Two new student essay prizes have been launched that encourage entrants to engage with and consider the legacies of colonialism. The prizes are named for Orielensis and Honorary Fellow Rex Nettleford, an academic, dancer, activist and former Vice Chancellor of the University of the West Indies, who passed away in 2010.
The Rex Nettleford Prize for Year-12 Students: Essays on Colonialism and its Legacies encourages A Level students to engage with the topic of colonialism, and to develop their abilities for independent research and thought. The competition is also intended to encourage able students to consider applying to study subjects in the Humanities and Social Sciences, either at Oxford or at another university, by giving them experience of the type of work involved. The deadline for submission of essays for the Year-12 prize is Monday 28th February 2022.
The Rex Nettleford Prize for Undergraduate Students: Essays on Colonialism and its Legacies is open to current undergraduate students at the University of Oxford. The competition seeks to encourage students to consider and engage with the subject of colonialism on a wider scale, and from a range of disciplinary perspectives. Four open questions are provided for students to select from, and they can approach their chosen question from whatever angle they choose. The deadline for submission of essays for the undergraduate prize is Friday 18th March 2022.
There’s a £250 award available for each prize, and the winners will be invited to attend a presentation at the Rex Nettleford Lecture (speaker and date to be confirmed) during Trinity term 2022.
The launch of these two prizes, along with the planned lecture in Trinity term, forms part of Oriel’s response to the recommendations put forward by the independent Commission of Inquiry earlier in the year. We look forward to contributing to the development of this important area of research and debate.