The Society for the History of Alchemy and Chemistry established the Partington Prize in memory of Professor James Riddick Partington, the Society’s first Chairman. It is awarded every three years for an original and unpublished essay on any aspect of the history of alchemy or chemistry. The prize consists of five hundred pounds (£500) if awarded to a single essay of sufficient merit. Alternatively, it may be divided, or not awarded at all.

The competition is open to anyone with a scholarly interest in the history of alchemy or chemistry who, by the closing date of 31 December 2016, has not reached 35 years of age, or if older is a student in the history of science or has been awarded a masters degree or PhD in the history of science within the previous three years. No restriction is placed on the nationality or country of residence of competitors. Only one entry is permitted from any competitor.

The prize-winning essay will be published exclusively in the Society’s journal, Ambix. It must not have been submitted to any other journal at any time before 30 April 2017.

Essays must be submitted in English. Essays must be fully documented using the conventions used in the current issue of Ambix. Essays must not exceed 10,000 words in length, including references and footnotes.

All entries should be sent to the Hon. Secretary at prizes [AT] ambix.org in the form of two separate e-mail attachments in Microsoft Office Word (preferably 2013 or later). The first attachment should be headed “Partington Prize Entry 2017” and should give the author’s name, institution, postal address, e-mail address, date of birth (and, if relevant, the date of the award of the masters degree or PhD), the title of the essay, and the word count. The second attachment should be the essay, which should not identify the author either by name or implicitly.

Entries must arrive before midnight GMT on 31 December 2016. The decision of the Society will be final on all matters. The result of the competition will be announced by 30 April 2017.