The Wallpaper History Society offers a bursary of up to £1,000 each year to support historical research and/or developments in the conservation of wallcoverings. The bursary prize is offered in memory of Merryl Huxtable, a founder member of the WHS and pioneer in the field of wallpaper conservation.

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Applications are welcomed from full- or part-time graduate students studying the history, conservation or development of wallcoverings at a college or university in the United Kingdom at postgraduate level. Researchers based in the UK who have a proven record of publication in this or a related field are also eligible. Funds may also be allocated to support new researchers who may not have evidence of previous published work, but who are able to demonstrate commitment to undertake a relevant project or research.

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The WHS is committed to supporting research projects which contribute to knowledge in the field. For this reason, the bursary is awarded only for original research based largely on primary sources and/or practical conservation work.

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Previous Prize winners have included Lucy Ellis for her work on The Wallpaper Magazine in the 1920s and '30s (MA History of Design and Material Culture: University of Brighton); Dr Clare Taylor for assistance with photographic costs for her 2018 publication The Design, Production and Reception of Eighteenth-Century Wallpaper in Britain;  Dr Phillippa Mapes for her PhD on The English Wallpaper Trade in the Long Eighteenth Century (Leicester University), and Matthew Meadows for his research project 'Artists Making Wallpaper' which looked at the crossover between contemporary artists' wallpapers and the work of artisan printer-designers.

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Applications are now open for the Merryl Huxtable Prize 2024. The deadline has been extended to August 31st 2023. We look forward to hearing from you.

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Information for Applicants

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Successful applicants will be expected to provide an interim report at the halfway point (usually after the first six months), and at the end of the year they will be required to contribute an illustrated essay of 3000-4,000 words to be published in the Society’s journal, The Wallpaper History Review.

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What happens once an application is received?

We will acknowledge receipt of all applications.
All applications are examined by the Society’s Bursary Committee and by specialist external assessor(s). The panel reserves the right to request more detailed information should this be required.
The first tranche of the award is made on successful application to the bursary. The final payment of the award will be made on receipt of the essay in July of the following year, or as agreed with the awarding panel.
The decision of the panel is final and the successful applicant will be notified in October of the award year.
For your application form, please contact treasurer@wallpaperhistorysociety.org.uk 

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