New essay prize in Black British History and Christianity 

Bloomsbury Central Baptist Church has announced the creation of the annual Bloomsbury Essay Prize in Black British History & Christianity

The £300 prize is awarded for the best essay in Black British History on a topic related to Christianity. Candidates must be BA or MA students or recently graduated students (the degree should have been awarded no more than 12 months before the submission deadline indicated below). 

Essays will be anonymised and examined by a panel of leading academic experts in Black British History and Black Theology.

Minister Simon Woodman explained the thinking behind the prize.

'Following the murder of George Floyd, and the through engagement with the Black Lives Matter movement, Bloomsbury Central Baptist Church decided to begin a process of seeking to become an anti-racist organisation. This is more than learning about our own inherited and systemic racial prejudices, although it certainly begins there.

'But it also includes a commitment to take action and to invest in actions that resist and reduce the impact of racism. As a church that cares deeply about an approach to the Christian faith that is rooted in serious thought and academic study, it seemed appropriate to us that we might do something to encourage those who study Black British History, particularly as it relates to Christianity.

'This is where the idea came from of setting up an essay prize.

'We are delighted to have a judging panel that is diverse and representative of the breadth of study of Black British History, and our prayer is that this will not only reward the successful prize-winner for their research, but also will raise the wider profile of the discipline.'

Essays should be between 5,000 and 10,000 words. Footnotes count towards the word limit while the reference list / bibliography does not.

Essays must be unpublished at the time of submission and show evidence of original historical research.

Essays must be sent in PDF format to essayprize@bloomsbury.org.uk together with a 100- word bio by 28 February, 2023. The winner will be announced in Spring 2023.

For any queries, contact: essayprize@bloomsbury.org.uk.

More information on Bloomsbury Central Baptist Church, its history and commitment to racial justice can be found at the Church’s website: bloomsbury.org.uk