This essay award has been established by the Quaker Studies Research Association (QSRA) to recognise excellence in the Quaker-related research and writing of scholars not working permanently in academia and those who funding bodies and others frequently exclude. In particular, the award is designed to focus on the rich scholarship undertaken by:

• those on temporary or short-term contracts with over three years of post-PhD experience

• people working in alt-ac roles

• individuals whose academic activities run alongside their main career, and

• independent scholars.

The essay award will offer the winner a £250 cash prize and up to two shortlisted entries, a £50 prize; the submissions recognised by the judging panel will be considered for publication in Quaker Studies, the journal of the QSRA.

In partnership with the Open Library of the Humanities and Liverpool University Press, Quaker Studies is a fully (‘diamond’) open access journal, free to publish and free to read. All articles from 2018 onwards are published under a CC-BY licence.

Published twice yearly, Quaker Studies is the only refereed journal covering all aspects of Quaker studies. The journal is also co-sponsored by the Centre for Research in Quaker Studies at Woodbrooke and the American Academy of Religion Quaker Studies Group. Quaker Studies is indexed and abstracted in Scopus. The journal is multi-disciplinary and articles submitted typically cover the subject areas of aesthetics, anthropology, architecture, art, cultural studies, history, literature, peace studies, philosophy, research methodology, sociology, theology and women’s studies.

Entries including, but not limited to, any of the subject areas listed above are welcome for consideration to the QSRA Excellence Award.

Submission Rules

• Applicants must have signed up to the QSRA membership list (which is quick and free to join. For details: https://www.qsra.org/join-qsra.html).

• Submissions must be new, original and previously unpublished essays of between 5,000 and 8,000 words, including footnotes. (Essays that build on shorter published forms, such as a blog post, may be considered, but this must be stated on submission.)

• Essays must never have been submitted for any other award.

• Entries must be in English and make an effort to observe closely the conventions of Quaker Studies, which can be found on the QSRA website.

• Word or PDF documents should be anonymised for submission. Tables and illustrations may be submitted as separate files, but must be in low resolution at this stage and comply with copyright.

• Submission should be made via a Google Form: https://forms.gle/bw59Se7iTFVsYmdh9. (If you have any issues with submission, please email QuakerStudiesJournal@gmail.com.)

• Entries must be received on or before 1 November 2023.