Cambridge-bound Sam Scoops Oxford University Writing Prize

A recent Birkenhead Sixth Form College graduate who is headed for Trinity College, Cambridge has scooped a prestigious writing prize from ‘rival’ university, Oxford, as he starts his higher education tenure with a bang.

Samuel Killcross beat elite competition to claim Oxford University’s St Hugh’s College 2016 Julia Wood Prize: a History essay writing contest for sixth form students with a winner’s purse of £250. The victor also has the honour of their essay being published on the college’s website after a special presentation at an Oxford lunch in October.

Over 230 papers were submitted for the consideration of Oxford History Dons, and Sam’s effort, which at 2000-4000 words was a significant undertaking along with college work, came out on top.

Sam said: “I entered as a sort of challenge to myself. After reading through the essays of previous winners, I felt that I could produce something just as good as them, but there was certainly no shortage of competition. The committee was impressed with the ‘sophistication and maturity’ of my essay, and I would say that the fluidity of my prose combined with my thorough treatment of the subject matter was what secured my win. The fact that a judge, Professor Garnett, is a self-confessed devotee of Tarkovsky probably didn't hurt my chances either!”

With an open-ended subject remit, 18-year-old Sam, who’s set to read History at Cambridge this year, elected to concentrate on the somewhat niche topic of cinema and its role within Russian history with emphasis on lauded directors Eisenstein and Tarkovsky. Not coincidentally, it also happened to be his topic of study in History while at Birkenhead Sixth Form College.

Sam, who gained A Level grades of an A* and two As in History, English Literature and Religious Studies respectively, explained: “Word limits of A2 coursework restricted the amount of depth I could go into with the theme, so I used the Julia Wood competition as a means of writing the essay I had wanted to write all along. It was quite a cathartic experience for me on a personal level as well as an exercise in academia."

“My History teacher, David Simpkin, had encouraged me to read around the subject (courtesy of his bookshelf) and also re-affirmed the importance of historiography in class: something which I made sure to implement in my essay.”

Heading to Cambridge at the start of October, Sam feels that his hard work over many years has paid off as he begins his distinguished path at one of Britain’s oldest and most renowned universities, concluding: “I’ve been mentally preparing myself to go to Cambridge since I was about 10-years-old, so my mood for these last few weeks has been one of eagerness and appetency rather than apprehension. I’m absolutely ready for it.”