Studentships and Prizes

The Hadid Doctoral Studentship

The Middle East Centre annually awards one studentship.

The application window for the Hadid Doctoral Studentship 2023-24 is now closed, the deadline was Tuesday 23rd May 2023.

The History of the Hadid Studentship for DPhil Studies

The Hadid Scholarship was created by Foulath Hadid (Honorary Fellow) to mark the Middle East Centre’s fiftieth anniversary celebrations in 2007. Three generous benefactors provided the funding for the original endowment of £250,000 – Foulath Hadid and his longstanding friends Mr Jack McCrane and Sheikh Ghassan I. Shaker (Honorary Fellow). Awards are made each year in recognition of financial need and academic excellence. While students may apply from any Oxford College, they need to migrate to St Antony’s to take up the award.

Previous Hadid Scholars

Azizeh Sheibani Essay Prize in Iranian and Persian-speaking World Studies

Deadline for Submissions: 26 May 2024

The Middle East Centre is pleased to invite submissions for the 2024 Azizeh Sheibani Essay Prize in Iranian and Persian-speaking World Studies.

The winner or winners will be invited to dine with the judges at High Table in St Antony’s College, and will receive an award of £250 or, should two winners be chosen, £125 each.

The prize is open to two categories, graduate and undergraduate students. These categories will be judged separately. A prize will not necessarily be awarded in both categories. The prize(s) will be awarded to the best essay(s) in Iranian and Persian-speaking World Studies, in any discipline of the humanities or social sciences. Essays may be on any chronological period: ancient, medieval or modern. Essays should make use of primary sources and will be assessed on the basis of the strength and originality of the research or argumentation.

Essays should be between 6,000 and 8,000 words in length, including footnotes and references. Applicants may choose the most suitable form of citation, though all submissions should be written to the highest academic standard.

The criterion for eligibility is that entrants must be currently registered for a degree at Oxford, or have been so registered in the previous academic year. Essays must not have been published elsewhere, including online.

Winners of the prize are not eligible to enter again.

Results will be announced in sixth/seventh week, with the prize awarded in seventh/eighth week.

All submissions should be sent as a PDF file by email to Dr Stephanie Cronin: stephanie.cronin@orinst.ox.ac.uk


The History of the Azizeh Sheibani Essay Prize in Iranian Studies

The Azizeh Sheibani Essay Prize in Iranian studies was established in 2010 through the generosity of Dr Soraya Tremayne and named in her mother’s honour. The prize is awarded to the best essay in Iranian studies, in any discipline of the humanities or social sciences. The essays are assessed on the basis of the originality of research and argumentation. Where appropriate, the judges try to assist authors with the publication of the winning essay in a suitable journal.

Previous winners of the Azizeh Sheibani essay prize