The Chancellor's Gold Medal is annual award for

poetry Poetry (from the Greek language, Greek word ''poiesis'', "making") is a form of literature, literary art that uses aesthetics, aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language to evoke meaning (linguistics), meanings in addition to, or in ...

open to undergraduates at the

University of Cambridge The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...

, paralleling Oxford University's Newdigate Prize. It was first presented by Prince William Frederick, Duke of Gloucester and Edinburgh during his time as Chancellor of the University of Cambridge. In the mid-19th century, the topic for each year was sent out at the end of Michaelmas Term, with a requirement that entries were submitted by 31 March of the following year. A second requirement is and has been that poems must be submitted anonymously. Over the last few decades the system of set topics has been abandoned. The winner of the medal would have the honour of reading his or her poem aloud in the Senate House on Commencement Day. The prize was first awarded in 1813 to George Waddington of Trinity College. The early lists of winners show a considerable overlap with the list of Senior Wranglers. This literary prize continues to exist today under the name of Chancellor's Medal for an English Poem. Intermittently it was also known as the Chancellor's Medal for (an) English Verse. The prize takes the shape of not so much a medal, but of a rather large coin or medallion. In modern times the medallion is decked with a representation of the King on the front and a poetical figure on the back. The prize has not been bestowed upon a young poet in every academic year since 1813. Where available information has been provided as to which college of the university the particular student belonged. Chancellor's Medals may also be awarded to undergraduates for academic distinction in

Classics Classics, also classical studies or Ancient Greek and Roman studies, is the study of classical antiquity. In the Western world, ''classics'' traditionally refers to the study of Ancient Greek literature, Ancient Greek and Roman literature and ...

or English Law.

Partial list of recipients

*1813 George Waddington, Trinity, Columbus *1814

William Whewell William Whewell ( ; 24 May 17946 March 1866) was an English polymath. He was Master of Trinity College, Cambridge. In his time as a student there, he achieved distinction in both poetry and mathematics. The breadth of Whewell's endeavours is ...

, Trinity, Boadicea *1815 Edward Smirke, St. John's, Wallace *1816 Hamilton Sydney Beresford Mahomet *1817 Chauncy Hare Townshend, Trinity Hall, Jerusalem *1818 Charles Edward Long, Trinity, Imperial and Papal Rome *1819

Thomas Babington Macaulay, 1st Baron Macaulay Thomas Babington Macaulay, 1st Baron Macaulay, (; 25 October 1800 – 28 December 1859) was an English historian, poet, and Whig politician, who served as the Secretary at War between 1839 and 1841, and as the Paymaster General between 184 ...

, Trinity, Pompeii *1821

, Trinity, Evening *1823 Winthrop Mackworth Praed, Trinity, Australasia *1824 Winthrop Mackworth Praed, Trinity, Athens *1825 Edward Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Baron Lytton, Trinity, Sculpture *1826 Joseph Sumner Brockhurst, St Johns (later headmaster of Camberwell Collegiate School) *1827 Christopher Wordsworth, Trinity, The Druids *1828 Christopher Wordsworth, Trinity, Invasion of Russia by Napoleon Boneparte *1829 Alfred Tennyson, 1st Baron Tennyson, Trinity, Timbuctoo *1831 George Stovin Venables, Jesus, Attempts to find a North West Passage *1842 Henry James Sumner Maine, Pembroke, Birth of the Prince of Wales *1844 Edward Henry Bickersteth, Trinity, The Tower of London *1845 Edward Henry Bickersteth, Trinity, Caubul *1846 Edward Henry Bickersteth, Trinity, Caesar's Invasion of Britain *1852 Frederic William Farrar, Trinity, The Arctic Regions *1873 Arthur Woollgar Verrall, Trinity *1899

Arthur Cecil Pigou Arthur Cecil Pigou (; 18 November 1877 – 7 March 1959) was an English economist. As a teacher and builder of the School of Economics at the University of Cambridge, he trained and influenced many Cambridge economists who went on to take chair ...

