Master’s Bursary Scheme – 2026 Competition (for the academic year 2026–27)

The Philological Society is pleased to offer up to 5 bursaries for students embarking on a taught postgraduate programme in the UK in the areas of linguistics or philology, in accordance with our mission:

to investigate and promote the study and knowledge of the structure, the affinities, and the history of languages. As well as encouraging all aspects of the study of language, PhilSoc has a particular interest in historical and comparative linguistics, and maintains its traditional interest in the structure, development, and varieties of Modern English.  

One bursary, the Anna Morpurgo Davies Master’s Bursary, is normally awarded to someone working on Ancient Languages (including non-Indo-European ones).

The intention is that the bursaries will make a contribution to maintaining and furthering the breadth and diversity of language-study in the UK by providing support for outstanding young scholars in the field.

The 2026 competition is now closed. As in previous years, the Society expects to reopen the scheme in Spring 2027 with a deadline in early June; updated details and guidelines will be available on this site in due course.

Student associate members who are enrolled on a doctoral programme can apply for bursaries to cover the cost of travel and subsistence when: (a) giving a paper at a conference in the UK or overseas, or (b) carrying out fieldwork and data collection in the UK or overseas. The maximum such award is £1,000, and associate members may apply for both, but one application only may be made in each category. Successful applicants will be expected to provide an illustrated report for posting on the Philological Society Blog  within two months of the completion of their conference or fieldwork.

Applications must be submitted via the Society’s online portal. Anything sent by any other means will not be accepted. The candidate's supervisor must provide a reference in support of the application.

Previous reports on travel and fieldwork supported by the Philological Society can be found here.

Robins Prize

Once every two years PhilSoc holds a competition for the R. H. Robins student Prize for an article on a linguistic topic that falls within the area of the Society's interests. It is named after the former PhilSoc President Professor R. H. (“Bobby”) Robins.

The Prize is awarded in open competition to anyone who is both:

1. a registered student (within the last 12 months; they should submit a letter from their supervisor, or from a person of similar standing, attesting to their status and that the submission is their own work); and,
2. a Member or Student Associate Member of PhilSoc.

Submissions can be singly or jointly authored, and can (but need not) have been based on some part of a projected doctoral or masters dissertation, and, in the case of jointly-authored submissions, both authors should satisfy the above criteria. In the event of uncertainty about eligibility, potential candidates should contact the Honorary Secretary of the Philological Society directly here. The submission should not have been published before, nor should it have been submitted for publication elsewhere.

The submission should be 7–8,000 words in length and follow the guidance given here. The deadline is 30 November 2026, and submissions should be made via email to robinsprize@philsoc.org.uk.

The author(s) of the winning submission will receive a cash prize of £500 (shared equally between the authors of a jointly authored submission) together with a year’s free membership of the Society (to begin when the Student Associate membership expires); the author(s) of the runner-up essay will receive a cash prize of £250 (again, shared equally as appropriate).  Additionally, the prize-winning and runner-up submissions will be considered for publication in Transactions of the Philological Society, subject to the usual peer-review process. In making a submission, authors must undertake to give the Transactions first refusal to publish the article.

The prize will be awarded by the Council of the Philological Society on the recommendation of a prize committee formed from members of Council and selected peer-reviewers, with the President in the Chair. In awarding the prize the Council will take into consideration the originality of the submission and the theoretical and/or empirical contribution it makes to the discipline. Council reserves the right not to award the prize if there are no submissions of sufficient merit.

The winner and runner-up will be announced at the Society's Annual General Meeting in June 2027.

Past Winners:

The Martin Burr Fund was established as a result of a generous bequest from the estate of Mr Martin Burr, to provide small grants to support activities by members of PhilSoc who do not have an academic affiliation and do not have access to other sources of funding. For example, it may be used to support conference travel and accommodation costs for an unaffiliated member of the Society to present a paper at a conference or carry out fieldwork, data collection or archival research. For further information contact the Society's Hon. Treasurer. Applications should be made using the Society's online portal.

PhilSoc has a fund to support public events and outreach events which promote interest in the structure and history of languages, or public support for the teaching and study of languages in the UK.  For more information please contact the Society's Hon. Treasurer.