The Victoria Institute set up four prize funds: the Gunning Prize, the Schofield Prize, the Langhorne Orchard Prize, and the Craig Trust. All have been created in memory of past members of The Victoria Institute.
The Victoria Institute established an occasional essay-writing competition, and the prizes were awarded out of the relevant trust fund, depending on the subject matter of the essay. The Schofield prize related to the subject area of psychology and behavioural science, and was first awarded in 1931. The Gunning prize related to the reconciliation of science and religion, and was set up in 1892. The Langhorne Orchard prize did not relate to any specific subject area, and was awarded to essays not covered by the other two funds. It was first awarded in 1924. The Craig Trust, created in 1938, was specifically for the publication of papers. The prize funds have now been consolidated. The 'Millennium Essay Competition' is the most recently referred to, however the collection contains limited information on this.
The file contains various papers about prizes and the Prize Funds that The Victoria Institute has collated over time. There is a considerable amount of documents relating to the Gunning Prize, which was the largest of the funds. Documents in the file include:
- Histories of the prize funds.
- Account information relating to the prize funds.
- Pro-formas and strategies.
- Publicity materials.
- An envelope containing the original agreement for the Craig Trust and correspondence relating to it.
- Prize fund rules, 1943-1966.
- Administrative information about essays entered in to the competitions.
- Legal documentation which relate to the prize fund, including a bond from Gunning in favour of The Victoria Institute, enclosures, and four death certificates, possibly of members of The Victoria Institute, and correspondence relating to the legal documentation.