The William Dusinberre Prize is now open for applications for its second year

After a highly successful inaugural year in 2025, The William Dusinberre Prize is now open again for entries. Founded in memory of renowned historian of American slavery, William Dusinberre, with the generous support of his wife, Juliet Dusinberre, the prize responds to the invisibilities of enslavement, both historical and contemporary, and its legacies as manifested across academic disciplines and beyond.

Carson Eckhard of St Edmund’s College was the inaugural overall winner of the 2025 Prize for her essay, Beyond the Border of a Great Belonging: Biopower and Slavery’s Medical Afterlives Among Formerly Enslaved Women in Early National Philadelphia.

The judges commented on Carson’s essay:

'The winning essay is remarkably accomplished, and in many directions. Notably, it does not only demonstrate the part that practices of enslavement have made to imaginings of racial inferiority as biologically and medically ‘provable’ but also shows how taking American enslavement into account radically revises Foucault’s influential theory of state power over life.'

Students are encouraged to submit work prepared during their course of study, including coursework intended for university examination. The winner of the competition will receive a prize of £500. At their discretion the judges may divide the prize money among the authors of multiple entries or they may select additional entries for special commendation, as was the case in 2025. Due to the extraordinary standard of last year’s submissions, the judges elected to put forward an additional five entries to be classed as Highly Commended.

The prize concludes with an awards ceremony, where students will get the opportunity to meet Members of Girton’s Legacies of Enslavement Committee, the judges of this year’s competition, and honoured guests. Our 2025 awarded writers were recognised for their achievement by distinguished artist Valda Jackson MBE RWA whose lecture entitled ‘Memory – fragments and historical truths’ provided a thought-provoking end to the evening.

The prize and wider Legacies of Slavery project is crucially important to help us recontextualise history, and to lay foundations for growth and change. To be recognised by such distinguished luminaries in their fields such as Dame Marilyn Strathern, Professor Susan J Smith, and Dr Michael Banner at a College with the history and exceptional achievements of Girton, has been a wonderful experience.

– Highly Commended writer, Kim Abramson

Due to demand, this year’s writers have also been offered the opportunity to publish their essays, an offer that will continue into the prize’s second year. Applicants are advised to read the Terms and Conditions of the prize to learn more about the opportunity for publication.

Now in its second year, the prize welcomes new submissions in its aim to support critical academic and reflective work that stimulates curiosity, provokes thought and has the potential to reach diverse audiences. Essays can emerge from any discipline, so long as they deeply engage with the core rationale of the prize.

The prize is open for submissions from 20 March to 29 April 2026. 

For the Terms and Conditions of the prize and to apply, please visit the William Dusinberre Prize homepage.