Competition now open!
William Dusinberre Prize
The William Dusinberre Prize is an annual competition, made possible by a generous gift from Girton Life Fellow, Juliet Dusinberre, in memory of her husband, a renowned historian of American slavery.
Girton College has established the prize to support and recognise student research and engagement with the legacies and practices of enslavement. This prize responds to the invisibilities of enslavement, both historical and contemporary, and its legacies as manifested across many academic disciplines and beyond.
It aims to support and encourage critical academic and reflective work that stimulates curiosity, provokes thought and has the potential to engage diverse audiences. The College is keen to encourage submissions prepared during the student's course of study, including coursework submitted for examination.
The winner of the competition will receive a prize of £500. The judges in their discretion may divide the prize money among the authors of multiple entries or they may select additional entries for special commendation.
2024-25 Competition
Open to: all matriculated students registered at the University of Cambridge during academic years 2023/24 and/or 2024/25.
Competition opens: Friday 21 March 2025
Submission deadline: Midnight on Wednesday 30 April 2025
Result announcement: Late Summer 2025
Award ceremony: In October 2025 to coincide with Black History Month
All information and personal details entered will only be used for the purposes of this competition and will be kept confidential. The electronic record will be processed and stored securely in accordance with Girton College's Records Retention Schedule. If you win or are shortlisted for this prize, we will normally share your details with the prize donor and your name may be used in Girton College publicity or social media and appear on the College website.
Entries will be assessed in terms of their:
- Intellectual or creative sophistication relative to the author’s academic formation. For the purposes of this prize, creative sophistication encompasses matters such as sensitivity to the sources being used, adequate contextualisation, critical engagement, and sufficient complexity of reflection and analysis to do justice to the topic.
- Originality
- Accuracy
- Quality of research and use of evidence
- Clarity and importance of research or reflective question
- Potential to engage publics beyond the author’s discipline.
Given the nature of the subject area, all candidates are invited to consider the sensitivities of readers by including an introductory note warning of the inclusion of offensive terms or disturbing material, where appropriate.