New annual undergraduate dissertation prize launches for students on the BA International History and Politics (IHP) programme

The School of History is delighted to announce a new annual undergraduate dissertation prize launching this academic year for students on the BA International History and Politics (IHP) programme

The prize is made possible thanks to a generous contribution from Maximilian Bridge in memory of his father, Professor F. Roy Bridge (1939–2023).

Professor Roy Bridge was a leading scholar of International History and a central figure in developing the IHP programme at Leeds. After joining the University in 1972 from the LSE, he spent the remainder of his academic career here, retiring as Professor of Diplomatic History in 2000. His influential research on the Habsburg Monarchy and the European states system from 1815 to the First World War earned wide recognition, with his work translated into multiple languages and remaining foundational in the field.

Professor Roy Bridge

To honour his legacy, the Professor F. Roy Bridge Memorial Prize will recognise outstanding BA dissertations from the programme. The prize celebrates excellence not only in research and analysis but also in the clarity, rigour, and elegance of historical writing—qualities strongly associated with Professor Bridge’s own scholarship.

Thanks to the donor’s generous endowment of £10,000, the prize will be awarded annually, with a value of £250 and there may be more than one prize awarded per year. Dissertations will be considered by the School’s Assessment Committee with the prize formally acknowledged at the summer graduation ceremony.

This new prize reflects the School’s commitment to recognising academic excellence and encouraging students to pursue further study and research in the discipline.

We are incredibly grateful to Maximilian for supporting this important recognition of student achievement and for commemorating the lasting impact of Professor Roy Bridge on the study of International History at Leeds.