SSEES Student Prizes

Founded by Dr Georgette Donchin, a former Reader and Head of Department at the School of Slavonic and East European Studies. Dr Donchin worked in the Russian Department from 1960 to 1984.

1. A prize known as the Georgette Donchin Memorial Prize may be awarded biannually in years when the Keith Sword Memorial Prize does not run. It will next be awarded in 2024/25.

2. The prize is awarded on the recommendation of the Director of the School of Slavonic and East European Studies.

3. The prize is awarded to the 2nd-year undergraduate student who displays the best performance on the courses ‘Identities in Nineteenth-Century Russian Literature’ or ‘The Petersburg 'Text' in Russian Literature and Culture’ (replacing 'Russian Literature in the Nineteenth Century' from 2013-14).

4. As the award is biannual, 2nd-year students from the current and preceding academic year will be considered for the prize.

5. The value of the prize is £50.

6. The qualifications of candidates are considered by the School’s Programme Coordinator for Languages and Culture and the Chair of the Board of Examiners.

7. The Award shall be announced in the summer.

8. The College reserves the right to vary these regulations should it become necessary to do so in order to ensure the continued use of the resources of the fund.

9. Awards are subject to the provision of the General Regulations.

The Alan Ferguson Memorial Prize for a final-year undergraduate student who has shown excellence in the study of South-East Europe, especially the former Yugoslavia region.

Founded in memory of Alan Ferguson, former lecturer in the History of the South Slavs at the School of Slavonic and East European Studies from 1975 to 1980.

1. A prize known as the Alan Ferguson Memorial Prize may be awarded in each session.

2. The prize is awarded on the recommendation of the Director of the School of Slavonic and East European Studies.

3. The prize is awarded to a final-year undergraduate student who has shown excellence in the study of South-East Europe, especially the former Yugoslavia region, in any one of the four programmes: Economics and Business; History; Languages and Culture; Politics and Sociology.

4. Consideration will be given to students’ overall profile over the years of the degree and to performance on a final-year dissertation or courses related to South-East Europe (e.g. ‘The Age of Extremes in the Balkans’, ‘The Balkans from Empires to Nation States’, ‘Religion in South-Eastern Europe’, specialist courses in the literature and culture of South Eastern Europe, particularly Serbian and Croatian literature, or Romanian or Bulgarian literature).

5. The total value of the prize is £250 for the purchase of books. In the event of there being more than one equally qualified candidate in a year, the prize will be shared equally by the recipients. Each recipient shall also receive a biography of Alan Ferguson together with a bookplate in his memory.

6. The qualifications of candidates are considered by the School’s South-East European studies staff and the relevant Exam Boards.

7. The Award shall be announced in the summer after all assessment has been concluded.

8. The College reserves the right to vary these regulations should it become necessary to do so in order to ensure the continued use of the resources of the fund.

9. Awards are subject to the provision of the General Regulations.

Founded by the family of Dr Keith Sword, a former Research Fellow at the School of Slavonic and East European Studies.

1. A prize known as the Keith Sword Memorial Prize may be awarded biannually, in years when the Georgette Donchin Memorial Prize does not run. It will next be awarded in 2024/25.

2. The prize is awarded on the recommendation of the Director of the School of Slavonic and East European Studies.

3. The prize is awarded to the final-year undergraduate student who has displayed excellence in Polish studies, taking into account their overall profile of study, as well as performance in relevant modules, including any dissertation.

4. As the award is biannual, final-year students from the current and preceding academic year will be considered for the prize.

5. The value of the prize is £50.

6. The qualifications of candidates are considered by the School’s Director and the Chair of the Board of Examiners.

7. The Award shall be announced in the summer.

8. The College reserves the right to vary these regulations should it become necessary to do so in order to ensure the continued use of the resources of the fund.

9. Awards are subject to the provision of the General Regulations.

1. A prize known as the SSEES Alumni (UG) Prize may be awarded in each session.

2. The prize is awarded by the SSEES Alumni Society on the recommendation of the School.

3. The prize is awarded to a final-year undergraduate student who obtains a 1st in their dissertation and an overall mark of a 1st, with no marks below 60.

4. The total value of the prize is £50.

5. The Award shall be announced in the summer after all assessment has been concluded.

6. The College reserves the right to vary these regulations should it become necessary to do so in order to ensure the continued use of the resources of the fund.

