History Prize renamed to honour Harry Gration

The Yorkshire Society, a not-for-profit membership organisation for people who love Yorkshire, has relaunched its History Prize competition after a three year break due to the covid pandemic.

The annual competition for essays on the history of Yorkshire was first held in 1987 and will now be known as The Harry Gration History Prize in memory of the late BBC journalist and presenter, who was a vice president of The Yorkshire Society and much loved by the people of Yorkshire.

“Harry was Bradford born and passionate about all things Yorkshire,” said Philip Bell, chief executive of the Society, adding, “He was also a history teacher before moving into journalism; he loved a great story and he loved history, so we thought what better way to honour his memory than by naming our History Prize after him.”

The History Prize was previously aimed at academics but now, as The Harry Gration History Prize, it is open to anyone and there are two simple categories – one for under 18s and one for 18 and over. It remains an essay writing competition with entrants required to do their own research and produce original work that contributes to the record of Yorkshire’s past.

Shortlisted entries will be judged by an expert panel of judges comprising academics, historians and authors, with the two category winners invited to a prestigious presentation ceremony at the Yorkshire Heritage Summit, also organised by The Yorkshire Society and held each year in May.

Each winner will receive a winner’s certificate, the honour of having their essay published and the opportunity to read it to delegates at the summit. In addition, they get a cash prize of £250.

The first Harry Gration History Prize competition is now open and the deadline for entries is 1st March 2023. For details visit https://theyorkshiresociety.org/history-prize/