Brontë Studies is pleased to invite submissions for the 2025 iteration of the Brontë Studies Early Career Research Essay Prize. The prize aims to encourage new scholarship in the field of Brontë studies, recognise and reward outstanding achievement by new researchers, and support the professional development of the next generation of Brontë scholars.

The prize was established in honour of Margaret Smith. She remains one of the most important Brontë scholars of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. As well as (co-)editing scholarly editions of Jane Eyre, Shirley, Villette and The Professor and The Oxford Companion to the Brontës (with Christine Alexander), Smith is widely regarded for her field-defining volumes of The Letters of Charlotte Brontë (1995, 2000, 2005). Alongside numerous other publications and contributions to the Brontë Society, Smith published many original articles and reviews in Brontë Studies over the years. Her minutely researched, comprehensive and scrupulous work will continue to be an indispensable resource and inspiration for current and future generations of Brontë scholars.

Prize

 The winning entry will be:

●      Submitted for publication in Brontë Studies

●      Awarded one year’s free membership of the Brontë Society, including one year’s free digital subscription to Brontë Studies

●      Cash prize of £500

All entries of sufficient quality will be considered for publication.

Entry Requirements

The Brontë Studies Early Career Research Essay Prize is open to anyone currently registered for MA or PhD study or within three years of completion of either award. Entrants may be asked to provide formal confirmation of their status. All entries must offer a new and original contribution to the field of Brontë studies. The entry must not be under consideration for publication elsewhere and should not be submitted to any other journal until the outcome of the process is known.

Submission

Essays must be up to 7500 words in length inclusive of notes, references, abstract, biography, and keywords. Submissions must comply with the journal’s Instructions for Authors. The deadline for submission is 30 July 2025. Entrants must submit essays via the journal’s online submission platform, ensuring that the box to confirm that the manuscript is an entry for the essay prize is selected.

Essays should meet the general aims and scope of Brontë Studies and offer a new and original contribution to Brontë scholarship – please visit the journal’s website for more information. All essays submitted for publication will be subject to the standard Peer Review process. Entries will be judged by a member of the Brontë Studies Editorial Board and a member of the Brontë Society.

The winning essays for 2023 and 2024 are available on the journal’s website. 

Questions may be directed to the journal’s Editor, Dr Claire O’Callaghan, at brontestudies@bronte.org.uk