Authors
Author: Christine Larson
Publication: New York Times

In the Wake of a Typhoon, a Surprising Discovery: Part One

Award: ASJA Writing Awards, Outstanding Article – Dramatic Narrative, 2015
Awarder: American Society of Journalists and Authors
Author: David Page
Publication: Take Part

The Utilization and Impact of Core Needle Biopsy Diagnosis on Breast Cancer Outcomes in British Columbia

Award: J.H. MacDermot Writing Award 2014
Awarder: BC Medical Journal
Authors: Kristy Cho, Scott Tyldesley, MD, FRCPC, Caroline Speers, BA, Barbara Poole Lane, MPA, Karen A. Gelmon, MD, FRCPC, Christine Wilson, MD, FRCPC
Publication: BC Medical Journal