The RAF Museum is delighted to announce that it is again sponsoring a series of academic awards designed to inspire and reward high-quality research by up and coming scholars. Applications which consider the historiography of the RAF are particularly welcomed.
The awards are not, however, confined to works focused on the RAF and are open to students whose studies will further the Museum’s knowledge in relevant areas of archaeology, international relations, strategic studies, law and ethics, museology or air power. Works which help expand knowledge of operational conditions, adversaries or the context of the RAF’s history are also eligible.
Applications opened on Friday 8 May 2026 for the RAF Museum’s:
- PhD Bursary (£3,000)
- Masters Prize (£350)
- Undergraduate Prize (£250)
Applications close on Friday 23 October 2026.
If you are considering applying or have questions regarding your eligibility then you are warmly encouraged to email the Museum’s Historian and Academic Access Manager Dr Megan Wang (ResearchNews@rafmuseum.org) for an informal discussion of the awards.
To apply for one of this year’s academic awards, download the appropriate documents:
- BA Prize Application 2026
- BA Prize Guidelines 2026
- MA Prize Application 2026
- MA Prize Guidelines 2026
- PhD Bursary Application 2026
- PhD Bursary Guidelines 2026
The prizes are granted on the recommendation of a selection panel consisting of the following members of the Museum’s Research Advisory Board:
- Mr Seb Cox OBE (Chair, RAF Museum Research Advisory Board)
- Baroness Sophy Antrobus MBE PhD (King’s College London)
- Dr Maria Burczynska (King’s College London)
- Dr Emma Hanna (University of Portsmouth)
- Professor Richard Morris OBE (University of Huddersfield)
Details of last year’s winners are on the Museum’s website.