The annual prize is awarded by the Joseph Conrad Society (UK) for an essay on any aspect of the works and/or life of Joseph Conrad. The prize is dedicated to the memory of Juliet McLauchlan, a much loved Conradian and the Society's original and long-serving chair, by encouraging writing from new Conradians. The value of the prize is £200.

The essay competition is designed to foster work by new Conradians and emerging scholars, including undergraduates, postgraduates, and independent scholars of any age, subject to the proviso that entrants should not have held a full-time academic appointment for more than three years.

Essays must be original and between 5,000 and 7,000 words in length. The essay must be in English and should be typed double-spaced, and cannot have been previously published in any form. Entries for the 2024 competition should reach us by 31 May 2024. Send as an email attachment to Dr Hugh Epstein hughepstein@hotmail.co.uk or by post to Joseph Conrad Society, c/o POSK, 238-246 King St., London W6 0RF.

The award for 2023 went to Ian Anderson, an independent scholar and graduate of Edinburgh University, for his essay '"Personal prejudices must not pass as whole truth": George Garrett's critique of The Nigger of the 'Narcissus''. This lively and enterprising essay revived the provocative response to Conrad's novel of a now-neglected working-class writer and contemporary of Conrad, bringing class to the discussion rather than race, as is now fashionable.

Gail Fraser Memorial Conference Travel Grant

In remembrance of Gail Fraser (1939–2011), Bruce Fraser has provided funds for a young scholar either in the final stages of doctoral studies or within three years of obtaining the doctorate to defray costs of attending the Society's annual conference.

Gail Fraser, who taught in the Department of English at Douglas College, New Westminster, British Columbia, was a specialist on Conrad's short fiction on which she wrote her dissertation at the University of British Columbia, the basis of her Interweaving Patterns in the Works of Joseph Conrad (1988). In addition to other essays on this topic, she contributed to The Cambridge Companion to Joseph Conrad (1996) and wrote the Introduction to The Nigger of the 'Narcissus' and Other Stories (Penguin, 2007).

Full details of the award will be posted here in due course. For more information, you may also email the Treasurer of the Joseph Conrad Society (U.K.) Professor Allan H. Simmons, at allanhsimmons@aol.com.

Applicants must be members of the Society at the time of application. There is no restriction as to whether they hold a full or part-time position, or whether other support is available. (Applicants may also wish to apply for the Society's travel grants.)

The Travel Grant has been awarded as follows:

• 2012: To Joshil K. Abraham, Lecturer at the Ambedkar Institute of Advanced Communications Technologies and Research (New Delhi), who presented a paper at the Bath conference on "Marlow's Logocentric Journey in 'Heart of Darkness.'"
• 2013: To Joanna Mstowska, a full-time Lecturer, Post-doctoral status, at the Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toru, Poland, who presented a paper at the Rome conference on "Conrad's Victory and Pirandello's "La trappola": a Victory over Form?"
• 2014: To Pei-Wen Clio Kao and Charne Lavery, who presented papers at the Canterbury conference on "The Symbiotic Relation between Colonizer and Colonized: A Contrapuntal Reading of 'Heart of Darkness''', and "Looking back in Victory: 'Native Life', the threat of witness, and narrative perspective", respectively.

The Philip J. Conrad Memorial Lecture

Established in 2004, with funds from the Juliet and Mac McLauchlan Bequest, the Lecture honours the memory of the Society's long-serving president, the late Philip J. Conrad (1924-2004), Conrad's grandson.

Awarded every two years to a distinguished scholar, the occasion entails delivery of a lecture at a Society conference and, normally, publication in The Conradian. Nominations for lecturers may be made to the Executive Committee.

The Lecture has been given as follows:

• 2005 by Jacques Berthoud, Emeritus Professor, York University, who delivered his lecture on Nostromo at Amsterdam
• 2007 by J. H. Stape, Research Fellow in English, St Mary's University, Twickenham, who spoke on Conrad and biography at the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich
• 2009 by Andrea White, Professor, California State University at Dominguez Hills, who spoke on Victory at the University Women's Club, London
• 2011 by C. T. Watts, Research Professor, University of Sussex, who spoke on political and aesthetic aspects of "Heart of Darkness" at the University Women's Club, London
• 2013 by Jeremy Hawthorn, Professor, The Norwegian University of Science and Technology, who spoke on "Joseph Conrad and the testimony of the senses" at the Rome conference
• 2015 by Laurence Davies, Visiting Professor at the University of Glasgow, who spoke on 'Conrad and Contingency' at POSK for the London conference
• 2017 by Robert Hampson, Professor, Royal Holloway, University of London, who spoke on 'Crossing Borders' at the London conference, POSK
• 2019 by Allan H. Simmons, Professor, St Mary's University, Twickenham, who spoke on ‘Conrad, My Conrad. But which is my Conrad?’ at the London conference, St Mary’s University
• 2023 by Agnieszka Adamowicz-Pośpiech Professor, University of Silesia, who spoke on 'The Napoleonic Era in Conrad's Work: Polish Perspectives' at the London conference, POSK

The Joseph Conrad Society provides discretionary support for scholars and researchers not having access to other sources of funding to participate in the annual conference.

The Juliet McLauchlan Travel Grants are awarded to help scholars who have had their paper accepted for presentation at the Annual International Conference of the Joseph Conrad Society (U.K.). Full details of the 2024 award, and how to apply, may be found here (Word) and PDF

To apply for support for any other Conradian scholarly project, please email Professor Allan H. Simmons, at TheConradian@gmail.com.

Past notices of study and travel grants may be accessed at the Prizes, Study and Travel Grants, Archives.