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Literary prizes

Awarded annually
We offer an array of prizes for submissions in a variety of written forms including poems, plays and essays.
Scholarship Value Eligibility Open date Close date
Alan Hyland Scholarship for Instrumental Studies TBC
  • Full-time student at the Conservatorium of Music
  • Studying instrumental studies
TBC TBC

Albert Scholarship

TBC
  • Postgraduate student
  • Born in Australia
  • Plan to study overseas
TBC TBC
Alison Burrell Bequest TBC
  • Full-time student
  • Studying to become a composer
N/A N/A
Anthony and Sharon Lee Foundation Jazz Scholarships $6,000 (for up to 4 years) or $25,000 (for up to 1.5 years)
  • Jazz student
  • Be in financial need
TBC TBC
Anthony Strachan Scholarship TBC
  • Full-time coursework or research students at the Conservatorium of Music
TBC TBC
Belinda Frances Hughes Piano Scholarship TBC
  • Full-time coursework or research students at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music
  • Studying piano
TBC TBC
Belinda Frances Hughes Violin Scholarship TBC
  • Full-time coursework or research students at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music
  • Studying violin
TBC TBC
Board of Governors' Scholarship TBC
  • Full-time coursework or research students at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music
TBC TBC
Brian Abel Piano Scholarship TBC
  • Piano student
  • Resided in Australia for the past five years
  • Low socio-economic background
TBC TBC
Bruce A Pontin Memorial Scholarship TBC
  • Full-time student at the Conservatorium of Music
TBC TBC
Chapple/Bremner Scholarship TBC
  • Singing and/or piano student
N/A N/A
Clarence Addison Turrill Scholarship TBC
  • Classical piano student
  • Financially disadvantaged
TBC TBC
Conservatorium of Music Scholarship TBC
  • Full-time coursework or research students at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music
TBC TBC
Corinna D'Hage Mayer String Scholarship TBC
  • Born in Australia
  • String student
N/A N/A
Costa Rosa Harsas Award TBC
  • Studying classical music
  • come from a financially disadvantaged background
TBC TBC
Dilys and Milton Renham Scholarship TBC
  • Student at the Conservatorium
N/A N/A
Doris Burnett Ford Scholarship TBC
  • Musical composition student
  • Aged between 20 and 40
N/A N/A
Eleanor Dunn Scholarship TBC
  • Postgraduate student at the Conservatorium
  • Low socio-economic background
TBC TBC
Elizabethan Theatre Trust Ladies’ Committee Scholarship for Piano, Voice or Orchestral Instruments TBC
  • Full-time coursework or research student
  • Piano, Voice or Orchestral Instruments student
N/A N/A
Eugene Goossens Conducting Fellowship TBC
  • Full-time coursework or research students at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music
  • Studying conducting
  • Have completed previous studies in conducting
  • Already be a proven young orchestral conductor in the professional musical world
  • An Australian or New Zealand resident for not less than three years.
TBC TBC
Flora Jean Ferriss Scholarship TBC
  • Strings student
N/A N/A
Geoffrey Parsons Australian Scholarship TBC
  • Student undertaking further studies as a piano accompanist or opera répétiteur
N/A N/A
George and Margaret Henderson Scholarship $50,000 per annum
  • Student or alumni of the Sydney Conservatorium of Music
  • Wanting to study operatic studies, piano or violin overseas
TBC TBC
George Henderson Scholarship TBC
  • Student at the Conservatorium pursuing studies abroad
TBC TBC
George Wallace Henderson Scholarship TBC
  • Full-time coursework or research students at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music
TBC TBC
Greenberg-Gurney-Jensen Fund TBC
  • Classical music (including early music and opera) student
N/A N/A
Greenberg-Gurney-Jensen Fund 2 TBC
  • Full-time student at the Conservatorium of Music 
  • Studying classical music, including early music and opera studies
TBC TBC
Greta Davis Equity Scholarship for Musically Talented Students $10,000 p.a.
