The Bethell Prize

Bethell Prize Coordinator:
Professor Emily Albu
Department of Spanish and Classics
University of California
One Shield Avenue
Davis, CA 95616 USA
emalbu@ucdavis.edu

The Bethell Prize honors the memory of Denis Bethell, late of University College, Dublin, whose tragically early death deprived us of a good friend and a fine scholar. The purpose of the prize is to encourage the presentation of high quality papers at conferences sponsored by the Haskins Society and in Haskins sponsored sessions at other conferences, and the submission of such papers to the Haskins Society Journal.

The prize is US $200 (or the sterling equivalent) and publication of a revised version of the winning paper in the Haskins Society Journal for the year when the paper was presented. (Following standard academic practice, the journal editor may request that the author make further revisions prior to publication.)

Eligibility: All conference papers presented by junior scholars (graduate students or non-tenured faculty) who are Haskins Society members at any session sponsored by the Society during the 12 months of the membership calendar year are eligible. Besides the Haskins Society Conference itself, Haskins-sponsored sessions at the American Historical Association conference, the annual conference of the Medieval Academy of America, the annual International Medieval Congress at Kalamazoo, and the annual International Medieval Conference at Leeds are also eligible venues. The author of the paper must present the paper in person at the relevant conference and must be a member of the Haskins Society. (Prospective presenters may consult the Society's treasurer about membership; note that the Society has a special student rate.)

Judge: The judge for all papers submitted during a 12-month cycle will be a scholar appointed by the Haskins Society Council. The name and address of the appointed judge will be announced in the Haskins newsletter, on our Website, in conference brochures, and in various other announcements. The judge for 2007 is Peter Coss, Professor of Medieval History and Co-Director of the Centre for the Study of Medieval Society and Culture at Cardiff University.

Submission: Entrants for the prize have until the end of the calendar year in which their paper was presented at a conference to revise it into article format, and then send it to the Bethell Prize Coordinator. The author of the article must send one complete paper copy of the article to the Coordinator, along with postal and e-mail addresses valid for the following year. At the end of the calendar year the Prize Coordinator will send the papers submitted that year to the Judge.

Judging criteria: The Bethell Prize Judge will evaluate the submitted papers according to their contribution to medieval scholarship and worthiness for publication. The Judge may offer suggestions for revision to authors and may pass such suggestions to the editor of the Haskins Society Journal.

Award: The winner of the Bethell Prize will be announced in the Haskins Society newsletter and on the Society's website. If the winner is able to attend the next Fall's annual Haskins Society Conference, he/she will be congratulated then. The financial award and further details will be mailed to the winner.

Other papers entered for the prize besides the winner may still be submitted to the editor of the Haskins Society Journal for publishing consideration.

The list of past recipients and judges can be found here.