In the Minutes for the Council Meeting for 12 April 1973 it was agreed that the notice for the Prize Essay Competition should be the same as for 1971. In the Minutes for 14 June 1973, it was recorded that 11 of the essay titles submitted were approved and the 12th to be asked to clarify their title. A Selection Committee of Mr S.E. Digby, Dr. A.K. Irvine and Dr. M.A.N. Loewe were approved. In the Minutes for 11 October 1973 it was recorded that 5 essays had been submitted and in the Minutes for 13 December 1973 it was recorded that some of the essays were still to be seen by the Committee members.
The Essay Prize was also awarded in 1975 and 1977 but there are no archives for these years. Please see the Related Material below for further information on them.
In the report of the Anniversary Meeting in the Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society, 1975, p,219, it was reported that the Universities Prize Essay Competition had been awarded to Mr David Shulman for his essay on "The Spread of Buddhism in Central Asia.
In the Council Minutes for 13 February 1975 it was recorded that the decision was made to retain the same notice for the Competition as in 1973 and in the minutes for 12 June 1975 it was reported that 4 out of 11 titles had been rejected and that the Selection Committee had been approved. In the Minutes for 9 October 1975 it was reported that two essays had been received and in the Minutes for 11 December 1975, it was recorded that a decision had not yet been reached. The decision was still pending in the Minutes for 12 February 1976 but the Minutes for 8 April 1976 record that the Prize was awarded to Mr David Helliwell for his essay entitled, "What were the aims of the New Text Confucians in the former Han Dynasty?". In the report of the Anniversary Meeting in the Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society, 1977, p.239, it was reported that the 1975 Prize Essay Competition had been won by Mr David Helliwell.
In the Minutes of the Council Meeting for 10 February 1977 it was recorded that the notice for the Essay Competition was approved and that the Committee would be nominated after receiving the essays. In the Minutes for 9 June 1977 it was recorded that three essays had been received and the Selection Committee was nominated. In the Minutes for the Council Meeting for 8 December 1977 it was agreed the award should be given to Mr. Rupert Faulkner for his essay "Heichu and his treatment in Japanese literature." Some alterations to the rules were also noted.
