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The 1933 prize was given to Norman Richard Seddon (Balliol College, Oxford) with a second book prize being awarded to Alexander Johnston Mackenzie (University of Edinburgh). Mr Seddon was unable to receive his prize and diploma in person, as by the time it was awarded, he had graduated from Oxford and was working in Baghdad. Norman Seddon went on to have an illustrious career with British Petroleum eventually becoming one of the company's executives. The material includes correspondence with a diploma maker and book-binders; correspondence with first and second prize winners; press notices and newspaper cuttings.

Two letters concerning the award of the Universities Prize Essay to Norman Richard Seddon.

Letter from Norman R. Seddon to Col. Hoysted, RAS Secretary, in which he thanks Hoysted for his letter with news of the Prize. He regrets he will not be in London as he is working in Baghdad and will only be returning to England if his Company decided to dispose with his services. Handwritten, dated 5 January 1934.

From 1904-1929 the Royal Asiatic Society awarded a Gold Medal to a schoolboy writing on a chosen essay title. However, as entrants dwindled and few schools seemed interested in teaching Indian history, it was decided that the competition should be changed to one for undergraduate students. The change was finalised on 15th December 1931. Regulations for the University Prize Essay Fund were drawn up in 1932 and the first prize was awarded in 1933. In 1939, Professor Perceval Yetts designed a certificate to be presented with the prize (an example of this can be found in these papers). The prize was initially awarded annually but then became biennial. The prize money also increased at various intervals.
The records of the Universities Prize Essay cover the conversion from the Public School Medal to the Universities Prize Essay Fund, governance of the award and the conferment of the Honour in subsequent years. They include Rules, correspondence, and winning essays. However there are not records for all instances of the presentation of the award. Researchers are advised to also examine the Council Minutes and the Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society (both held in the RAS Collections) when researching concerning the Universities Prize Essay and its recipients.