Fellowships

• The BSECS-Northumbria Fellowship

  The fellowship arises from Northumbria University’s central role in organising the 2019 International Congress on the Enlightenment in Edinburgh, which had the theme ‘Enlightenment Identities’. This fellowship builds on the Congress theme by offering travel, accommodation, and related expenses up to the value of £4000 to support a visiting scholar undertaking research into the culture, history, and identity of the North East of England and the Scottish Borders in the long eighteenth century (the region approximately corresponding to the northern part of the historic nation of Northumbria). 

  To Apply for the 2025-26 Fellowship:

  Please submit (1) a current CV, and (2) a completed form (BNF Application Form 2025) to james.harriman-smith@ncl.ac.uk by the deadline of 31 May 2025. Shortlisted applicants may be invited to attend a brief and informal online interview. Applicants will be informed of the outcome of their application approximately one month after the deadline.

  Full details of the fellowship are given on the form itself. Informal enquiries may be made to Professor Brycchan Carey in the Department of Humanities at Northumbria University: brycchan.carey@northumbria.ac.uk

• BSECS-BECC

  In partnership with the Birmingham Eighteenth-Century Centre, BSECS offers a fellowship of £400 designed to support a doctoral researcher enrolled at a UK university or postdoctoral researcher normally resident in the UK in visiting and using the eighteenth-century resources of the Cadbury Research Library at the University of Birmingham. The extensive eighteenth-century holdings of this collection are detailed here.

  Deadline: 1 February 2024

  To apply, please follow this link.

• QMCECS-BSECS

  In partnership with Queen Mary Centre for Eighteenth-Century Studies, BSECS offers a short-term Visiting Fellowship for early career researchers.

  The award consists of two parts: from BSECS £500 towards travel and living expenses, and from QMCECS seven nights accommodation in Queen Mary fellows housing in Mile End (equivalent to £350). It will normally involve the Fellow researching in libraries and archives in London, and making contacts with QMCECS members.

  Applications should be completed and emailed to m.ellis@qmul.ac.uk by 31 March 2025.

  More information can be found on the  QMCECS Fellowship Page.

  View Past Winners

• DUNSCOMBE-COLT

  Research Fellowship at the Bodleian Library
  
  With The Georgian Group, the British Society for Eighteenth-Century Studies supports a one-month research visit by a member of The Georgian Group to the Special Collections of the Bodleian Library in the University of Oxford. Applications will be considered from candidates seeking to research projects relating to the architecture or material culture (for example, sculpture) of the long eighteenth century (1660-1840).

  Further particulars, including eligibility criteria and details of the application process, are available from the website of the Centre for the Study of the Book, Bodleian Library, or by email: bookcentre@bodleian.ox.ac.uk or telephone +44 (0) 1865 277006

  Applications open: 1 September in any year

  Deadline: 1 February in any year

  

• BSECS-BODLEIAN

  With the Bodleian Libraries, the British Society for Eighteenth-Century Studies supports a one-month residence in Oxford by a member of BSECS for research in the Special Collections of the Bodleian Libraries on any topic in the study of the long eighteenth century.

  Further particulars, including eligibility criteria and details of the application process, are available from the Fellowships website of the Centre for the Study of the Book, Bodleian Libraries, or by email: fellowships@bodleian.ox.ac.uk or telephone +44 (0)1865 277006.

  Applications open: 1 September in any year

  Deadline: 1 February in any year

• BSECS-GEORGIAN PAPERS

  The Georgian Papers Programme (GPP) is an interdisciplinary project to digitise, conserve, catalogue, transcribe, interpret and disseminate 425,000 pages or 65,000 items in the Royal Archives and Royal Library relating to the Georgian period, 1714-1837. For more information on the Programme, visit the project website.

  The total value of the fellowship is £1000. Candidates will be required to submit receipts for relevant expenses directly contributing to the research (travel, subsistence, accommodation, research costs), within 12 months of the commencement of the award.

