The Woolf Essay Prize
In 1928, Virginia Woolf addressed the Newnham Arts Society on the Subject of ‘Women and Fiction’, and from this talk emerged her seminal text, A Room of One’s Own. Newnham is very proud of its place in the history of women’s education, and we are delighted in the continuation of the Woolf Essay Prize. A Room of One’s Own raises a number of questions surrounding the place of women in society, culture, and education, and the competition allows students to contemplate these themes and ideas while developing the independent research and writing skills essential to university-level study.
The Woolf Essay Prize 2026 Winners
A huge congratulations to the following essayists for their performance in The Woolf Essay Prize 2026:
1st Place - Florence Glynn-Riley
2nd Place - Molly Skeet
3rd Place - Yena Kim and Aoife McAlinney
Commended - Sophie Brogan, Anjali Jayaraman, and Delilah Powell
Essay questions and submission
The Woolf Essay Prize will open for submissions in February 2027 and close in June 2027.