7. Awards are subject to the provision of the General Regulations.

Founded in memory of Rob Hudson, former student of French and Russian at the School of Slavonic and East European Studies from 1991 to 1995.

1. A prize known as the Rob Hudson Memorial Prize may be awarded in each session.

2. The prize is awarded on the recommendation of the Director of the School of Slavonic and East European Studies.

3. The prize is awarded to a 1st-year undergraduate student on a language-based degree who has shown excellence in the study of any language at the School, having had no prior knowledge of that language.

4. The total value of the prize is £100. In some years the prize may be shared between two students. Each recipient shall also receive a biography of Rob Hudson together with a bookplate in his memory.

5. The qualifications of candidates are considered by the School’s Programme Coordinator for Languages and Culture and the Chair of the Board of Examiners.

6. The Award shall be announced in the summer.

7. The College reserves the right to vary these regulations should it become necessary to do so in order to ensure the continued use of the resources of the fund.

8. Awards are subject to the provision of the General Regulations.

Founded in memory of John Marshall, a former student of Trinity College, Cambridge.

1. A prize known as the John Marshall Memorial Prize may be awarded in each session.

2. The prize is awarded on the recommendation of the Director of the School of Slavonic and East European Studies.

3. The prize is awarded to a final-year undergraduate student on a language-based degree, whose overall profile over the years of the degree shows the best performance in any of the languages taught at the School.

4. The total value of the prize is £300. In some years, the prize may be shared between two equally qualified students.

5. The qualifications of candidates are considered by the School’s Programme Coordinator for Languages and Culture and the Chair of the Board of Examiners.

6. The Award shall be announced in the summer.

7. The College reserves the right to vary these regulations should it become necessary to do so in order to ensure the continued use of the resources of the fund.

8. Awards are subject to the provision of the General Regulations

1. A prize known as the László Péter Memorial Prize may be awarded in each session.

2. The prize is awarded on the recommendation of the Director of the School of Slavonic and East European Studies.

3. The prize is awarded to the final-year undergraduate student who displays the best performance in the study of the history of political ideas, either in a final-year dissertation or in the ‘History of European Political Ideas’ module.

4. The value of the prize is £50.

5. The qualifications of candidates are considered by the Prize Committee.

6. The Award shall be announced in the summer.

7. The College reserves the right to vary these regulations should it become necessary to do so in order to ensure the continued use of the resources of the fund.

8. Awards are subject to the provision of the General Regulations.

Founded in memory of Michael John Youhotsky, a gifted Russian interpretor who believed in the value of international contacts through the knowledge of languages.

1. A prize known as the M. J. Youhotsky Memorial Prize may be awarded in each session.

2. The prize is awarded on the recommendation of the Director of the School of Slavonic and East European Studies.

3. The prize is awarded to a 2nd-year undergraduate student of Russian who achieves the best overall performance in examinations in Russian subjects.

4. The value of the prize is £150.

5. The qualifications of candidates are considered by the School’s Programme Coordinator for Languages and Culture and the Chair of the Board of Examiners.

6. The Award shall be announced in the summer.

7. The College reserves the right to vary these regulations should it become necessary to do so in order to ensure the continued use of the resources of the fund.

8. Awards are subject to the provision of the General Regulations.

The Tytus Cytowski Rzeczpospolita Prize is available to students who are writing their dissertations in the academic year 2025/26 on the history of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, its diverse people, and its legacies, within the period 1569-1918.

All dissertations should be submitted for the prize after they have been submitted for marking, so that they are available in their very final form.

Submissions are expected to begin in June 2026 to enable students who have completed their UG dissertations or submitted their final PG dissertation earlier in the academic year to submit promptly. The form will be posted here when it is open.

Submissions will remain open until the end of September 2026 so that those with September dissertation deadlines can also submit. 

All awards will be announced together on Friday 13 November 2026.

The prize will be eligible to students of the School of Slavonic and East European Studies (SSEES), and the Departments of History and of Hebrew and Jewish Studies. The prize for the best undergraduate dissertation will be US $2000, and for the second-best US $1000. This can be either a free-standing dissertation or written within a special subject.

The prize for the best postgraduate dissertation (MA, MRes., MPhil., or PhD degrees) will be US $5000, and for the second-best US $2000.

The prize will be judged jointly by Professor Richard Butterwick-Pawlikowski, Professor of Polish-Lithuanian History, and Professor François Guesnet, Professor of Modern Jewish History (or any successors thereof), who reserve the right not to make the full number of awards.