  Eligibility criteria

   The project

  • • The project to be supported must draw on the resources of the Georgian Papers Programme, but need not be exclusively based on them; indeed, projects exploring themes connecting this archive with others, and to collections of material and visual culture are actively encouraged.
    • The fellowship is open to candidates from the full range of disciplines covered by BSECS.
    • For some indication of the range of projects that the papers can support, see the list of previous successful applications to project fellowship schemes: https://georgianpapers.com/get-involved/full_list_fellows/

  Candidates are encouraged to consult the list of published documents via the online catalogue, https://gpp.rct.uk/What.aspx and to contact the GPP team to inquire about unpublished papers if uncertain as to what is available

  • • Applications are welcomed from researchers at any stage of an academic career from PhD students and beyond.
    • Applications are also welcome from researchers who can demonstrate equivalent research experience without a formal academic qualification.
    • Applicants must be members of BSECS or any other ISECS affiliate society.
    • Applications are not limited to British/EEA nationals, but applicants from elsewhere must be able to demonstrate that they are in a position to acquire appropriate work/study visas as necessary. Applicants should consult the current visa regulations before applying, to ensure eligibility.

  Should it be possible for researchers to access the physical collections at Windsor, those seeking such access will be required also to comply with the standard security procedures for access to the Queen’s Private Apartments.

  Expectations of the successful fellow

  Fellows will be joining a community of more than 50 other scholars who have now held fellowships of various kinds over the past five years of the Programme (for the full list see https://georgianpapers.com/get-involved/full_list_fellows/). In addition we have a network of more than 400 following the project in the King’s Friends Network. As cataloguing and research are proceeding in parallel, the findings of our fellows are of vital importance to the Archives team, and to the Digital Humanists creating metadata and overseeing transcription for searchability. We would therefore expect the successful candidate to:

  • • consider presenting their research once more advanced at a GPP panel at suitable conferences/workshops
    • strongly consider helping convene a panel at the next appropriate BSECS Annual Conference, and to act as an ambassador for the GPP and its opportunities
    • share the knowledge they gain of the archive with the Royal Archives
    • alert the academic directors to any potentially significant findings that might be of interest to other researchers
    • write a blog or curate a virtual exhibition about their research for publication on the GPP website
    • share any full transcriptions of documents that they make in the course of their research with the GPP team to contribute to the transcription of the archive
    • acknowledge the fellowship in any future publications drawing on the research it enabled, and inform the GPP of their appearance.
    • abide by the standard rules of access and reuse associated with access to the Royal Archives, including security procedures for access to the Research

  The call for applications opens on 1 September and will close at 23:59 GMT on 1 February each year.

  Applicants are required to submit:

  • • a current CV
    • a statement of max. 1,000 words outlining the proposed research and its relation to the Georgian Papers

  No references are required.

  Applications should be sent to angel.odonnell@kcl.ac.uk with subject line ‘BSECS/GPP fellowship’.

  The successful candidate is required to take up and complete the fellowship within 12 months from the date of the award. For enquiries relating to a proposal, please contact Dr Angel O’Donnell angel.odonnell@kcl.ac.uk, fellows liaison of the Georgian Papers Programme.

   

  

• Boydell and Brewer BSECS Career Development Fellowship

  This fellowship is intended to support a defined research output (such as a book, article, digital resource, public engagement project, etc.) in the field of eighteenth-century studies. It offers a lump sum payment of up to £1050 which should be used to fund expenses associated with a defined research output or impact, such as (but not limited to): travel or subsistence during a research visit in the UK or abroad; the cost of access to library or archival resources; costs associated with publication (e.g. image rights); the cost of childcare or other caring responsibilities.

  The fellowship is co-funded by BSECS and Boydell and Brewer, who publish the book series Studies in the Eighteenth-Century in association with BSECS. The fellowship has been conceived to support the development of projects that could be submitted to the series but this is not a requirement and will not be taken into consideration in assessment of applications. As part of the fellowship process, applicants will be able to take advantage of a meeting with a Boydell and Brewer editor to discuss the publication of research (with no strings attached).

  The award is intended to support the career development of UK-based researchers working in the field of eighteenth-century studies, who are in positions of precarity. Individuals are eligible if, at the time of application, they:

  • • Hold a PhD, in any area of eighteenth-century studies;
    • Are resident in the UK;
    • Are not employed on a full-time basis in an academic position at a higher education institution;
    • Are not in receipt of postdoctoral funding amounting to more than £20,820p.a.
      • This amount reflects the annual salary for a person working 35 hours per week, paid the UK-rate living wage (£11.44 per hour, in 2024).
    • Are members of BSECS or any other ISECS affiliate society.

  Applications are not limited to British/EEA nationals, but applicants must demonstrate that they are in a position to acquire appropriate work/study visas as necessary. Please consult the current visa regulations before applying, to ensure eligibility.

