A prize to support student-led projects which promote community at Univ

The College is delighted to invite submissions for the annual Dr Michael Nicholson Prize. The winning submission will be awarded £1500 to support an innovative student-led project which promotes community at Univ.

Submissions are welcomed from undergraduate or graduate students, either individually or in teams of up to ten. It is expected that submissions will relate to a project in the arts, culture, current affairs, volunteering, well-being or community engagement, but all well-planned proposals will be welcomed. The College particularly welcomes submissions which are focused, practical and deliverable. The deadline for applications is noon on Friday 30 January 2026. Further details are given below.

The prize has been established in memory of Dr Michael Nicholson, long-standing Tutorial Fellow in Russian at Univ. It has been generously funded by Mike’s many friends and former students. You can read more about Mike at: Mike Nicholson – A tribute – University College Oxford (Univ)

Further details

• Undergraduate and graduate students may apply individually or in teams of up to ten for a prize of £1500 to deliver successfully a new and innovative project which will promote community in the College.
• The prize is deliberately non-prescriptive as to eligibility, and proposals for any new project which promotes community in the College are welcomed. Proposals may relate to the arts, culture, current affairs, volunteering, well-being, community engagement, or any other suitable area of interest. Proposals may include one-off events such as performances, speaker events, exhibitions, or celebratory festivals, or equally they may include projects which take place over a defined period of time such as seminar series, volunteering projects, or projects focused on well-being and/or personal development.
• The prize is keen to reward innovation, and so submissions which deliver something new are particularly welcome.
• A key requirement of the prize is that the winning project can be accessed by the whole community of the College. Proposals which are focused on a single subject, or on members of a single student society, are unlikely to be successful.
• Another key requirement is viability, and so proposals must be practical, realistic, costed, with a plan for implementation. They should set out a suitable budget, and they should make clear how the proposal will be delivered successfully.
• It is expected that the successful proposal will be delivered before the end of Michaelmas term 2026 (and sooner is absolutely fine!)
• There is no application form. Applicants are invited to email a proposal of no more than 750 words to academic.office@univ.ox.ac.uk with the subject heading Dr Michael Nicholson Prize. Shortlisted applicants may be invited to a short informal interview.
• The deadline for applications is noon on 30 January 2026.

Published: 1 December 2025

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