The medal is awarded on a competitive basis each year to one or more postgraduate post-fieldwork students in the Department of Social Anthropology at the University of St Andrews. Applicants are asked to submit an article-length piece of work (8,000-10,000 words) based on a chapter from their thesis. This should be an original piece of work relating to the analysis of fieldwork material gathered during the period of doctoral research conducted by the applicant while registered as a student in the department. It should aim to be of publishable quality.
The essay should be accompanied by a 1-2 page outline of the thesis. This outline should contextualise the essay in relation to the overall thesis and the theoretical body of work it addresses.
Students eligible to apply are those who are registered for a Ph.D. in the St Andrews Social Anthropology Department and who have yet to sit their viva voce doctoral examination. After their viva examination they will be ineligible to apply.
Those students who wish to apply for the medal in any particular year, but whose viva voce examination will take place before the completion deadline, should lodge their application in a sealed and dated envelope in the Departmental Office (pgpafs@st-andrews.ac.uk) prior to their viva. Such applications will be held over until the deadline, to be considered along side any other applications submitted for the same round of the competition.
In any one year, students may submit only one piece of work each for consideration by the committee. Students will be allowed to enter in consecutive years, if they are unsuccessful in their first application. A successful candidate may not apply for the award again in the following year or subsequent years.
If any student, who wishes to submit their essay to the Trust for consideration for the DR Medal, intends to submit their essay for external review – such as for publication in a scholarly journal – then the candidate should submit to the Trust the version of their essay that does not include any changes made on the basis of comments and suggestions from external reviewers.
Failure to adhere to either this guidance or that covering Ph.D. viva voce examinations – see above – will disqualify the candidate and their essay will be withdrawn from the competition.
The deadline for submissions will be 4pm Friday, mid August (date to be announced by separate flyer).
The medal takes the form of a prize to the value of £1100, and is supported by the Ladislav Holy Memorial Trust, with an additional contribution from the Riches family.
The award of the medal will be decided by an external academic assessor. The External Assessor assessor in consultation with the Trustees. The External Assessor will be appointed for a period of three years. The Awards Committee will meet at a date around one month after the deadline, and a decision will be announced by mid-September.
Please address any enquiries to Prof. Roy Dilley (rmd@st-andrews.ac.uk).
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