  The award will be judged on the basis of candidates’ academic excellence, financial need, and the importance of the research to be carried out; a judging panel for the award will be constituted from members of the BSECS Council.

  The award holder will be expected to:

  • • submit a short report (c. 500 words) to the BSECS Awards Officer, after the grant has been spent, detailing the research that it has facilitated;
    • consider presenting their research at a BSECS or ISECS conference;
    • acknowledge the grant in any publications that follow from it and inform BSECS of their appearance;
    • complete the research funded by this award between May of the year of award and October of the following year.

   

  To apply, candidates should send the following documents to the BSECS Prizes & Awards Officer at james.harriman-smith@ncl.ac.uk, by 23:59 on 1 February:

  • • A CV of max. 2 pages.
    • A covering letter, addressed to the BSECS Awards Panel and containing the following information:
      • A statement of max. 500 words detailing the research to be funded. This should indicate the importance of the work, its contribution to your career development, and full details of the resulting output(s);
      • A breakdown of expenses, detailing how the grant will be spent;
      • The name and email address of ONE referee, whom BSECS will approach for a reference if you are shortlisted. Please state this person’s relationship to you, and confirm in advance of application that they are happy to write a reference for you.

   

  Any questions regarding this award should be sent to james.harriman-smith@ncl.ac.uk.

   

   

Bursaries

• Annual Conference Bursaries

  BSECS offers conference bursaries to support academic excellence among our members.

   

  All those whose papers have been accepted are eligible to apply and will receive information on how to do so as part of the normal conference process.

   

  Awards will be judged on both the academic merit of the abstract, and financial need. Those who have not previously received an award will be prioritised, but past winners may reapply.

  Precise numbers and types of awards will vary from year to year, but include the following:

  • Early Career Conference Awards, which support a scholar within five years of the award of their PhD.
  • Postgraduate Conference Awards, which support current postgraduate students.
  • The Independent Scholar Award, which supports active researchers who are not currently affiliated with an academic institution as either a student or a paid member of research or teaching staff.
  • The BSECS Committee Award to reward a particularly interdisciplinary paper or one which pioneers a new area of 18th-century studies.
  • The BSECS Capacity-Building Award (£300), which supports a scholar, at any career stage, from an academic institution in a country ranked as ‘Medium’ or ‘Low’ in the most recent United Nations Human Development Index.
  • The Society for Theatre Research Award to support a graduate student involved in research on British theatre (broadly defined) in the long eighteenth century.
  • The Michael Burden Postgraduate Bursary for Musicology to support a graduate student involved in research on music in the long eighteenth century.
  • The Thomas Keymer Postgraduate Bursary to support graduate students who are either Canadian citizens (based in Canada or elsewhere) or enrolled at a Canadian university.

• KEYMER-CSECS BURSARY

  Thanks to the generous support of Professor Thomas Keymer, and in collaboration with the Canadian Society for Eighteenth-Century Studies, BSECS is delighted to be offering this new bursary from 2020 onwards.

  The award provides a bursary of CA$500 to support a postgraduate scholar in presenting their work at the annual CSECS Conference. The award is open to any graduate student who is either a UK citizen (based in the UK or elsewhere) or enrolled in a UK university.

  The award is judged according to both the academic merit of the proposed paper and financial need.

   How to apply:

  1. 1. Candidates should submit their abstract to the CSECS Conference in the usual way. Please consult the Society’s website for details: https://www.csecs.ca/
     2. In addition, candidates should send a statement of max. 300 words detailing how this award would benefit them academically and financially, to Professor Alison Conway, President of CSECS, at alison.conway@ubc.ca

   Applications open on 20 February, and close on 10 April each year.

• PG/ECR CONFERENCE BURSARIES

  BSECS will support those attending its PG/ECR conference with a number of conference bursaries. The quantity and size of these bursaries is determined in liaison with conference host and organizers near to the time of the event.

Prizes

• THE ONLINE PAPER PRIZE

  The Online Paper Prize of £200 is awarded to the best postgraduate paper at BSECS’s online conference. Delegates may nominate one paper each, based on evidence of originality, rigour, and presentational skills.

  The winner will be announced two months after the online conference.

