Patrick Tolfree Essay Competition 2025

The Thomas Hardy Society

Patrick Tolfree Essay Competition 2025

‘Hardy and Marriage’

Welcome to this year’s Patrick Tolfree essay competition, open to students of any academic level of the age of 18 and over, living anywhere in the world.

‘Hardy and Marriage’ is the theme of this year’s competition. Essays up to 2,500 words in length are warmly invited. They may focus on, but are by no means limited to the following:

Marriage as a tragic institution
The ideals vs the reality of marriage
The hero/heroine and the constraints of marriage
Love vs duty
Hardy’s own experiences with marriage

Any aspect of Hardy’s prolific output may be focussed upon, whether it be novels, short stories, poems, essays, or his contribution to architecture. Please note that entries should conform to the THS Journal style guide which can be accessed via the Journals website. In particular, please note that we use the endnote system for referencing.

The author of the best entry in the opinion of the judges will receive £250 and one-year’s free membership of the Thomas Hardy Society. The winning entry will be published (following the usual process for feedback and amendments) in the Thomas Hardy Journal.

Please send your entry to Olivia Taylor, Student Representative at students@hardysociety.org

or by post to TOLFREE ESSAY COMPETITION, Thomas Hardy Society, c/o Kingston Maurward College, Dorchester. DT2 8PY.