PRIZE: ISTR New Scholars Prize 2025
ISTR runs an annual essay competition for New Scholars. There is no set theme for this competition; rather, candidates are encouraged to submit work drawing on their current research in the area of drama, theatre and performance. New research or essays developed from papers presented at the preceding conference are welcome. The New Scholars’ Prize is awarded to the best essay, judged on originality, coherence and rigour.
Essays: Essays must be between 4 000 – 6 000 words (excluding bibliography) and should not be published or submitted for publication in advance of the award announcement. Candidates should submit entries in English electronically as an e-mail attachment. They will be judged anonymously; hence, the author’s name must not appear anywhere in the essay itself. All submissions must be accompanied by a separate cover sheet giving the name of the author, the essay title, an abstract of max 300 words and a biographical note of max 250 words. The essays must be presented with attention to correct spelling, stylistics and referenced according to a standard norm (i.e. MLA, Harvard or Chicago style).
Submission: Candidates should submit entries in English in MS Word format to the Convenors of the Prize Committee: Dr Michael Finneran (michael.finneran@mic.ul.ie) & Dr Siobhán O’Gorman (siobhan.ogorman@iadt.ie) by Tuesday 4 February 2025. The winner(s) will be announced at the annual ISTR conference, due to be held from 5-6 June 2025 at the Institute of Art, Design + Technology (IADT), Dún Laoghaire, Co. Dublin.
Award: The NSP award includes a cheque of €150, conference fee waiver for the ISTR annual conference, award certificate, and publication mentorship by a scholar in a related field.
Eligibility: A New Scholar is defined as a graduate student, or postdoctoral researcher whose PhD has been completed less than three years ago, or a researcher without a PhD who has been in an academic post for less than three years. Membership of ISTR is not necessary to enter the competition, but prize winners will need to join ISTR to attend the conference (either remotely or in-person) where the prize will be awarded.
The judges for the New Scholars Prize in 2024-25 are Dr Michael Finneran (MIC) and Dr Siobhán O’Gorman (IADT). The highest-ranked three essays will be shortlisted for the prize, and the final Guest Adjudicator will select the winner(s). Previous final adjudicators have included Prof. Marvin Carlson, Prof. Helen Burke, Prof. Lionel Pilkington, Prof. Chris Morash, Prof. Mária Kurdi, Dr Cathy Leeney, Dr Melissa Sihra, Dr Danielle Bainbridge, Prof. James Moran, and Dr Aoife Monks. The final Guest Adjudicator for 2024-25 is Rev. David Cregan, Associate Professor at Villanova University’s Performing Arts Center, Pennsylvania.