2017 R. Gapper postgraduate essay prize competition now open

A prize will be awarded by the Society for French Studies for an essay in English or French, of fewer than 6000 words, on any subject within the scope of French studies. The award will be for outstanding academic merit at postgraduate level, and the judges will be a subcommittee of the Trustees of the Society for French Studies. The award includes:

  • a cash prize of £750
  • expenses-paid travel to the next annual conference of the Society for French Studies
  • mention in the French Studies Bulletin and on the Society for French Studies website

Conditions of entry

The essay must have been written in the 2016-17 academic year by a postgraduate student currently registered (or within six months of registration having terminated) at an institution of higher education in the United Kingdom or Ireland.  It must be entered for the Prize together with an attestation from the supervisor/teacher affirming that the author is a postgraduate student at his/her institution, the essay’s originality, the date of its first submission and details of the context in which the essay was written (e.g. coursework essay for master’s course, draft of thesis chapter, etc). If a draft thesis chapter is entered, candidates are reminded to ensure that it can be read as a stand-alone essay. Essays should discuss primary material drawn from the broad disciplinary area of French studies. The primary material should be quoted in the original French. Entries must be accompanied by the coversheet available here and adhere strictly to the presentation guidelines given on that sheet. Please note that there is a limit of three entries per department and one per person. This limit applies to both collegiate and non-collegiate universities.

A copy of each entry should be emailed, with a completed coversheet, by 31 October 2017, to Dr Michael Kelly: michael.g.kelly@ul.ie. The attestation by the candidate’s supervisor/teacher should also be emailed to Dr Kelly by the closing date.

The closing date for receipt of entries is 31 October 2017.