The London Journal | Curriers' Essay Prize

Curriers' Essay Prize

The Worshipful Company of Curriers, one of the livery companies of the City of London, has established an essay prize on London for early career scholars, in association with The London Journal Trust and the Institute of Historical Research.

The author of the winning submission will receive £1,000, and publication, subject to peer review, in The London Journal. Other promising entries may also be considered for publication.

Essays must fall within the scope of The London Journal. They may be on any aspect of London life, past and present, reflect any relevant approach or disciplinary perspective, and can consider London alone or in comparison with other cities. In keeping with the Lord Mayor’s theme of the Knowledge Mile this year, we would welcome entries that consider the history of science, technology, and innovation in London. However, the prize will be awarded to the best essay regardless of subject. Essays must be based on original research, and should not have been previously published.

The prize is open to postgraduate students and to early career scholars based anywhere in the world. ‘Early career’ is defined for this purpose as someone who has completed (i.e., been successfully examined for) a PhD within the previous three years.

Further details, and the submission portal, can be accessed via the Institute of Historical Research’s website. Details of the 2025 competition will be announced in late 2024.

Some previous winners of the prize, whose articles were subsequently published in the journal, include:

David Mason, ‘The Role of London’s Urban Foundation Legends in Late-Medieval Historical and Political Cultures’, The London Journal, 47.2 (2022), 141–158. Link here.

Kirstin A. Barnard, ‘The Mercers’ Company, London, and St Thomas Becket During the Reformation’, The London Journal, 45.3 (2020), 299–317. Link here.

Emily Vine, ‘“Those Enemies of Christ, if They are Suffered to Live Among us”: Locating Religious Minority Homes and Private Space in Early Modern London’, The London Journal, 43.3 (2018), 197–214. Link here.