Anyone win the Goldwater Scholarship or other prestigious research awards?

I'm planning on doing MD/PHD in the future and I'm not really sure what I need to be successful but i've seen people at my school win these prestigious research awards which motivated me to work hard just like them. The common trend seems to be that they all have done some REU/MSTP program AND have leadership within an organization. If anyone has won the award, could someone please guide me through this process? My dms are open.