The prize is awarded annually for the best essay on a subject connected with some aspect of the history of the United States of America. The value is £150.

For precise information, candidates are advised to consult the Statutes, Decrees, and Regulations of the University of Oxford, but the rules may be summarised and augmented as follows. Candidates must be members of the University reading for a Final Honour School. The prize may not be awarded twice to the same person.

Essays, which must be typewritten and which must not exceed 15,000 words in length (including footnotes, appendices, and bibliographies), should be sent under sealed cover to the Secretary, Board of the Faculty of History, Old Boys' High School, George Street, Oxford, OX1 2RL, not later than 29 February 2012. The author shall conceal his/her name and distinguish his/her composition by what motto he/she pleases, sending at the same time his/her name sealed under another cover with the motto inscribed on it. Candidates are required to certify, when submitting their essays, that they have not already been submitted in whole or in partial fulfilment of the requirements for a degree of any other university.

Although competitors are free to choose their own subject, they are warned that they must secure the prior approval of the examiners for the subject of their essay: the examiners will not approve any subject unless the candidate's letter seeking approval is endorsed by his/her tutor to the effect that the proposed title is suitable. Candidates must send the proposed title to the Secretary, Board of the Faculty of History, Old Boys' High School, George Street, Oxford, OX1 2RL, not later than Monday 9 January 2012.

Essays may also be submitted as theses for the Honour Schools of History, or of History and Modern Languages, or of History and Economics, or of Ancient and Modern History, in accordance with the faculty board's regulations. As the examiners may not have finished with the essays by the deadline for the submission of theses, candidates who wish to submit their work for the Final Honour School are advised to keep a separate copy of the essay.

 

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