Trinity College Cambridge

Adrian Weller Prize
A prize of up to £480 is offered for an essay on a topic related to the application of mathematics to finance and economics. The prize is open to members of the College who are undergraduates in 2012-2013. See Prizes for Mathematical Essays for full details of the competition and list of topics.

Alan Gray Prize
One or two prizes of up to £360 each may be awarded in the Michaelmas Term 2013 for essays on subjects relating to Musical Scholarship or the History, Criticism, Philosophy or Psychology of Music.

The competition is open to student members of the College who came into residence in October 2011 or earlier, and who have not already won this prize.

Approval of a proposed topic must be obtained from Dr Wingfield or Mr Layton before the end of the Easter Term, and completed essays must be sent to the Senior Tutor to reach him by 15 October 2013.

Charles Grant Tennant Prize - Light Verse
The Charles Grant Tennant Prizes were founded by a member of the College who was killed in action in 1915.

Entries are invited for the following:

(i) one or two prizes of up to £960 in total for the best piece(s) of light or humorous verse, preferably on an event or person of topical interest. No maximum or minimum length is prescribed and joint entries are admissible. Each entrant may submit up to three entries. Entries must be submitted to the Senior Tutor (M4 New Court) by 5 p.m. on 15 January 2013.

(ii) The prize for the libretto for a 45 minute operetta to be performed at the May Week Concert is to be awarded in two tranches. The first tranche of the Prize, of up to £720, is payable on the approval of a 1,000 word synopsis of the operetta, with the music and libretto for one scene of approximately five minutes. The synopsis, to be submitted to the Senior Tutor (M4 New Court) by 5 p.m. on 15 January 2013, should identify the proposed musical director and producer of the operetta. The second tranche of the prize, of up to £1,200, will be paid on submission by 23 April 2013 of the complete libretto and music. Joint entries by the team staging the operetta are encouraged.

Junior members of the College who matriculated in October 2009 or later are eligible to compete.

Submissions should bear a motto and be accompanied by a sealed envelope bearing the motto on the outside and the name of the author or authors inside.

Edith Leigh Piano Prize
One or two Edith Leigh Piano Prizes are offered for a solo performance on the pianoforte by a student member of the College. The prize or prizes, if awarded, will be in cash to the value of up to £500 each. No one may be awarded a prize more than once.

Those who wish to compete should send their names in writing to the Director of Music so as to reach him not later than 10 February 2013.

The competition will take place in the Chapel at 2.00 p.m. on Thursday 14 March 2013.

Engineering Prize
One or two prizes, each with a maximum value of £480 may be won by undergraduate members of the College who write either:

(a) a report describing an original design or other engineering work carried out by the candidate personally, or

(b) an essay on a subject of current interest in any branch of Engineering. Candidates are strongly encouraged to propose their own subject, but should consult the examiner, Dr Haigh, and obtain his approval of the proposed topic before starting to write.

Some suggested topics are:

1. Is commercial flight possible without using fossil fuels?

2. Is "Sustainable Development" sustainable?

3. Nanotechnology - friend or foe?

4. Biofuels - a saviour on the horizon?

5. Will Moore’s law still apply in the 21st Century?

6. Power for a post-carbon age.

7. High-speed rail; economic necessity or a costly mistake?

No work which has already gained a prize may be submitted, neither may any report which mainly describes project work carried out to satisfy examination requirements. Entries, not longer that 4,000 words, but including at least 1,000 words specially written for this Prize, must be received by the Senior Tutor by 09 November 2013.

English Essay Prizes (TO BE UPDATED IN DUE COURSE)
One or two prizes of up to £480 each are offered for English Essays of not more than 5,000 words. The competition is open to all members of the College (and not only those reading English) in statu pupillari and resident at the date of this notice*, except those who matriculated before October 2009.

The topics suggested are as follows:

1. Is self-regard a good thing?

2. Does a scientist need to be virtuous?

3. Was Nietzsche right to prefer the Old Testament to the New?

4. Freedom of expression.

5. Are all humans equal?

6. What is the purpose of poetry?

7. What do we owe the future?

8. Honouring the dead.

An essay on another topic may be submitted provided that the subject has been approved before 30 June by Dr Banner.

Essays must be delivered to the Senior Tutor not later than 15 October 2012.
(*June 2012)

French Prize
Any member of the College who is an undergraduate at the closing date of this notice, whose mother-tongue is not French, and who has not already won a French Prize, is eligible to compete for a French Prize, the maximum value of which is £480. One or two prizes may be awarded. No person may be awarded the prize more than once.

A dissertation in French of at least 4,000 words may be submitted on any topic connected with French Literature, History, Thought, Art or Institutions, provided that it is not substantially similar to a dissertation submitted pursuant to Regulations for University Examinations.

Dissertations must be delivered to the Senior Tutor by 15 March 2013.

