Ellis Hillman was the founder of the Society and its first President. After his death in 1997, the Society established this award in his memory to honour significant and original contributions to the appreciation and enjoyment of Lewis Carroll and his works.

The award is in the form of a cash prize of £100 with a certificate, presented every two years. Any piece of work that increases our knowledge, appreciation or enjoyment of the work or life of Lewis Carroll is eligible and the work may take any form: book, article, performed piece, film, exhibition, computer software, etc. The work shall have been first published or performed in the two years preceding the closing date for the award, although exceptions will be made where the entry has been significantly redeveloped from an earlier work. Preference will be shown towards entries which have promoted interest in the life and works of Lewis Carroll in an original manner. Something regarded as avant-garde or eccentric might be regarded as more worthy of the prize than a work of traditional scholarship or a success in publishing where the former has clearly had a positive impact on the general public. In all cases the entrants must have demonstrated great skill or craftsmanship. Works which the judges feel that Lewis Carroll would have enjoyed or appreciated should be looked upon favourably.

We invite nominations for the award, which will be announced and presented in Autumn 2002. The closing date for submissions is 31 August 2002. Any work first performed or published between 1 September 2000 and the closing date is eligible, as long as the nomination is received in time.

In the first instance, a nomination should be made in the form of a brief letter or e-mail, sent to the Administrator of the award, giving details of the work and its creator, where necessary. The administrator will then discuss the work with the nominator, in order to ensure that it is properly and fairly presented to the judges. Each time the award is made, the Committee of the Society will appoint a fresh panel of judges. Members may nominate their own work or the work of another. Membership of the Society is not a prerequisite.

Since there are so many good Carroll-related activities at the moment, the success of the award depends as much on members’ nominations as it does on the works themselves. We strongly encourage you to support the scheme and to contact Mark Richards, the Administrator, if you would like to discuss the scheme further or should you have an idea which you would like to nominate.

Click Here to Contact the Administrator, Mark Richards