Samuel Myers (Balliol 2018), who recently graduated with a BA in French, is the 2022 winner of the Society for French Studies’ Gapper Undergraduate Essay Prize.
The prize is for an ‘exceptionally distinguished work for that level: critically or theoretically sophisticated, intellectually adventurous, original in its approach and expressed in sophisticated and elegant English or French’. Sam won it for his essay on humour in French poetry of the mid-16th century, which the judges noted was a ‘truly exceptional piece of work with a wide display of erudition’. His tutor, Professor Sophie Marnette, says: ‘This is an extremely prestigious prize which includes the Society for French Studies’ invitation for Sam to attend their annual conference in Newcastle in June to collect his prize in person.’
Sam received a Congratulatory First in Final Honours Schools. He adds the Gapper prize to an already impressive list: he won the David Gibbs Prize for best performance in Modern Languages (proxime accessit); the David Gibbs Prize for best submitted work in Modern Languages Extended Essay Paper XIV; the Gerard Davis Prize for best extended essay in French Literary Studies; the Paget Toynbee Prize for best performance in Paper VI (Medieval French Literature); and the Paul McClean Prize for best performance in French sole.
Sam is now joining the Department for International Trade as a policy advisor.