Awards and prizes

The Barbara Crawshaw Prize for the Best Second Year Performance in Philosophy is awarded by the Board of Examiners, and is presented to the student with the best second year performance at our Welcome Lunch.

Each year the School awards the Cioffi Prize to the most outstanding graduating student in philosophy. The prize is named in honour of Professor Frank Cioffi, who founded the Philosophy. Department at Essex in 1974. The prize is presented at the Graduation Reception. Students in the philosophy single honours course, or in one of the philosophy joint courses, are eligible for consideration.

It is also open to the External Examiner to recommend the award of a further prize, known as the External Examiner’s Prize, if he/she considers that there is another student who has achieved a First Class degree and whose achievements are worthy of the prize. The prize is presented at the Graduation Reception.

The Mark Sacks Memorial Prize, to the value of £100, is awarded each year in recognition of the best dissertation submitted towards the completion of a taught MA in Philosophy. It was set up in memory of Mark Sacks, who was the founding editor of the European Journal of Philosophy and a professor in the Department of Philosophy until his untimely death in 2008. There is no need to apply; all dissertations are automatically considered for this Prize.

Established in 2003, this award, a £30 Amazon voucher, is presented to the student with the best overall mark for the module HR242: Exploring History: Research Workshop on the basis of coursework and examination results.

A £30 Amazon voucher is awarded for the best essay by a first-year student on a single or joint honours history degree.

A £30 Amazon voucher is awarded for the best overall performance by a first-year student on a single or joint honours history degree.

A £30 Amazon voucher will be awarded to the second-year student with the best grid of marks (single or joint honours degree students).

A £100 Amazon voucher is awarded for the best overall degree performance by a final-year student on a single or joint honours history degree.

Established in 2003 and open to any student enrolled on the module. The award will be given for the best performance.

Established in 1991 to mark the departure of Dr Simon Collier from the University. A £30 Amazon voucher will be awarded by the Board of Examiners in History to the best essay on a topic relating to the history of Asia (including Asiatic Russia), Africa, Latin America, Australasia and Oceania. All second and final-year students in BA History and History joint schemes, and BA Latin American Studies students taking history modules are eligible.

A £50 Amazon voucher will be awarded by the Board of Examiners in History to the final-year BA History or History joint scheme student deemed to have written the best dissertation.

The Pop Ronson Memorial Prize for Local History was established by the students of Thorpe Extra-Mural Studies Centre in 1997 as a memorial to Doreen (Pop) Ronson. Pop Ronson lived at Landermere, Thorpe-le-Soken. She taught in local schools and was an inspired and gifted teacher. On retirement in 1981 she established the Thorpe Extra-Mural Studies Centre.

The Centre was originally affiliated to Madingley College, Cambridge, but later became affiliated to the University of Essex, Centre for Continuing Education. The prize is awarded by the Board of Examiners in History to the final-year BA History or History joint scheme student deemed to have written the best project on a local history topic.  

The Friends of Historic Essex offer one or two annual awards (amounting to £750 in total) to postgraduate students at Masters or PhD level working on historical Essex sources. The award is made either to support research or to fund an MA placement at the Essex Record Office. The award is competitive and administered through the Centre for Public History.

Contact Professor Alison Rowlands for further details.

The Essex Society for Family History offers an annual award of £500 to one postgraduate student (at Masters or PhD level) working on an Essex-related subject in the field of Local or Family History. The award is competitive and administered through the Centre for Public History.

Contact Professor Alison Rowlands for further details. 

Through the generosity of the Hills family, the School is able to offer a bursary of £1,500 to one mature postgraduate student at Masters or PhD level.

Dr Philip Hills went to study for a BA in History as a mature student at the University of Essex in 1979, completing his degree in 1982. Following this he studied for his PhD in the Department of History completing this in 1989. While he was studying for his doctorate he also taught in the History Department and later lectured and taught 19th Century English Social History until leaving in 1997. He was also involved in the Local History Centre.

Please contact phaisdsm@essex.ac.uk for details on how to apply.

A £50 prize will be awarded for the best MA dissertation on a subject related to Essex history. If no suitable dissertation on Essex history is submitted in any particular year, the Prize may be awarded to the best dissertation on a topic related to John Appleby’s various interests, for example, local history, India, Russia, Atlantic World, history of education and history of medicine.

A £50 Amazon voucher will be awarded by the Board of Examiners in History to the MA student deemed to have written the best Dissertation.

If you are applying to study a History Masters course within the School of Philosophical, Historical, and Interdisciplinary Studies, you could be eligible for one of four available scholarships worth £2,500 paid as a discount on your tuition fee.

The Hugh Brogan Bursary comes courtesy of a bequest from Professor Hugh Brogan, a long-time member of History at Essex who remained actively involved in the Department following his retirement in the late 1990s. The scholarship is available to help promising Masters students, in the Department of History, who are in need of financial support.

The Art History Prize is awarded by the Board of Examiners to the final year student with the best overall academic performance and is presented at the Graduation Reception.

The Art History Dissertation Prize is awarded by the Board of Examiners to the final-year student with the best overall final year dissertation performance and is presented at the Graduation Reception.

The Bishop-McKinlay Prize was established in memory of James Bishop and Seamus McKinlay, and is awarded to a second-year student taking art history either as a single-honours course or as a significant part of a joint-degree course, and is intended to support travel and research abroad related to art history.