Geoffrey Hellings Prize for Innovation and Creativity
A Geoffrey Hellings Prize may be awarded to an undergraduate member of the University of Cambridge to develop a scientific or engineering innovation. The Prize will provide the student with £230 per week for up to ten weeks of the Long Vacation while (s)he is working on the development. It will additionally provide up to £500 for research materials.

Applicants should submit an outline of up to 500 words describing their innovation and how it will be investigated to the Senior Tutor of Trinity College at senior.tutor@trin.cam.ac.uk by 3 June. The application must be accompanied by a statement of support from a faculty member of the University including confirmation both that space and facilities will be provided to the student and that the faculty member will supervise and offer guidance as appropriate to the applicant should they be awarded the Prize.

Gregg Bury Prizes
The College offers five Gregg Bury Prizes of up to £240 each, open to any member of the College in his or her first, second, or third year of residence, as follows:

1. For a translation into Greek iambics

As for the Porson Prize. John Ford, Perkin Warbeck, Act I, Scene ii, lines 95-124 ('Thou stand'st between ... I have done')

2. For a Latin hexameter poem

As for the Montagu Butler Prize. 'Proserpina'

3. For a translation into Greek prose

As for the Classics Faculty Greek prose prize: copies available from the Classics Faculty Office.

4. For a translation into Latin prose

As for the Classics Faculty Latin prose prize: copies available from the Classics Faculty Office.

5. For an English essay on one of the following subjects:

(a) Oedipus

(b) ancient hydraulics

(c) didactic poetry

Entries for prizes 1, 2, 3, and 4 should reach Dr Hopkinson by 1 February 2013. Entries for these prizes will not be read until after the award of the corresponding University/Faculty Prize. A candidate who wins a University/Faculty Prize will not be eligible for the full College prize but, depending on the recommendation of the Examiner, may be awarded a supplementary prize to cover the difference between the amount of the University prize and a College prize. Entries for prize 5 should reach Dr Hopkinson by 1 May 2013. Entries must not bear the candidate's name, but must be sent under a pseudonym; they should be accompanied by a sealed envelope containing the candidate's name and bearing the pseudonym on the outside.

Hooper Declamation Prizes
Dr Hooper's Legacy of 1763

Three prizes to the total value of not more than nine hundred and sixty pounds (to be taken in books or silver) may be awarded for the best English Declamation on any of the subjects listed below.

Any member of the College in statu pupillari may be a candidate provided he or she has not won a Hooper Prize more than once. Candidates, if selected, will be required to declaim in Chapel their composition, or a portion thereof. As earnestly requested by Dr Hooper, the examiner will "pay attention not only to the Elegance of the Composition and to the Beauty and Justness of Thought and Expression, but also to the graceful Manner and handsome Delivery of the Orator".

The exercise should be for a duration of between ten and twenty minutes, but no longer.

Scripts must reach the Examiner, Revd Paul Dominiak (F2 Whewell's Court, or email: pad39@cam.ac.uk) by 15 February 2013.

The declamations will take place in the Chapel on 06 March 2013 starting at 1.00 p.m..

SUBJECTS
Declaim on one of the following:

1. 'How should we then live.' (Ezekiel 33)

2. 'I like marriage. The idea.' (Toni Morrison)

3. 'An Inconvenient Truth'

4. 'Be nice to nerds. Chances are you'll end up working for one.' (Bill Gates)

5. 'All you need is love' (The Beatles)

6. 'It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has exceeded our humanity.' (Einstein)

James Webb Prize for the History of Ideas
The James Webb Prize, instituted in 1982 by a donation from his friends in memory of J.C.N. Webb (Trinity, matriculated 1964), is awarded annually for an essay on a subject in the field of the History of Ideas. One or two prizes of up to £1,000 each may be awarded in 2012. The prize money must be spent on books. Any member of the College who is an undergraduate at the date of this notice* may compete.

Essays, of between 5,000 and 10,000 words, should be sent to the Senior Tutor by 15 October 2013.

The Examiners propose the following topics for this year's Prize:

- Religion and/or Irreligion
- Doubt
- Animals
- Images as a medium of ideas
- Social organisation

Alternatively, a competitor may write on any subject of his or her choice within the field of the History of Ideas. The prize thus gives an opportunity for students of all disciplines to write for gain as well as pleasure on the evolution of ideas in the subject of their own greatest interest, which need have no special connection with their Tripos. Past prize-winners, who may not compete, have included a classicist writing on recent feminism, a philosopher writing on the Modern Movement in Architecture, and a literature student writing on temptation in Christian thought. Competitors should contact one of the examiners (Dr Kusukawa or Revd Dr Banner) to discuss their ideas and obtain approval of their titles.
(*February 2013)

Powell Prize - Serious Verse
A Powell Prize of up to £360 may be awarded during the Easter Term 2013 to the student member of the College who submits the best English verse of his/her own composition on a serious subject.