, King's, * 1900 Frank Sidgwick, Trinity, ″Khartoum″ * 1901 George Dean Raffles Tucker, Magdalene * 1902 Giles Lytton Strachey, Trinity, "Ely" * 1903 Not awarded * 1904 Robert Quirk, Kings * 1905 Arthur Conway Osborne Morgan, Trinity * 1906 Charles Mendell Kohan, Trinity * 1907 Donald Welldon Corrie, King’s * 1908 George Geoffrey Gilbert Butler, Trinity * 1909 Dennis Holme Robertson, Trinity * 1910 Dennis Holme Robertson, Trinity * 1911 Dennis Holme Robertson, Trinity * 1912 Not awarded * 1913 Not awarded * 1914 Donald Frederick Goold Johnson, Emmanuel * 1915 Philip Carrington, Selwyn * 1916 Not awarded * 1917 Harold Obbard Lee, Jesus * 1918 Hugh l'Anson Fausset, Corpus * 1919 Frederick Francis Thomas Pinto, Non-Collegiate * 1920 Colin Hercules Mackenzie, King's * 1921 Cecil Roy Leonard Falcy, Queens', Death of Napoleon * 1922 Montague Maurice Simmons, Queens *1923 David William Allun Llewellyn, St John's, St Francis of Assiss *1924 Edward Falaise Upward, Corpus Christi, Buddha *1925 Henry Hugh Thomas, Sidney Sussex, Stonehenge *1926 Alan Trevor Oldham, Emmanuel, Gallipoli *1927 Frederik John Norton also Frederik Norton, Pembroke, Orestes *1928 Kenneth Harold Ellis, Trinity, Proserpine *1929 Elsie Elizabeth Phare later Elsie Duncan-Jones, Newnham, The Bridge (first female recipient *1931 Robert Gittings also Robert William Victor Gittings, Jesus, The Roman Road *1934 Frederick William Clayton, King's, The English Countryside *1935 Olive Fraser, Girton, The Vikings (F) *1936 Terence Tiller also Terence Rogers Tiller, Jesus, Egypt *1937 Christopher Thomas Gandy, King's, The Thames *1938 John Darrel Boyd, King's, A Great Man *1939 Reginald Arthur Burrows, St Catherine's, Fire *1942 Irene Josephine Blanche Snatt, Girton, A Londoner (F) *1948 George James Moor, Downing, The Year's to Come *1949 Alan John Maurice Bird, Selwyn, Speed *1953 Alasdair Eoin Aston, Pembroke, Gloriana Rediviva *1964

Howard Brenton Howard John Brenton FRSL (born 13 December 1942) is an English playwright and screenwriter, often ranked alongside contemporaries such as Edward Bond, Caryl Churchill, and David Hare. Early years Brenton was born in Portsmouth, Hampshire, so ...

, St Catherine's *1966 William Paul Huw Merchant, Emmanuel *1967 Clive Wilmer, King's *1969 Alexander John Howard Martin, Jesus *1970 Elliot Alexander Grant, Christ's *1974 John Wilkinson also John Lawton Wilkinson, Jesus *1976 Charles Ellis Leftwich, St John's, Cadenzas *1977 David Colles Lloyd, King's, Ecologies *1978 Aidan Semmens, Trinity *1979 Jacqueline Osherow, Trinity (F) *1980 Michael Thomas Hutchinson, Trinity *1982 Alice Goodman also Alice Abigail Goodman, Girton, Four Poems (F) *1984 James William Noggle, Fitzwilliam, A painting of the garden *1985 Jean Hanff Korelitz, Clare, The Sounds from the Stairs and other poems (F) *1988 Joanne Marion Wiess, St. Edmund's, Untitled Poem (F) *1989 Simon James Alderson, Trinity, Memory *1992 Nicoletta Fotinos also N. I. Fotinos, Churchill, Pergamon (first non-native speaker recipient), (F) *1994 Keith Malcolm Sands, Jesus, Axis *1997 Keston Sutherland also Keston M. Sutherland, Hate's clitoris *2006 Benjamin Morris, Sonata in orange

Notes

References

*
Cambridge University Janus Records
* A list of its recipients since 1922 may be found in Graham Chainey, ''A Literary History of Cambridge'' (1986), pp. 295ff. {{University of Cambridge British poetry awards Awards and prizes of the University of Cambridge Awards established in 1813 1813 establishments in England