Two of Trent University’s brightest students were honoured this week with the prestigious James Middleton Essay Prize. Lisa Murray and Allen Kempton received their awards at a special luncheon, held Monday, October 3 in the Lady Eaton College Senior Common Room.

The prize, which was established in 2004 by James Middleton, helps to encourage students in the study of the Humanities as the foundation for liberal arts and professional studies.

Two prizes are awarded annually for outstanding essays by students in second or third year who are pursuing Honours degrees in Ancient History & Classics, History, Philosophy, or English Literature. The award is accompanied by a $600 gift.

Ms. Murray, whose paper, Nature, Nurture, and Control within The Tempest: The Role of the Servants, won her the award for English Literature, sees the Prize as important recognition for the humanities.

“An award like this shifts the spotlight onto the humanities – subjects like English, History, and Philosophy. These studies provide a critical eye to what is happening in the world and they deserve extra attention.”

For Ms. Murray, the prize offers a sense of motivation.

“There is definitely validation that accompanies such an honour,” she says. “It makes me feel that I’m doing the right thing, moving in the right direction. It’s given me confidence to try to push my work to another level – perhaps to get published.”

Mr. Kempton’s paper, The People’s Republic of China and Vietnam: A Complex Relationship, won the award for History. He says the prize pushes students to greater success.

“It engages students in their studies and makes them strive for something more than just marks,” he explains. “It rewards scholarship in a way that transcends transcripts.”

Mr. Kempton is thankful for Trent’s small class sizes and opportunity to work closely with instructors.

“I met one-on-one with my professor, Dr. Sean McLaughlin, a number of times to tailor this essay,” he says.“I’m grateful to have gotten that chance.”

The award, he believes, will help him in his pursuit of a career in academia.

“I’m hoping to go on to graduate school,” he says. “And this is something that will truly enhance my C.V.”

Benefactor, James Middleton believes the awards reflect the particular strengths of the university.

“They encourage the great traditions of Trent in focusing on strong individual undergraduate liberal arts education, emphasizing teaching in small tutorials at all levels where students receive direct supportive encouragement from professors.”

As always, he is excited by the work that winning students produce.

“I am always impressed by the challenging range of topics that students choose to try their hand at,” says Mr. Middleton. “This year's winners, though discussing quite different topics, seemed to touch on an important theme of how those who think they are stronger and better impose their way of life and expectations on those they perceive as weaker. Sometimes those who we think are weak suddenly see they can use the apparent strength of opponents against them and turn the tables.”

“The humanities enable students to examine possibilities that go beyond the strictly empirical and purely rational to realize that our world requires a special human intuition and imagination to truly understand how to approach the world and life in general.”

For more information on the Middleton Prize, please visit http://www.trentu.ca/deanundergraduate/prizes.php