Sally Atkins wins first David Shwayder, Christ Church Philosophy Prize

The new University-wide prize of just over £2,800 has been established through the generous benefaction of Christ Church alumnus Professor David Shwayder. After completing his DPhil at Christ Church, Professor Shwayder went on to become Professor of Philosophy at the Universities of Illinois, Urbana, and California, Berkeley.

The prize will be awarded annually to the best Philosophy essay in any of a broad range of subject areas submitted for the Philosophy MSt or BPhil graduate degrees. This year’s winning essay selected by the Faculty of Philosophy was Sally’s paper Asking for Ourselves: Recognition of Other Reasoners in Kant, which defends the theory of free will endorsed by Enlightenment philosopher Immanuel Kant.

Sally was thrilled to receive the award: 'I'm delighted to have been awarded the David Shwayder, Christ Church Philosophy Prize. This has come as a huge surprise, and it’s fantastic to have my work recognised in this way. I’m grateful to Professor Shwayder for his generosity in this award, and to Christ Church, where I'm excited to be starting as a DPhil student.’

Christ Church's Professor Lindsay Judson said: 'The Oxford Philosophy Faculty attracts some of the best graduate students in the world. This Prize is a wonderful opportunity to celebrate philosophical talent across the university and to commemorate a distinguished Christ Church philosopher.'