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The Sir Richard Burton Medal – On 12 April 1921 the Council of the RAS agreed to found a Richard Burton memorial lecture in commemoration, that year, of the 100th anniversary of Burton's birth. A fund was established to finance the lecture and by 1923, £60 had been subscribed. It was decided in March 1923 that part of this would be used to fund the Burton Medal. This would be awarded to the person chosen to deliver the lecture, which was to deal with Burton, his travels or some suitable subject of exploration. The presentation and the lecture would take place triennially. The medal was designed in 1924 by Pinches, to be cast in silver and gilded. In practice those chosen to give the Burton lecture were expected to have undertaken exploration and research in the East, and more particularly in close association with local people, or in difficult circumstances. A fund was established to finance the lecture and by 1923, £60 had been subscribed. It was decided in March 1923 that part of this would be used to fund the Burton Medal.
This archive contains papers pertaining to the inauguration and awarding of the Sir Richard Burton Medal

The Papers includes:

• Correspondence
• Administrative documents
• Printed materials including newspaper articles
• Examples of the Medal
• Photographs

In 1973 the Royal Asiatic Society celebrated its Sesquicentenary (150 years). The archival material includes Planning committee administration; material connected with the various events held, exhibitions put on and publications produced in celebration of the occasion; and material concerned with fundraising for the Society.

The Bayly Prize was established by friends and colleagues to mark the outstanding contribution of Professor Sir Christopher Bayly FBA to the study of world history and that of Asia in particular. It is an £2500 award for a distinguished thesis in an Asian subject falling within the scope of the Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society or of Modern Asian Studies. The thesis must have been examined and approved for the PhD degree at a British University in the year preceding entry to the competition. It was first awarded in 2018 and has been awarded annually since.

The winners have been:

• 2018 - Johannes Lotze (University of Manchester) for the thesis, Translation of Empire: Mongol Legacy, Language Policy, and the Early Ming World Order, 1368-1453.
• 2019 - Lexi (Alexandra) Stadlen (London School of Economics) for the thesis, Weaving lives from Violence: Possibility and Change for Muslim Women in West Bengal.
• 2020 - Liana Chase (School of Oriental and African Studies) for the thesis, Healing ‘Heart-Minds’: Disaster, Care, and Global Mental Health in Nepal’s Himalayan Foothills.
• 2021 - Mallika Leuzinger (University College, London) for the thesis, Dwelling in Photography: Intimacy, Amateurism and the Camera in South Asia.
• 2022 - Sonia Wigh (University of Exeter) for the thesis, The Body of Words: A social history of sex and the body in early modern South Asia.
• 2023 - Thomas Barrett (University of Oxford) for the thesis, Foreigners and the Making of the Chinese Diplomat.

There are administrative documents, invitations, publicity and photographs from the award events.

The Denis Sinor Medal was inaugurated in 1993 by Professor Denis Sinor, specifically to honour scholars in the field of Inner Asian Studies. He donated a sum of money at the initiation of the award and more was bequeathed after his death. The material contains correspondence and administrative documents concerned with the inauguration of the award and further legacy, and for awarding of the medal to scholars of Inner Asian studies.

The George Staunton Prize was initiated in 2007 for an article by a young scholar working on topics related to the history, archaeology, literature, language, religion, anthropology and art of Asia. A 'young scholar' was defined as someone in the process of completing their PhD or someone who has been awarded their doctorate within the previous five years. Award winning submissions were published in the Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society and the winners received a prize of £250. Since its initiation the Prize has been awarded irregularly. Winners include:

• 2007- Nile Green for the article, ‘Jack Sepoy and the Dervishes: Islam and the Indian Soldier in Princely India’.
• 2008 - S.P. Ong for the article, 'Jurisdictional Politics in Canton and the First English Translation of the Qing Penal Code (1810)'.
• 2010 - joint winners: Felicia Yap for 'Eurasians in British Asia during the Second World War' and Martin Worthington for 'On Names and Artistic Unity in the Standard Version of the Babylonian Gilgamesh Epic'.
• 2014 - Dr Fozia Bora for her article, 'Did Ṣalāḥ al-Dīn Destroy the Fatimids' Books? Historiographical Enquiry'.
• 2023 - Dr Kelsey Granger for her article, 'From Tomb-Keeper to Tomb-Occupant: The Changing Conceptualisation of Dogs in Early China'.

There is limited archival material at this stage but it contains:

2007

• One letter to enter an article for the prize, dated 26 May 2007.
• Official letter from Charlotte de Blois, Executive Editor, Royal Asiatic Society, to Nile Green to inform that he has been awarded the prize. Digital document, dated 30 May 2008.
• Copies of emails between Nile Green, Charlotte de Blois and Sarah Ansari, Honorary Editor, concerning receiving the prize, Typed, 1 piece, dated 2 May 2008.

2008

• One letter to enter an article for the prize, dated 28 May 2008.
• Copies of emails between Charlotte de Blois and Sujit Sivasundaram concerning assessment of entered essays. Typed, 2 pieces, dated 1 July - 14 November 2008.

2010

• Two letters to enter an article for the prize, dated 15 and 27 October 2010.

2011

• Two letters to enter an article for the prize, undated.
• Advertisement for submissions for both the Professor Mary Boyce Prize and the Sir George Staunton Prize.

2014

• 'Staunton Submissions' - list of candidates and their referees. Digital document, undated.
• 'Staunton Opinions' - summary of opinions of the judges for the articles submitted. Digital document, undated.

2015

• Advertisement for the Sir George Staunton Prize, articles to be submitted before 31 December 2015.

The Royal Asiatic Society initiated the Professor Mary Boyce Prize for articles relating to the study of religion in Asia. Award winning submissions receive £250 and are published in the Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society. The focus of the prize is any religion, anywhere in Asia and at any time, and the Society’s main aim is to encourage the submission of pieces of original, unpublished research that make innovative contributions to understanding, learning and scholarship.
Since its initiation the Prize has been awarded irregularly. Winners include:
2007 - Julius N, Tsai for the article, Reading the ‘Inner Biography of the Perfected Person of Purple Solarity’: Religion and Society in an Early Daoist Hagiography.
2009 - Alexander Wynne for the article, The Buddha's ‘skill in means’ and the genesis of the five aggregate teaching.

There is limited archival material at this stage but it contains:

2007

• Judge's comment upon submissions for the Prize, electronic document.

2008

• Draft publicity poster for the Professor Mary Boyce Prize and the George Staunton Prize, electronic document.

2009

• Copies of emails between Charlotte de Blois, Executive Editor, Royal Asiatic Society, and Alexander Wynne, winner, Professor Mary Boyce Prize concerning his entry and award. Two pieces, dated 9 June -14 July 2009.

2010

• Submission letter for entry to the prize. Handwritten, 1 piece.

2011

• Draft publicity poster for the Professor Mary Boyce Prize and the George Staunton Prize. Computer printed, 1 piece.

The records of the Gold Medal cover the institution of the medal and the conferment of the Honour in subsequent years. They include examples of the medal, the original Declaration of Trust, and subsequent printed version of the declaration, correspondence and newspaper cuttings. However there are not records for all instances of the presentation of the Medal. 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 Gold Medal and its recipients.

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.

An invitation from the President, Council and Fellows of the Royal Geographical Society to invite a delegate from the Royal Asiatic Society to represent the Society at the Royal Geographical Socety's Centenary on 21 October 1930 and the succeeding two days. Signed by Arthur R. Hinks, Secretary, and C.F. Close, President.