• THE PRESIDENT’S PRIZE

  The President’s Prize is awarded to the best postgraduate paper at the Annual Conference in January, as nominated by the session chairs and adjudicated by a special panel, which assesses for evidence of originality, rigour and presentational skills.

  The award of £200 is made annually. The winner is announced in early April.

• TEACHING

  The aim of the prize is to encourage developments in teaching methods and approaches to 18th-century studies. The proposals may cover any areas of the discipline, be an entirely new course, a unit within an existing course, or a course newly taught. While proposals are welcome from all disciplines within 18th-century studies, weight will be given to those which combine a number of disciplines or areas of research.

  The submission should consist of:

  • • a consideration of the proposed course or area of study.
    • a brief outline of the course.
    • a syllabus for the course.

  The award of £200 is made annually. The winner will be announced on 1 March.

  Nominations open: 1 September in any year

  Deadline: 1 February in any year

  The application form is available HERE.

• DIGITAL RESOURCES

  The British Society for Eighteenth-Century Studies is pleased to call for nominations for the annual prize for the best digital resource supporting eighteenth-century studies.

  The prize is sponsored by Adam Matthew Digital, and is judged and awarded by BSECS.

  This prize promotes the highest standards in the development, utility and presentation of digital resources that assist scholars in the field of eighteenth-century studies broadly defined. Nominated resources should meet the highest academic standards and should contribute in one or more of the following ways:

  • • by making available new materials, or presenting existing materials in new ways;
    • by supporting teaching of the period at university level;
    • by facilitating, or itself undertaking, innovative research.

  The prize is intended to benefit the international research community, and the competition is open to projects from any country. Resources supporting any scholarly discipline are eligible. Websites or other resources and projects may be nominated by either creators or users. They must have been first launched on or after 1 January five years prior to the year in which the resource was nominated. The winner will be announced at the BSECS Annual Conference.

  The award of £200 is made annually. The winning entry is showcased at the annual conference in January.

  Nominations open: 1 September in any year

  Deadline: 1 February in any year

  Nomination form

  

Event Funding

• THE HAYDN MASON LECTURE

  The Mason lecture was established to mark the retirement of Haydn Mason, a former President of BSECS, from the Ashley Watkins Chair of French at the University of Bristol in 1994. Taking place every two years at the Annual Conference, its focus is on the European Enlightenment, with a preference for a French perspective to honour Mason’s work. The lecture is designed to promote the work of an early-career scholar, who already has a track record of distinction.

  By invitation

Previous Awards

• ICE LEGACY STUDENTSHIPS

  Using the surplus generated by the 2019 International Congress on the Enlightenment in Edinburgh, BSECS funded the following studentships around the UK:

  Award: BSECS-Cambridge Masters Studentship in Eighteenth-Century Studies

  Award holder: Patrick Creek

  This project, ‘Walter Scott and Popular Antiquarianism’, is on the cheap publishing industry of the 1820s, especially John Murray’s Family Library, and its publication of Walter Scott’s Letters on Demonology and Witchcraft. Patrick is interested in how these pioneers adapted themselves to a larger audience: whether they included new content or recycled old – since, presumably, the imagined readerships hadn’t had access to the more expensive antiquarian literature of the eighteenth century. 

  Award: BSECS-Exeter Masters Studentship in Eighteenth-Century Studies

  Award holder: Tobias Carroll

  This project will look at the East India Company and global trade.

   Award: BSECS-Edinburgh PhD Scholarship 

  Award holder: Emma Pearce

  This project will investigate the transcultural circulations and connections of tartan in Scotland, and Madras in the Caribbean, examining the influence of these checked cloths on each other and journeys across the Atlantic during the long eighteenth century. It will further examine the role of checked cloth in constructing the identity of its wearers within the British Empire and in particular its surprising duality as both a marker of elite Scottish masculinity and Caribbean femininity.

• PATRON’S LECTURE

  The Patron’s Lecture provides a forum for a major figure in eighteenth-century studies to reach a large public audience. Launched in 2015, it was conceived as a biennial event taking place at different venues around the country. The Lecturer becomes a life-member of the Society.

  Past lecturers:

  8 June 2017, in collaboration with the York Festival of Ideas: Prof. John Mullan (UCL): ‘What Matters in Jane Austen?’

  19 November 2015, Newcastle University: Amanda Vickery, broadcaster, author and Professor of early modern history at Queen Mary, University of London: ‘Mutton dressed as lamb’.