The verse may be of any length, and competitors may submit up to three entries. Entries must be sent to the Senior Tutor (M4 New Court) so as to reach him by 29 April 2013. Instead of bearing the name of the poet, each entry should bear a motto and be accompanied by a sealed envelope with the motto outside and the poet's name inside.

Science Essay Prize and Samuel Devons Prize
One or two prizes, each with a maximum value of £480, may be awarded to undergraduate members of the College who write an essay (about 4,000 words in length) on one of the following scientific subjects:

Personal genomics: what are the opportunities and pitfalls?

Exoplanets

Can we colonize the Galaxy?

Why does the Higgs boson matter?

Is it better to invest in Proton Therapy or drugs as a cure for cancer?

What are the potential causes and consequences of global sea-level rise?

What future for fossil fuels?

What are the prospects for quantum computing?

Do we live in a Goldilocks universe?

Why do some areas of science remain unexplored?

What science will we be doing in 2050?

What future for biodiversity?

Essays on other subjects may be submitted, provided that the topic has been approved in advance by the examiner, Dr Murray Stewart - ms651@cam.ac.uk. The examiner will be looking for clarity of exposition; no original research is required.

Samuel Devons Prize
A Devons Prize of up to £480 may be awarded for an essay on science or its history for the purpose of better understanding and fulfillment of moral or social responsibilities.

Entries for these prizes should be sent to the Senior Tutor, M4 New Court, not later than 09 November 2013.

Takahashi Prize
A Takahashi Prize is offered each year for the best essay submitted by an undergraduate in his or her first year of residence on the subject of Shakespeare and the Theatre.

The following title has been suggested by the examiners for 2012/2013:

Compare the versions of any one Shakespeare play as you have met it
on the stage
and on the page
and in a film or television production.

The value of the prize will be up to £250. Essays should be of between 3000 and 5000 words in length, and must be delivered to the Senior Tutor's Office not later than 24 April 2013.

Zdanowich Prizes for Polish Studies
The Council of Trinity College offer annually, under the terms of a bequest by R.W. Zdanowich, one or more Prizes in Polish studies.

All members of the University in statu pupillari, and also all persons who have been approved unconditionally for admission to the University but who have not yet come into residence, are eligible to compete for these Prizes. Prizes will be awarded for essays (or exceptionally for dissertations, publications, or academic work in other forms) on any aspect of Polish studies (including Polish language and literature, history, geography, science, culture, and current affairs).

Essays should be between 3,000 and 5,000 words in length and may incorporate work done in preparation for a Tripos Examination or higher degree.

The value of the Prizes will be in the range £100 to £1,000, and shall be at the discretion of the Managers of the Zdanowich Trust, whose decision shall be final. There shall be no obligation to award a Prize if, in the Managers' opinion, no entry is of sufficient merit.

Entries should be submitted to The Senior Tutor, not later than 20 October 2013.

History

Bowen Prize and Award (History)
The Bowen Prize (Modern History) is open to members of the College who, at the time of the award, will be undergraduates in their first year of residence.

The prize, a maximum value of £480, is awarded annually in the Michaelmas Term for an essay on a subject of Modern History selected by the candidate.

Essays must be sent to the Senior Tutor by 30 September 2013 - senior.tutor@trin.cam.ac.uk

A Bowen Award in the form of a grant towards research expenses (such as the costs of attending libraries or archives) may be made to one or more undergraduates proposing to submit a Dissertation as part of their examinable work for Part II of the Historical Tripos.

The Award will be made on the basis of a well-argued and detailed research proposal, which must be submitted to the Directors of Studies in History by 3 July in the academic year prior to the candidate’s entering upon Part II of the Historical Tripos.

Greaves Prize (History)
The Greaves Prize is open to members of the College who, at the time of the award, will be undergraduates in their third or fourth year of residence. No candidate may be awarded the prize more than once.

The Prize, a maximum value of £480, is awarded annually in the Michaelmas Term for an essay on a subject of Modern History selected by the candidate.

Any historical subject may be chosen by an intending competitor, subject to approval by their Director of Studies or, failing reference to them, by Dr Sarris.

Essays must be sent to the Senior Tutor - senior.tutor@trin.cam.ac.uk - by 30 September 2013.

Mathematics

Prizes for Mathematical Essays
Several Rouse Ball Prizes of up to £600 each, Yeats Prizes of up to £480 each, and an Adrian Weller Prize of up to £480 are offered for Mathematical Essays. An essay should be either on one of the subjects specified or, exceptionally, on a subject chosen by the candidate and approved by a member of the Mathematical staff. An essay will not be eligible for consideration if in the opinion of the Mathematical staff it is substantially the same as an essay prepared by the candidate for some other College or University purpose (e.g. in connection with the Summer Research Studentships scheme).

Full details of the competition, including the list of topics is available here.

Essays should be sent to the Senior Tutor not later than 15 October 2013.
Candidates are encouraged to approach the appropriate member of the Mathematical staff for advice and a reading list.

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