ACCP is pleased to announce the return of the Clinical Research Challenge (CRC). This novel competition is targeted towards pharmacy students in their first two years of their first professional pharmacy degree program (P1 and P2 students for 4 year programs; P1 and P2 students for 3 year accelerated programs and the first two professional years of 0-6 or 0-7 year programs). Critically evaluating and applying primary literature is an essential skill for clinical pharmacists. Research and scholarship contributes to improved health outcomes for patients and advancements in the profession of clinical pharmacy. This innovative and unique competition offers teams of three pharmacy students to participate in an online journal club, and the opportunity to submit a letter of intent and a clinical research proposal. Plan now to participate in 2026.

Competition Overview

The ACCP Clinical Research Challenge is a team-based competition. Teams of three students will compete against teams from other schools and colleges of pharmacy nationwide in an online format. All eligible teams will have the opportunity to compete in Round 1: Online Journal Club. Teams achieving the top 40 scores after Round 1 will advance to Round 2: Letter of Intent Submission. In the event of any ties, the top 40 scores will be determined by the time required to complete the online journal club exam. All examinations will be time stamped. Time spent viewing instructional pages will NOT count toward your total examination time. The teams advancing to Round 2 will be given a clinically focused research question and have 2 ½ weeks to develop and submit a Letter of Intent online following the criteria outlined here.

Teams achieving the top 20 scores after the LOI round will be advanced to Round 3: Research Protocol design and invited to submit a complete research proposal. Teams will be notified regarding their status to participate in Round 3 via email by March 23, 2026. Proposals are due at 11:59 PM Central Time April 17, 2026. For more information click here.

Only one team per institution may enter the competition. Institutions with branch campuses, distance satellites, or more than one interested team are encouraged to conduct a local competition.

The teams with the top three research proposal submissions are requested to present their research design during a poster session at the 2026 Annual Meeting in Salt Lake City, Utah. In addition, each member of said teams will receive a complimentary Annual Meeting student meeting registration and a cash prize. Click here for additional prize information.

Students are not required to be members of ACCP to participate. Team registration should be submitted online and must be initiated by a current faculty member at the respective institution. Students interested in forming a team should contact their ACCP faculty liaison. If no ACCP faculty liaison has been identified, another faculty member from the institution may initiate the registration process. The registering faculty member must confirm the eligibility of all team members online before a team will be permitted to compete in the Clinical Research Challenge. The deadline to complete team registration and confirm eligibility is February 4, 2026.

Submission Preparation Resources

Letter of Intent (LOI) Presentation
This presentation covers key elements and best practices for crafting an effective Letter of Intent for the ACCP Clinical Research Challenge, including structure, content expectations, and common pitfalls to avoid.
Developing a Letter of Intent (PDF)

Proposal Presentation
This presentation provides detailed guidance on developing a competitive research proposal, including methodology considerations, formatting requirements, and strategies for presenting your research plan effectively.
Developing a Proposal (PDF)

Competition Schedule

For more information on the ACCP Clinical Research Challenge, please click on the links below:

• Eligibility
• Format
• Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
• Competition Schedule
• Prize Structure

Sample Journal Club Questions | Sample Answers

Sample LOI Research Environment | 2025 UCONN LOI | 2025 URI LOI

Sample Proposal Research Environment | 2025 UCONN Proposal | 2025 URI Proposal

For additional Information or questions, please contact Michelle L. Kucera, Pharm.D., BCPS at [email protected].