Founded in memory of Frank Carter, former Professor of the Geography of Eastern Europe at the School of Slavonic and East European Studies from 1966 to 2001.

1. A prize known as the Frank Carter Memorial Prize may be awarded in each session in the School of Slavonic and East European Studies.

2. The prize is awarded by the Frank Carter Postgraduate Prize Fund on the recommendation of the School.

3. The prize is awarded to a final-year MA or MRes student for the best dissertation using original sources in a foreign language.

4. The total value of the prize is £300. Where two equally qualified candidates are identified, an additional prize (the SSEES Alumni Prize (PG)) may be awarded by the School.

5. The Award shall be announced in the summer after all assessment has been concluded.

6. The College reserves the right to vary these regulations should it become necessary to do so in order to ensure the continued use of the resources of the fund.

7. Awards are subject to the provision of the General Regulations.

1. One scholarship will be awarded each session, known as the SSEES Foundation Scholarship, such that there will be a maximum of three SSEES Foundation Scholars at any one time.

2. These scholarships are awarded on the recommendation of the Director of the School of Slavonic and East European Studies.

3. These scholarships are awarded to outstanding PhD applicants.

4. Consideration will be given to applicant students’ academic profile and research proposal.

5. The total value of the scholarship is three years’ worth of fees (at the Home rate) plus an annual maintenance stipend at the standard UKRI rate (including London Weighting).

6. The qualifications of candidates are considered by the Research Committee.

7. The College reserves the right to vary these regulations should it become necessary to do so in order to ensure the continued use of the resources of the fund.

8. Awards are subject to the provision of the General Regulations.

1. One or more scholarships known as the SSEES Excellence Scholarship may be awarded in each session.
2. The total value of each scholarship is £2,500.
3. The scholarship shall be advertised at the start of each academic year for activity taking place later in the academic year.
4. These scholarships are awarded to outstanding PhD students in the final stages of writing up their dissertations who are not (or are no longer) in receipt of a full award supporting their PhD.
5. Consideration will be given to students’ academic profile and record of academic excellence in the doctoral programme to date through the submission of an application form and a letter of support from the supervisor.
6. Applicants are expected to complete and submit their theses within the timeframe specified by their degree. Approved interruptions and extensions will not affect a student’s eligibility, but the letter of support from their supervisor should address any delays.
7. The qualifications of candidates are considered by the Research Committee or a delegated sub-panel as appropriate.
8. These scholarships are awarded on the recommendation of the Director of the School of Slavonic and East European Studies.
9. The College reserves the right to vary these regulations should it become necessary to do so to ensure the continued use of the resources of the fund.
10. Awards are subject to the provision of the General Regulations

A bequest from Professor Lindsey Hughes, established in 2007.

1. A bursary named after Lindsey Hughes may be awarded in each session.
2. The total value of the bursary is £850.
3. The bursary shall be advertised in Term 1 of each academic year for activity taking place later in that academic year.

4. The bursary is awarded to SSEES PhD students researching Russian History or Culture:

   - who do not hold a current full (fees and maintenance)   scholarship; 

   - who are receiving funding that covers fees only, in any year of study; 

   - who are full-time students in Year 3 or later, and part-time students in Year 5 or later, and who previously received funding but are no longer funded. Repeat applications are accepted. 

5. Consideration will be given to students’ academic profile and financial circumstances through the submission of an application form and:
   1. A statement of max. 500 words on their research project, including a summary of work completed to date and a prospective date of submission, and
   2. An outline budget for the activity,
   3. A letter of support from the supervisor.
6. Applicants are expected to complete and submit their theses within the timeframe specified by their degree. Approved interruptions and extensions will not affect a student’s eligibility, but the letter of support from their supervisor should address any delays.
7. The qualifications of candidates are considered by the School’s Research Committee or a delegated sub-panel as appropriate.
8. The bursary is awarded on the recommendation of the Director of the School of Slavonic and East European Studies.
9. The College reserves the right to vary these regulations should it become necessary to do so to ensure the continued use of the resources of the fund.
10. Awards are subject to the provision of the General Regulations.  

Founded in memory of Dr Philippa Hetherington, a lecturer at the School of Slavonic and East European Studies.