The prize can cover air fares, internal travel, living costs and health insurance for around four to six weeks, and is tenable in the summer vacation between the second and third years of study. An application of 1,000 words maximum should include an itinerary with visits to specific art works, galleries, architecture, sites or archives that either form the subject of your proposed third-year dissertation, or are otherwise related to art history study.

The recipient is decided by a departmental committee and successful applicants are expected to give a presentation on their travels to the Bishop and McKinlay families, usually early in the summer term.

Applications should be submitted to our Deputy School Manager via email phaisdsm@essex.ac.uk, and should include the name of a staff member willing to act as referee. A committee made up of our Head of School and two members of art history staff consider applications and may divide the prize money to make more than one award.

Deadline date: Friday 3 May 2024

The Tim Laughton Travel Fund was established in memory of Dr Tim Laughton, a lecturer in our School of Philosophy and Art History specialising in mesoamerican art and architecture, who died in February 2009. Generous donations, especially from Dr Laughton’s family and the artist Michael Aakhus, enable us to offer a bursary of approximately £500 annually to the undergraduate or postgraduate art history student who submits the best proposal for travel to Latin America for research related to their BA, MA or PhD dissertation.

A committee made up of our Head of School and two members of art history staff consider applications. The prize is normally tenable during the summer vacation, and the winner is required to submit a brief report on their travel and research to our Head of School.

An application of 1,000 words maximum should outline the proposed research including a summary of travel plans and anticipated costs, as well as the name of a referee with whom you have discussed your proposal. Applications should be submitted to our Deputy School Manager via email, phaisdsm@essex.ac.uk.

Deadline date: Friday 3 May 2024

The Roy Beston Memorial Prize was established in 1995 by Maria Beston, a former student, in memory of her husband. The prize is awarded to a second-year mature student taking art history either as a single-honours subject or as a significant part of a joint-degree course. The prize, of approximately £400, aims to enrich the studies of a talented mature student by contributing to the cost of books, travel or other degree related activities. The winner is chosen by the Board of Examiners at the end of the Summer term.

The Thomas Puttfarken Memorial Prize, to the value of £100, is awarded each year in recognition of the best dissertation or portfolio submitted towards the completion of a taught MA in Art History and Theory or Curating. It was set up in memory of Thomas Puttfarken, who was a professor in the (then) Department of Art History and Theory. There is no need to apply; all dissertations are automatically considered for this Prize.

The Eleonore Koch Fund was set up in 2019 in honour of German-born Brazilian painter and sculptor Eleonore Koch. It funds an annual £5,000 bursary for a student from Latin America to come to Essex to study MA Art History and Theory. The bursary can be put towards tuition fees, accommodation or travel costs.

Eleonore Koch was best known for paintings that evoke the memory of everyday objects, while also exploring the sensory nature of painting through a tension between colour planes and line. She studied in Brazil, Paris, and most significantly London, where she became sponsored by the art collector Alistair McAlpine for a number of years.

In 2013, publisher Cosac Naify published Lore Koch, a book dedicated to her work, with text by art critic Paulo Venancio Filho. She sadly died in 2018, aged 92.

Read the Terms and Conditions including how to apply.

If you would like to make a donation to the Eleonore Koch fund, please email James Martin at jrmartin@essex.ac.uk who would be happy to discuss this with you.

The Tim Laughton Travel Fund was established in memory of Dr Tim Laughton, a lecturer in our School of Philosophy and Art History specialising in mesoamerican art and architecture, who died in February 2009. Generous donations, especially from Dr Laughton’s family and the artist Michael Aakhus, enable us to offer a bursary of approximately £500 annually to the undergraduate or postgraduate art history student who submits the best proposal for travel to Latin America for research related to their BA, MA or PhD dissertation.

A committee made up of our Head of School and two members of art history staff consider applications. The prize is normally tenable during the summer vacation, and the winner is required to submit a brief report on their travel and research to our Head of School.

An application of 1,000 words maximum should outline the proposed research including a summary of travel plans and anticipated costs, as well as the name of a referee with whom you have discussed your proposal. Applications should be submitted to our Deputy School Manager via email phaisdsm@essex.ac.uk.

Deadline date: Friday 10 May 2024

The Sir Andrew Carnwath Prize of £500 is awarded annually to a current PhD student for the best proposal for travel and research related to their thesis. An application of 1,000 words maximum should outline the proposed research including a summary of travel plans and anticipated costs, as well as the name of a referee with whom you have discussed your proposal.

A committee made up of our Head of School and two members of art history staff consider applications. Applications should be submitted to our Deputy School Manager via email, phaisdsm@essex.ac.uk. The committee may decide to divide the prize money to make more than one award. The award is normally tenable during the Easter or summer vacations, and the winner is required to submit a brief report on their travel and research to our Head of School.

Deadline date: Friday 15 March 2024

The Thomas Puttfarken Research Prize was established in memory of Professor Thomas Puttfarken (1943-2006), an international specialist in renaissance and barqoue art, and former lecturer in the School of Philosophy and Art History. The prize is generously supported by Professor Puttfarken’s friends and former colleagues.

The prize is for MPhil and PhD students requiring funds to support essential research visits to libraries, museums, archives and artists’ studios related to their theses, or to present conference papers or attend important conferences. The funds may also be available to support publication costs, or assist with costs associated with the completion of your thesis.

A committee made up of our Head of School and two members of art history staff consider applications. Awards are typically around £300, although requests for larger amounts will be considered. Applications of 1,000 words maximum including a summary of your proposed project and anticipated costs should be emailed our Deputy School Manager via email, phaisdsm@essex.ac.uk.

Deadline date: Friday 3 May 2024