The essay competition is open to postgraduate students or postdoctoral scholars who are currently in good standing as IGA members. A postgraduate may be a current or recent Master’s student (within two years of graduation) or a PhD candidate; a postdoctoral scholar is defined as someone who holds a PhD but does not hold a permanent academic post.

Entries must offer an original contribution to the field of Gothic Studies and not be under consideration for publication elsewhere.

The winning essay will be published in Gothic Studies (with revisions guided by the editors, as appropriate), the official journal of the International Gothic Association published by Edinburgh University Press.  Its author will receive £50 from the International Gothic Association, and a year’s paid subscription to Gothic Studies. The publication issue for the winning article will be 26/1 (March 2024).

Essays should be between 5000 and 7000 words in length, inclusive of footnotes and bibliography, and should adhere to the Gothic Studies style guide. The guide is available for download here: https://www.euppublishing.com/page/gothic/submissions Essays should be formatted as a .doc or a .docx.

To enter, email the following to Dr Jen Baker: J.Baker.5@warwick.ac.uk

Email Subject should be “IGA Postgraduate Essay Prize”

Attach a copy of your essay (as a .doc or .docx). This should be anonymised for blind review and so should be a brief version of your essay title only.

In the body of the email you should lists the following details:

• your name and the title of your essay;
• a current email and postal address;
• your present and past academic affiliations (University or similar);
• If you are postgraduate, the name of the qualification for which you are studying and the expected date of completion
• For postdoctoral entrants, the title of your submitted PhD and the date of your submission;
• a statement confirming the essay is your own original work, completed in the course of your study for the listed qualification.

Essays not submitted with all of these details will not be considered.

The closing date for receipt of entries 31st May 2023.  Late entries will not be considered. Entries will be judged by a panel of the IGA, consisting of Prof Mariaconcetta Costantini, Prof Jerrold E. Hogle and Dr Jen Baker. The judges are not able to provide individual feedback on the essays.

Please direct any queries to J.Baker.5@warwick.ac.uk

Entrants will be informed of the outcome in July 2023.