2026 THT Research Essay Prize - Announcement
2026 THT HISTORY RESEARCH ESSAY PRIZE
The Prize
The Templar Heritage Trust (THT) has established an annual THT History Research Essay Prize in order to promote academic research into the medieval Order of Knights Templar and their period of history.
- The prize-winner will receive a grant of £ 750 from the THT to be used for further study and/or research into the Templars, the Crusades, and/or other monastic and chivalric orders.
- By kind permission of the Editorial Board of Ordines Militares, and subject to the Editorial Board’s approval, the winning submission will be published in the next edition of the journal, “Ordines Militares”. Please note that “Ordines Militares” is an ‘open access’, peer-reviewed, scholarly journal.
Essay Topic
Submissions for the 2026 Prize may cover any topic directly related to the medieval Order of Knights Templar.
Essays that:
- cover a relatively under-researched topic; or
- employ an innovative approach to a well-researched topic;
are likely to be considered favourably.
Eligible Applicants for the Prize
Applications are open to graduate students and to early career researchers (up to 5 years after the award of a PhD).
Submission Requirements
Submissions for the THT History Research Essay Prize must:
- be between 8,000 and 15,000 words;
- be written in English, French, or German;
- adhere, for their footnote citations, to the Chicago Manual of Style (Notes-Bibliography format);
- be accompanied by a bibliography (list of works cited); and
- have the author’s name, current academic qualifications, and current study and/or employment status appended.
Submissions must be accompanied by a brief letter, confirming the applicant’s qualifications and status, from an appropriate person (such as a recent or current tutor, supervisor, or employer) who knows the graduate student or early career researcher well.
Submissions are to be sent, to arrive at the latest by 12.00 midnight (UK time) on Friday 26 June 2026, to:
submissions@thetemplarheritagetrust.org.uk
Assessment Process
Submissions are to be assessed by the members of the THT Academic Advisory Panel (Professors Jochen Burgtorf, Alan Murray, Helen Nicholson, & Magdalena Satora; and Dr Rory MacLellan), who will recommend an appropriate winning entry for approval by the THT Board of Trustees.
In the event that the THT Academic Advisory Panel considers that no submission has reached the appropriate academic standard, then no Prize will be awarded in 2026.
- It is expected that the prize-winner will receive notification regarding the grant from the THT by Friday 28 August 2026.
- It is expected that the prize-winner will receive notification regarding publication in “Ordines Militares” by Friday 30 October 2026.
The Templar Heritage Trust is a Foundation Charity Incorporated Organisation registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales
Charity Number: 1202183
