Annual Essay Prize

Information about the Essay Prize and how to apply

A first prize of £500 may be offered for the best unpublished essay submitted during the year on history, literature or the arts in connection with the City of York.

Essays, demonstrating original research, should not exceed 7,500 words (this figure is a maximum, not a requirement, and shorter texts are welcome). They should be submitted by 1st October in digital form as Word documents, using 12-point Times New Roman font with double line spacing. Applicants should put their surnames in the digital file title. Anyone who has difficulty in producing an essay in digital form should contact the Trust’s Secretary so that other arrangements can be made.

Authorities for particular statements should be given in footnotes or endnotes. While it is acceptable for entries to be based on material contained in unpublished theses or dissertations, such entries must be cast in the form of properly rounded essays. Candidates should declare if their entry draws on material prepared for academic purposes for submission as a thesis or dissertation. The Sheldon Memorial Trust Committee will deal with all matters concerning the adjudication of the essays submitted. No award will be made unless the Committee considers that a sufficiently high standard has been reached.

In assessing the entries the Committee will have regard to the following criteria:

  1. Originality and interest of the subject

  2. Demonstrable research into documentary source material, both primary and secondary and/or examination of physical evidence

  3. Presentation of a compelling narrative and/or persuasive arguments based on (2)

  4. Literary merit

How to apply

All entrants are asked to notify their intended topic in advance to the Trust’s Secretary, via the Contact Form on this website for confirmation that the topic meets the Trust’s requirements.

The closing date for entries is 1st October.

 

Terms

The Committee’s decision shall be final. The Trust hopes to arrange publication of all suitable essays. Essays submitted will not be returned.

The Trust encourages entries from amateurs as well as from professional scholars. Examples of topics chosen by recent entrants are:

  • This Grand Nuptial Ceremony: the marriage of Alexander III of Scotland in York in 1215

  • The York Festival of 1951

  • The City of York Association for the Prosecution of Felons, Cheats etc;

  • Who saved York’s Walls?

  • Life in the Bar Convent 1686-1900

  • Cardinal Wolsey and the City of York 1514 – 1529

  • Moral Treatment: The York Retreat and its impact on mental health

  • The rise of the Merchant Adventurers in the political and economic life of York 1300 - 1400

Essays of a suitable standard are normally published in York Historian, the journal of the Yorkshire Architectural and York Archaeological Society. Back copies are available in the Minster Library if you wish to see previous entries. They may also be purchased from YAYAS’ publications officer - see their website for contact details.

Intending entrants may also like to know that the Yorkshire Philosophical Society offers research grants for which they may be eligible to apply. Enquiries should be addressed to the Society’s Secretary at The Lodge, Museum Gardens, York.