  • Studying performance in a coursework or research degree at the Conservatorium of Music
  • Demonstrates an eligible disadvantage
TBC TBC
Helen Myers Scholarship TBC
  • Female
  • Singing student
N/A N/A
Helen Quach Scholarship TBC
  • Student studying conducting
N/A N/A
Henderson Postgraduate Scholarship TBC
  • Postgraduate student at the Conservatorium
N/A N/A
In Memory of Richard Antony Oppen TBC
  • Music education student
N/A N/A
Iremonger Marceau Family Scholarship TBC
  • Full-time coursework or research students at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music
TBC TBC
Jean Giles and Thomas Louis Pidcock Violin Scholarship TBC
  • Full-time student at the Conservatorium
  • Violin student
N/A N/A
John and Dorothy Vimpani Pianoforte Fund TBC
  • Pianoforte student
N/A N/A
John Luscombe Scholarship for Vocal Studies TBC
  • Full-time student at the Conservatorium
  • Studying vocal studies
TBC TBC
Keith and Eileen Ong Prize for Piano $10,000
  • Recent piano graduate
  • Plan to complete a master's at the Conservatorium or overseas
N/A N/A
Margaret Henderson Scholarship TBC
  • Brass, percussion, jazz, keyboard, organ and church music, vocal studies, opera, woodwind, composition, music education or musicology students
N/A N/A
Martha Eglit Bequest TBC
  • Piano or violin student
N/A N/A
Mary Greville and Bert Coughtrey Scholarship for Pianists TBC
  • Full-time student at the Conservatorium
  • Wanting to study piano overseas
TBC TBC
Matteson & Nancy Roberts Violin Scholarship TBC
  • Full-time coursework or research students at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music
  • Studying violin
TBC TBC
Myron Kantor Bequest TBC
  • Student studying classical music at the Conservatorium
TBC TBC
Orchestra - Witheford Don Scholarship TBC
  • Student enrolled at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music
  • Studying 'back of orchestra' instruments including lower bass (trombones), or woodwind (clarinet, oboe or bassoon)
N/A N/A
Patricia Bell Grant TBC
  • Voice and/or instrument student
N/A N/A
Patricia Lucas Music Achievement Scholarship TBC
  • Singing, oboe, violin, cello or clarinet student
  • Serious intention for a classical career
  • Born in Australia
  • Aged between 20 and 30
N/A N/A
Peter Davidson Scholarship TBC
  • Postgraduate student at the Conservatorium
N/A N/A
Queen Victoria Club Scholarship TBC
  • Cello, violin and/or piano student
N/A N/A
Quinquin Foundation Scholarship TBC
  • Full-time student
  • Studying classical music
  • Financially disadvantaged background
TBC TBC
Richard Merewether French Horn Fellowship TBC
  • French horn student
N/A N/A
Rob Hatherley Scholarship TBC
  • Postgraduate student
  • Preferably studying piano and/or keyboard
N/A N/A
Rosemary Valentine Memorial Prize TBC
  • Full-time student at the Conservatorium of Music
  • Studying voice or piano
TBC TBC
Sarah and Murial Jeavons Memorial Scholarship TBC
  • Female
  • Organ student
N/A N/A
Sydney Conservatorium Association Scholarships TBC
  • Full-time student at the Conservatorium
N/A N/A
Sydney Conservatorium of Music Scholarship TBC
  • Student at the Conservatorium
TBC TBC
Sydney Conservatorium of Music Mobility Scholarship Up to $5,000 
  • Be willing to undertake travel overseas to further music studies
  • Currently enrolled in full-time at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music 
TBC TBC
Sydney Moss Scholarship $20,000
  • Born in NSW
  • Postgraduate student or alumni of the Sydney Conservatorium of Music
  • Identify as an instrumentalist, vocalist or composer
  • Travel overseas to a music school
TBC TBC
Sydney Symposium Choral Foundation Conducting Scholarship TBC 
  • Australian citizen
  • Participating in promotion and development of Australian choral music as choral conductor
  • Must be aged up to 35 years
TBC TBC
The Albert Scholarships $25,000
  • Postgraduate student at the Conservatorium
N/A N/A
The Bessie Cook Piano Award TBC
  • Piano student
TBC TBC
The Chandler Scholarship TBC
