Literary Prize 2024 Winner Announced!
2024 Winner and Runner-up
In 2024, our quote for interpretation was;
“Truth will be Truth tho’ it sometimes prove[s]… distasteful.” A Dissertation on Liberty and Necessity, Pleasure and Pain. (1725).
Each year a question or quote exploring Franklin’s relevance in our time is open for interpretation in 1000-1500 words. The competition is exclusively for young writers, aged 18-25, with a first prize of £750, and a second prize of £500.
We received some excellent entries to our 2024 Prize and we are proud to announce the names of the two young writers that were voted as the winner and runner-up by our team of judges;
WINNER: Aditi Pillai
Aditi is 22 and currently undertaking an MSc in Data and Artificial Intelligence Ethics Philosophy at the University of Edinburgh.
Judges comments:
Our judges agreed unanimously that Pillai’s work was “confident, well written and convincing” in it’s engaging exploration of AI and its growing presence in modern society. Rory Sutherland was particularly struck by the twist ending.
RUNNER-UP: Matthew Fitzgerald
Matthew is 23 and graduated from the Open University in 2023 with a First Class Honours degree in English Literature and Philosophy. He now works full-time as a copywriter and is an aspiring journalist.
Judges comments:
The judges were impressed by Fitzgerald’s comparison between Franklin’s time and our world today, highlighting that his work was well researched, written and argued. Lord Black was especially impressed by Fitzgerald’s ability to expertly condense a broad philosophical and historical argument considering the strict word limit of the competition.
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If you would like to read their entries for the 2024 Prize, please click on their names to view their work.
We would like to congratulate those on our shortlist as well as everyone who entered this year’s Prize.
Sandford Awards 2024: Benjamin Franklin House
We are delighted to announce that the education programme at Benjamin Franklin House has been awarded a Sandford Award by the Heritage Education Trust.
The Sandford Award is the quality mark for heritage learning and validation for heritage organisations across the British Isles that offer a formal learning programme which supports the relevant curriculum.
Our provision was assessed by an expert judge who visited the House earlier this year to observe our schools programme in action and learn about our exciting range of learning opportunities including our outreach programme, family programme and extra-curricular activities.
The Sandford Award, which is valid for five years, was awarded in September 2024. This marks the fourth time that learning at Benjamin Franklin House has been recognised by the Heritage Education Trust, having also been awarded in 2009, 2014 & 2019.
As part of their assessment, each judge produces a detailed report on their findings that not only highlights the incredible work being carried out in heritage sites across the UK and Ireland but also provides valuable feedback to enable outstanding programmes to continue to grow and develop their successes. We received some wonderful comments from our judge who wrote;
“The learning programme positions the House as a window into the past and a living backdrop to not only Franklin’s many and varied interests and activities, but also to a world stage where relations between America and Great Britain are being questioned and fought over. From the minute a school arrives at the House and uses the heavy knocker to gain access, it is evident that this is not an experience that could be achieved in the classroom.” – Sandford Award Judge, 2024.
We are proud to display our award onsite and online as a marker for excellence in heritage education and encourage other historic sites to consider making an application in 2025.
You can see the full list of sites awarded in 2024 here as well as their page on Benjamin Franklin House here.
Family & Education Events Calendar 2023
Our 2023 Event Calendar is here!
Throughout the year, Benjamin Franklin House hosts a wide variety of fun-filled family events for all to enjoy!
View/Download a PDF of our calendar: Education Events Calendar 2023
Join us as we celebrate the major holidays such as Easter, Halloween and Christmas with an 18th century twist.
We also celebrate some of the biggest US holidays of the year with celebration events for the 4th July and Thanksgiving.
In May, we will also be holding a special Coronation Celebration as part of the city-wide celebrations for the coronation of King Charles III. At Benjamin Franklin House, we will look back at the coronation of King George III, an event that Franklin was able to attend in person, as well as some other famous kings and queens of England from the past 1000 years of history!
Our new afterschool Science Club will also be kicking off in January, with monthly sessions until July. Each session will focus on a different topic in the KS2/3 Science curriculum including Electricity, Forces, the Human Body and Sound.
Finally, our Summer Season of Family Events will return in August with a weekly series of fun workshops that explore skills in Calligraphy, Archaeology and Portraiture.
Please note: Booking for each event will open roughly one month in advance. Specific dates for TBC events will be released roughly two months in advance.
View/Download a PDF of our calendar: Education Events Calendar 2023
