From 2024-2029, the BSHP will offer two Predoctoral Scholarly Activity Awards per year. Candidates, who must be predoctoral students, may apply for up to £500 to fund activities related to the history of philosophy, which will support their academic and professional development. Doctoral and postdoctoral candidates should apply under this separate scheme.
Examples of such activities include the cost of travel and accommodation to a specialist library or archive; the cost of travel and accommodation to give a conference paper; the cost of childcare associated with such projects; and, the cost of attending a summer school.
The application deadline is 28 February each year. Membership of the BSHP is not a requirement for applying.
Applicants should complete the form available here and email their application to by the deadline.
Successful applicants must agree to abide by the following rules:
'Thanks to the BSHP predoctoral award, I was able to travel to Manchester to present a paper on philosophers Helen Knight and Margaret Macdonald at the annual Women in Parenthesis Conference. The conference, organised by a brilliant committee of students from Manchester Metropolitan University, as well as the University of Liverpool, aimed to generate discussions about some of the most influential yet historically underrepresented women in Philosophy. The BSHP award allowed me to attend both days of the conference in person, where I exchanged ideas with so many of the talented students there. My paper was encouragingly well received at the conference, so I am currently continuing to work on it, in the hopes of getting it published in a Philosophy Journal. This was my first time presenting a paper at a conference, and the experience was so positive that I will be pursuing a career in academia (I start my MA in September!). I cannot express enough gratitude to the BSHP for accommodating this truly transformative experience.' Lily Sims, 2026.
"With the BSHP Predoctoral Scholarly Activity Award, I was able to fly from Canada to Europe to attend three conferences and spend a week at the Iris Murdoch Collections at Kingston University Archives in London. Each of these activities were edifying and informative, but the most meaningful experience of my trip was the opportunity to present a major part of my master’s research at a conference in Ireland alongside top scholars in my field. The connections and conversations I had throughout my visit to Europe have been vital to my growth as a researcher and philosopher. Thank you to the BSHP for supporting young researchers like me in their philosophical endeavors!" Amy Ward, 2024
"I am deeply grateful to the British Society for the History of Philosophy for awarding me a Predoctoral Scholarly Activity Award. This generous support enabled me to participate in the collaborative residential reading group in Ancient Philosophy hosted by the University of Toronto and the University of Turin at the British School at Athens. Thanks to this award, I was relieved of financial concerns related to travel and accommodation, allowing me to engage fully with the event. The insights I gained during the reading group on Aristotle's De Caelo have significantly influenced the development of my current research interests as a PhD candidate at the University of St Andrews. I am profoundly thankful to the BSHP for their contribution in making this invaluable experience possible." Stefano Parinello, 2024