  • Full-time coursework or research students at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music
TBC TBC
The Conry Brauer Scholarship for Piano Tuition TBC
  • Full-time coursework or research students at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music
  • Studying piano
TBC TBC
The Conry Brauer Scholarship for Violin Tuition TBC
  • Full-time coursework or research students at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music
  • Studying violin
TBC TBC
The David and Nhilla Dumbrell Scholarship TBC
  • Piano student
  • Low-socioeconomic background
TBC TBC
The Donald Lionel Edgerton Scholarship TBC
  • Male
  • Opera student
N/A N/A
The Elaine McCaghern Musical Scholarship TBC
  • Student at the Conservatorium
  • Low-socioeconomic background
TBC TBC
The Elise Herrman Scholarship TBC
  • Student at the Conservatorium
N/A N/A
The Geoffrey Rothwell Scholarship TBC
  • Singing student
N/A N/A
The Gerald Westheimer Quartet Program TBC
  • Currently enrolled in full-time at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music 
  • Member of a string quartet
13 September 2023 13 November 2023
The Helpmann Family Fellowship TBC
  • Opera student
  • Low socio-economic background
TBC TBC
The Howard-Smith Scholarship TBC
  • Full-time student at the Conservatorium of Music
  • Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander or rural/remote student
TBC TBC
The Joan and James Armstrong Award TBC
  • Student at the Conservatorium of Music
TBC TBC
The John Holt Todd and Florence Todd Scholarship TBC
  • Full-time student
  • Studying vocal teaching and repertoire
  • Between 20 and 45 years old
N/A N/A
The JJ Kelly Memorial Scholarship TBC
  • Full-time coursework or research students at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music
  • Studying brass instrument
TBC TBC
The Kathleen and Allison Short Scholarship TBC
  • Piano, violin, viola or cello student
  • Financially disadvantaged
TBC TBC
The Kathleen E Armstrong Bequest TBC
  • Student at the Conservatorium
N/A N/A
The Kevin and Margaret Duffy Scholarship TBC
  • Full-time coursework or research students at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music
  • Studying vocal studies or similar
TBC TBC
The Kim Walker Scholarship Endowment Fund TBC
  • Student at the Conservatorium
N/A N/A
The Kirkpix Trust Scholarship TBC
  • First or second-year coursework student at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music
  • Saxophone student
  • Low socio-economic background
TBC TBC
The Linda Kingsbury Jeffery Scholarship for Singing TBC
  • Singing student
N/A N/A
The Molly Brown Memorial Scholarship $25,000 p.a. (up to 4 years)
  • Currently enrolled in full-time at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music 
  • Must have experienced financial hardship
  • Be from a low socio-economic background
N/A until 2024 N/A until 2024
The Olive Margaret Stewart Bequest TBC
  • Music and voice student
N/A N/A
The Patricia H Reid Endowment Scholarship $20,000 pa (up to 4 years)
  • Full-time student at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music
  • Low socio-economic background or financial need
TBC TBC
The Rahma Shohet Memorial Scholarship – Vocal TBC
  • Student studying vocal at Sydney Conservatorium of Music
TBC TBC
The Richard and Doreen Wilson Organ Scholarship TBC
  • Organ student
N/A N/A
The Richard and Doreen Wilson Organ Travelling Scholarship TBC
  • Organ student
  • Undertake overseas studies
TBC TBC
The Ted and Susan Meller Memorial Scholarship Fund TBC
  • Violin student
N/A N/A
The Vasanta Scholarship TBC
  • Australian citizen
  • Violin, viola, violoncello, piano or organ student
N/A N/A
The William and Marie Souter Encouragement Awards TBC
  • Classical music student
  • Australian resident
  • Low socio-economic background
TBC TBC
William McIlrath Memorial Scholarship in Music Performance and Research TBC
  • Postgraduate student studying music performance at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music
TBC TBC

