With a first prize of £500 and five runner-up prizes worth £100, entrants are presented with four protocols for hypothetical clinical trials. The protocols must then be assigned a rank, with a rating from one to four (one should be for a trial that is considered most likely to provide a reliable answer to the stated aim of the trial, and four for a trial that is least likely to do so).

Assessment should be based on the quality of the protocols, not the desirability of the aim. Each protocol starts with a ‘scientific background’ summarising previous relevant research. Entrants should assume this is work correctly cited from reliable sources.

HealthWatch, which promotes the assessment and testing of treatments, whether 'orthodox' or ' alternative', hopes the competition will encourage students to acquire skills for evaluating trials and interpreting results correctly, as well as giving publicity to colleges that best teach these skills to students.

Professor of nutritional biochemistry at University College London and previous chairman of HealthWatch David Bender said: ‘Some colleges put greater emphasis than others on teaching midwifery and nursing students how to evaluate clinical trials. This ability is essential if future generations of practitioners are to interpret the results correctly.’

The closing date for the competition is 30 June and entry forms can be obtained from the charity’s website at: www.healthwatch-uk.org