The IAAS is delighted to announce the winner of the first Adam Matthew Digital Essay Prize

This essay competition was established in 2015 for late-stage PhD candidates, early career researchers, and independent scholars in the field of North American studies. Entries had to be related to an area covered by Adam Matthew’s North American Collections. The winning essay is awarded £500 and a year’s free access to the Adam Matthew collection of their choice.

The Prizes Sub-Committee of the IAAS deliberated on a strong field of entrants, with Carmel Lambert of NUI Galway eventually deemed to be the winner. Her essay, ”The Love of Liberty Brought Us Here’: Writing American Identity in Liberia, 1830-1850′, was judged to be fluidly written and strongly argued. The essay was well researched, and delivered a nuanced analysis of the colonising process.

The IAAS congratulates Carmel on her achievement, and also extends its thanks to Adam Matthew for their very generous sponsorship of this prize.