The University of Sydney's annual literary prizes have a long history, with many dating back to bequests received at the beginning of the 20th century. 

All literary prizes require an application and the submission of written work, typically an essay or poem, on a selected topic. Written work should be submitted under a nom de plume.

Prize Open date Close date
Refer to the relevant literary prize below 30 October 2023 27 November 2023
Wentworth Medal  15 July 2022 15 August 2022


All prizes and medals are awarded subject to providing a signed and dated Copyright Release Form (pdf, 37KB). The University of Sydney reserves the right not to award a prize if submissions are not deemed to be of sufficient standard. 

Wentworth Medal

Value: $20,000 and medal

Eligibility: 
All students enrolled at the University of Sydney (except for previous winners of the Wentworth Medal)

Open Date: 15 July 2022

Close Date: 15 August 2022

2022 Topic: Discuss. 3000-word limit.

Globalisation and/post COVID

How to apply:

Applications for this literary prize must be made in two parts.

  1. Register your Nom de Plume and submit the Copyright Release Form here.
  2. Enrol in the Canvas Course Wentworth Medal Application for 2022 and submit your essay for TurnItIn screening.

Please note that early, late or incomplete submissions will not be accepted under any circumstances. All submissions will be screened through TurnItIn for Academic Integrity.

Background:

Established in 1854 from a gift of £200 from WC Wentworth, this medal was initially presented as a reward for the best essay in English prose and now seeks to reward an outstanding essay addressing a nominated question.

The topic or topics for the essay will be set each year and the examiners of the essay will be appointed by the Wentworth Medal Committee (who have the power to co-opt). The committee consists of the:

  • Chair of the Academic Board
  • Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Education)
  • Deans of:
    • the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences
    • the University of Sydney Business School
    • the University of Sydney Law School.

The committee reserves the right to share the prize if two or more entries are judged to be of equal, highest, and sufficient merit.

The essay should be approximately 3000 words (not including referencing). It should demonstrate a breadth of research, be of a high scholarly standard and include appropriate referencing. In assessing the quality of the essay the panel will consider:

  • its clarity and accessibility
  • the quality of the argument upon which it is constructed
  • its originality (specifically its ability to shed new light on the given topic).

Adrian Consett Stephen Memorial Prize

Value: $1,500

Eligibility: Applicants must:

  • be enrolled at the University of Sydney in an undergraduate degree, and
  • submit a short story or play that they have written.

This Prize is funded by a bequest from Emilie Ann Consett Stephen.

Apply here.

Terms and conditions (pdf, 725kb).

Beauchamp Prize

Value: $10,000

Eligibility: Applicants must be one of the following:

  • enrolled at the University of Sydney in an undergraduate degree, or
  • a graduate of the University of Sydney who completed an undergraduate degree no more than five years previously at the time of their application.

The Beauchamp Prize is awarded for the best essay on some matter of literary or historical interest. This Prize is funded by a gift from his Excellency the Right Honourable William Lygon, Earl Beauchamp, KCMG, Governor of New South Wales. 

Applicants must submit an essay on some matter of literary or historical interest with a word limit between 5000 and 7500 words.

Apply now.

Terms and conditions (pdf, 137.7KB).

Henry Lawson Prize for Poetry

Value: $5,000

A maximum number of 3 prizes may be awarded each year between the Henry Lawson Prize for Poetry and the Henry Lawson Prize for Prose.

Eligibility: Applicants must:

  • be enrolled at the University of Sydney in an undergraduate degree,
  • have not graduated from another degree at the University of Sydney,
  • submit an English verse.

This Prize is funded by a gift from subscribers to the memorial of Henry Lawson, Australian poet and prose-writer.

Apply here.

Terms and conditions (pdf, 651KB).

Henry Lawson Prize for Prose

Value: $5,000

A maximum number of 3 prizes may be awarded each year between the Henry Lawson Prize for Prose and the Henry Lawson Prize for Poetry.

Eligibility: Applicants must:

  • be enrolled at the University of Sydney in an undergraduate degree,
  • have not graduated from another degree at the University of Sydney,
  • submit an original composition on an Australian theme in the form of a short story or descriptive sketch.

This Prize is funded by a gift from subscribers to the memorial of Henry Lawson, Australian poet and prose-writer.

Apply here.

Terms and conditions (pdf, 653KB).

HM Moran Prize

Value: $600

Eligibility: Undergraduate students who are catholic.

The HM Moran Prize was established in 1945 from a gift of £250 from Dr HM Moran and is awarded for the best essay. Applicants must submit an essay (maximum 5000 words) on the history of medicine and science.

Apply here.

Terms and conditions (pdf, 136.1KB).

Robert A Dallen Prize

Value: $5,000

Eligibility: Applicants must be one of the following:

  • enrolled in the third year of their degree, or
  • a graduate of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences who graduated no more than two years previously at the time of their application.

Applicants must submit a composition on The Influence of the Bible on Later Culture and Literature.

This Prize is funded by a donation from Robert A Dallen.

Apply here.

Terms and conditions (pdf, 136KB).

Venour V Nathan Prize

Value: $3,500

Eligibility: Applicants must be one of the following:

  • enrolled at the University of Sydney, or
  • a graduate of the University of Sydney who graduated no more than 8 years and 4 months previously at the time of their application.

The Venour V Nathan Prize is awarded for the best essay on a subject connected to Australian or Imperial history. This prize is funded by a donation from Venour V Nathan.

Applicants must submit an essay (5000-7500 word limit) on a subject connected to Australian or Imperial history.

Apply now.

Terms and conditions (pdf, 642KB).