Launch: Friday 16 January 2026 | Applications close: 28 February 2026 | Recipient announced: 23 April 2026 (Shakespeare’s Birthday)
The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust (SBT) is delighted to announce the launch of the Diane Meyer Lowman Shakespeare Studies Award, a new international research prize supporting original work rooted in the life, works, and legacy of William Shakespeare.
Applications open on Friday 16 January 2026 and close on 28 February 2026, with the inaugural recipient announced on 23 April 2026, Shakespeare’s Birthday. The Award aligns with the final year of the Trust’s Women Who Made Shakespeare programme.
Funded through a donation made to Shakespeare’s Birthplace America (SBA) by American writer and philanthropist Diane Meyer Lowman, the Award provides an annual grant of $1,700 to support research drawing on the Trust’s world‑class collections in Stratford‑upon‑Avon, Shakespeare’s home town.
Luke Purser, Director of Development at the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, said:
“This generous gift enables us to open our collections to new voices and fresh perspectives, supporting thoughtful and original engagement with Shakespeare’s life and work.”
The Award is open to students, academics, and independent scholars worldwide. Projects may be academic, creative, or performance‑based, provided they demonstrate rigorous use of the Trust’s collections.
Acknowledgement wording: “This work was in part made possible through the award of The Diane Meyer Lowman Shakespeare Studies Award by The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust (registered charity number 209302), www.shakespeare.org.uk.”
For full details and how to apply, visit www.shakespeare.org.uk/lowmanaward.
ENDS
For further information contact [email protected].