The Yorke Prize is awarded annually by the

Faculty of Law A faculty is a division within a university or college comprising one subject area or a group of related subject areas, possibly also delimited by level (e.g. undergraduate). In American usage such divisions are generally referred to as colleges ...

at the

University of Cambridge , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

for an essay of between 30,000 and 100,000 words on a legal subject, including the history, analysis, administration and reform of law, "of exceptional quality, which makes a substantial contribution to its relevant field of legal knowledge." The prize, awarded from the Yorke Fund, is open to any graduate of, or any person who is or has been registered as a graduate student of, the university.

Endowment

The Yorke Fund was

endowed A financial endowment is a legal structure for managing, and in many cases indefinitely perpetuating, a pool of financial, real estate, or other investments for a specific purpose according to the will of its founders and donors. Endowments are of ...

in 1873 by the

will Will may refer to: Common meanings * Will and testament, instructions for the disposition of one's property after death * Will (philosophy), or willpower * Will (sociology) * Will, volition (psychology) * Will, a modal verb - see Shall and will ...

of Edmund Yorke (b. 8 February 1787, d.29 November 1871),

alumnus Alumni (singular: alumnus (masculine) or alumna (feminine)) are former students of a school, college, or university who have either attended or graduated in some fashion from the institution. The feminine plural alumnae is sometimes used for grou ...

Rugby School Rugby School is a public school (English independent boarding school for pupils aged 13–18) in Rugby, Warwickshire, England. Founded in 1567 as a free grammar school for local boys, it is one of the oldest independent schools in Britain. Up ...

, scholar and later

Fellow A fellow is a concept whose exact meaning depends on context. In learned or professional societies, it refers to a privileged member who is specially elected in recognition of their work and achievements. Within the context of higher education ...

St Catharine's College, Cambridge St Catharine's College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1473 as Katharine Hall, it adopted its current name in 1860. The college is nicknamed "Catz". The college is located in the historic city-centre of Camb ...

and

barrister A barrister is a type of lawyer in common law jurisdictions. Barristers mostly specialise in courtroom advocacy and litigation. Their tasks include taking cases in superior courts and tribunals, drafting legal pleadings, researching law and ...

Lincoln's Inn The Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn is one of the four Inns of Court in London to which barristers of England and Wales belong and where they are called to the Bar. (The other three are Middle Temple, Inner Temple and Gray's Inn.) Lincoln ...

, London.

Yorke Prize winners

Winners of the Yorke Prize include: * Courtney Stanhope Kenny, 1877, 1878, 1879 *

Perceval Maitland Laurence Sir Perceval Maitland Laurence (20 April 185428 February 1930) was an English classical scholar, judge in South Africa and a benefactor of the University of Cambridge and the University of Cape Town. Early life and education Perceval Maitland ...

, 1878 *

Thomas Edward Scrutton Sir Thomas Edward Scrutton (28 August 1856 – 18 August 1934) was an English barrister, judge, and legal writer. Biography Thomas Edward Scrutton was born in London, the son of Thomas Urquhart Scrutton, a wealthy shipowner and head of the well-k ...

1882, 1884, 1885, 1886 *

Richard Cockburn Maclaurin Richard Cockburn Maclaurin ( ; June 5, 1870 – January 15, 1920) was a Scottish-born U.S. educator and mathematical physicist. He was made president of MIT in 1909, and held the position until his death in 1920. During his tenure as president ...

, 1898 * Richard Turner, 1923 * C. J. Hamson, 1932 * J. W. Brunyate, 1929 *

Norman Bentwich Norman de Mattos Bentwich (28 February 1883 – 8 April 1971) was a British barrister and legal academic. He was the British-appointed attorney-general of Mandatory Palestine and a lifelong Zionist. Biography Early life Norman Bentwich was th ...

* S. F. C. Milsom, 1948 *

Robin Cooke, Baron Cooke of Thorndon Robin Brunskill Cooke, Baron Cooke of Thorndon (9 May 1926 – 30 August 2006) was a New Zealand judge and later a British Law Lord and member of the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council. He is widely considered one of New Zealand's most ...

, 1955 *

Norman St John-Stevas Norman Antony Francis St John-Stevas, Baron St John of Fawsley, ( ; born Norman Panayea St John Stevas; 18 May 1929 – 2 March 2012) was a British Conservative politician, author and barrister. He served as Leader of the House of Commons in th ...

, Baron St John of Fawsley, 1957 *

Brian Coote Brian Coote (26 November 1929 – 15 July 2019) was a New Zealand legal academic. He wrote the influential book ''Exception Clauses'', published in 1964, and served as dean of the law faculty at the University of Auckland from 1983 to 1987. Ea ...

* John Guy *

John H. Langbein John Harriss Langbein (born 1941) is an American legal scholar who serves as the Sterling Professor '' emeritus'' of Law and Legal History at Yale University. He is an expert in the fields of trusts and estates, comparative law, and Anglo-Americ ...

Sir John Baker John Baker or Jon Baker may refer to: Military figures *John Baker (American Revolutionary War) (1731–1787), American Revolutionary War hero, for whom Baker County, Georgia was named *John Baker (RAF officer) (1897–1978), British air marshal ...

, 1975 *

Antônio Augusto Cançado Trindade Antônio Augusto Cançado Trindade ( – ) was a Brazilian jurist and international judge. He was appointed as judge of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) from 6 February 2009. He was reelected to the Court in December 2017, and took offic ...

, 1977 *

Francis Gurry Francis Gurry (born 17 May 1951)WIPO web siteWO/CC/54/2 ''Corr. Annex II. Curriculum Vitae of Mr. Francis Gurry'' Consulted on 12 May 2007.WIPO website Consulted on 21 February 2011. is an Australian national, who was from 2008 to 2020 the fou ...

, 1980 * Paul McHugh, 1988 * Neil Jones * Tobias Schaffner, 2015 * Joe Sampson, 2017 * Visa A.J. Kurki, 2018 * Liron Shmilovits, 2019 * Raffael N. Fasel, 2020 * Michael Foran 2021 * Stevie Martin, 2021 * Alex Waghorn, 2022 * Maayan Menashe, 2022

References

Legal awards Awards established in 1873 Awards and prizes of the University of Cambridge Scholarships in the United Kingdom Awards honoring alumni {{law-stub