1. A grant known as the Philippa Hetherington Research Travel Grant may be awarded in each session.
2. The total value of the grant is £1,000 for expenses relating to travel in support of a research project, including conference fees, archive costs, and travel.
3. The grant shall be advertised in Term 1 of each academic year for activity taking place later in that academic year.
4. The grant is awarded to SSEES PhD students in History to travel to carry out research overseas. PhD students in other areas may be eligible if their research has a significant historical component.
5. Consideration will be given to students’ academic profile, the contribution of the travel to their research project, and financial need, where appropriate, through the submission of an application form and: 
   1. A statement of max. 500 words on their research project, including a summary of work completed to date and a prospective submission to date, 
   2. An outline budget for the activity, 
   3. A statement of max. 200 words about how the proposed travel and requested funding will support them and their project, and
   4. A letter of support from the supervisor.
6. Applicants are expected to complete and submit their theses within the timeframe specified by their degree. Approved interruptions and extensions will not affect a student’s eligibility, but the letter of support from their supervisor should address any delays.
7. The qualifications of candidates are considered by the School’s Research Committee or a delegated sub-panel as appropriate.
8. The grant is awarded on the recommendation of the Director of the School of Slavonic and East European Studies.
9. The College reserves the right to vary these regulations should it become necessary to do so to ensure the continued use of the resources of the fund.
10. Awards are subject to the provision of the General Regulations. 

Founded in memory of Angela Mary Conning, former Head of the East Europe and China Section of the Overseas Directorate of the Confederation of British Industry.

1. A scholarship known as the Angela Mary Conning Scholarship may be awarded in each session.

2. The total value of the scholarship is £1,000 for expenses relating to travel in support of a research project, including conference fees, archive costs, and travel.

3. The scholarship shall be advertised in Term 1 of each academic year for activity taking place later in that academic year.

4. The scholarship is awarded to PhD students working on the study of East European economics and/or industry to undertake travel, including conference attendance and fieldwork.

5.  Consideration will be given to students’ academic profile, the contribution of the travel to their research project, and financial need, where appropriate, through the submission of an application form and:

• A statement of max. 500 words on their research project, including a summary of work completed to date and a prospective submission to date,
• An outline budget for the activity,
• A statement of max. 200 words about how the proposed travel and requested funding will support them and their project, and
• A letter of support from the supervisor.

6. Applicants are expected to complete and submit their theses within the timeframe specified by their degree. Approved interruptions and extensions will not affect a student’s eligibility, but the letter of support from their supervisor should address any delays.

7. The qualifications of candidates are considered by the School’s Research Committee or a delegated sub-panel as appropriate.

8. The scholarship is awarded on the recommendation of the Director of the School of Slavonic and East European Studies.

9. The College reserves the right to vary these regulations should it become necessary to do so to ensure the continued use of the resources of the fund.

10. Awards are subject to the provision of the General Regulations.

Supported from a donation from SSEES Emeritus Professor Wendy Bracewell.

1. One scholarship will be awarded each session, known as the Wendy Bracewell Travel Bursary.

2. The scholarship is awarded on the recommendation of the Director of the School of Slavonic and East European Studies.

3. The scholarship is awarded to outstanding PhD students from the SSEES region (excluding Germany and Russia) to study at SSEES in either Term 1 or Term 2.

4. Consideration will be given to applicant students’ academic profile and research proposal.

5. The total value of the scholarship is one term’s worth of fees and a stipend of £5,000.

6. The qualifications of candidates are considered by the Research Committee.

7. The College reserves the right to vary these regulations should it become necessary to do so in order to ensure the continued use of the resources of the fund.

Initially founded through an appeal launched in 1981.

1. A fellowship known as the South-East European Studies Fellowship may be awarded in each session. 

2. The total value of the fellowship is £1,600 for expenses relating to travel to spend a period conducting research at SSEES. 

3. The fellowship shall be advertised in Term 1 of each academic year for activity taking place later in that academic year. 

4. The fellowship is awarded to PhD students from the territories of the former Yugoslavia, with special emphasis on those areas of SEE which do not benefit from existing schemes or opportunities at SSEES. 

5. Consideration will be given to students’ academic profile and fit with SSEES’ research activity, including the availability of a relevant supervisor within SSEES for the period of the activity. 

6. The qualifications of candidates are considered by a Prize Committee. 

7. The fellowship is awarded on the recommendation of the Director of the School of Slavonic and East European Studies. 

8. The College reserves the right to vary these regulations should it become necessary to do so to ensure the continued use of the resources of the fund. 

9. Awards are subject to the provision of the General Regulations. 

The deadline to apply is 01 December 2025.