Undergraduate Essay Prize

Sport in History and the BSSH are both committed to encouraging and supporting the next generation of researchers in sport history. This annual essay prize - which is awarded to the author of an outstanding undergraduate dissertation - aims to reward and to stimulate excellent undergraduate research in the discipline, and to introduce undergraduate researchers to the network of sport historians in Britain.

The winning dissertation will ordinarily have been awarded first class honours by the student’s university. It is selected by a panel of judges on the quality of the research, clarity of argument and expression, and originality.

The author is awarded £200 and free membership of the BSSH for one year, and invited to publish the paper on the BSSH website.

Entries for the 2026 prize are open!

Submissions for the 2026 Undergraduate Essay Prize will run from.

Monday, September 15, 2025 - Friday, November 14, 2025.  All submissions from Chairs of Examining Boards should be sent to the head of the judging committee, Alec S. Hurley (ahurley@cardiffmet.ac.uk).

Regulations and Timelines for the prize

Submission: Chairs of Examination Boards must recommend the essays for the prize.

Supervisors may propose specific papers to the Exam Board Chair. Sport in History is unable to accept submissions directly from students. 

Style: Different universities will have different requirements for undergraduate dissertations. We do not require a particular referencing convention or presentation style, but would expect each submission to be internally consistent.

Timeline: Submissions end at the end of the 2025-26 autumn term. The judging panel is assembled and undergoes the review process between Jan-Apr 2026. An announcement of the winning submission will be made by early May 2026.  

Please note, Sport in History reserves the right not to award the prize if it does not receive submissions deemed to be of high enough quality.