Faculty of Law, University of Oxford - FHS prizes

What the FHS Prizes are

The FHS Prizes are academic honours awarded by the Faculty of Law at the University of Oxford. ‘FHS’ stands for ‘Final Honour School’, the final examination phase of the Bachelor’s degree in law at Oxford. Each year, the examiners award these prizes to the students who have produced the best examination papers – either overall or in a single legal subject. Some prizes are cash awards, whilst others consist of books. The Gibbs Prize comprises a set of three books. The exact monetary value is not disclosed. Winning such a prize is also an impressive addition to your CV, endorsed by the Faculty of Law at the University of Oxford and – in the case of subject-specific prizes – by leading law firms and legal practices.

There are two types of awards. The prizes for ‘best overall performance’, such as the Martin Wronker Prize and the Gibbs Prize, are awarded to the students who have achieved the best results in all their examinations. The ‘subject prizes’ are awarded for the best work in a single subject, ranging from contract law and criminal law to human rights law, environmental law, tax law and company law.

Who can win

• Where you study: You are a first-year law student at the University of Oxford.
• Study phase: You are now in the ‘Final Honour School’, the final stage of your law degree. This comprises the Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Law, the Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Law with ‘Senior Status’, the Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Law with a specialisation in ‘European Law’, and the Diploma in Law.
• Field: Law only.
• Nationality: Anyone, regardless of nationality, can win. There are no restrictions based on origin.
• Results: In the examiners’ view, you have produced one of the best examination papers, whether overall or in a single subject.

How to apply

There is neither an application process nor an application deadline. The examiners select the winners directly on the basis of the examination results from the ‘Final Honour School’. It is not possible to apply, and there is no interview.

How realistic are your chances?

These prizes are awarded exclusively to the very best students in each year group; consequently, competition for them is extremely fierce, and you cannot apply for them by submitting an application. Your only means of securing one is your examination results: aim for the best overall performance or the best performance in a subject in which you excel. In practice, these awards are given to students who are already at the very top of their year in the law programme at Oxford.