The Stanhope essay prize was a prestigious undergraduate history award established in 1855 at Balliol College, Oxford, by Philip Henry Stanhope, 5th Earl Stanhope. This annual prize quickly gained recognition for attracting exceptional academic talent, with its list of winners featuring many individuals who later achieved prominence. Notable laureates include acclaimed English writer Aldous Huxley (1916), British novelist and politician John Buchan (1897), and distinguished historian Charles Harding Firth (1877). The prize's significant academic standing was further highlighted by other winners such as classical scholar Alfred Eckhard Zimmern (1902) and politician Eustace Percy (1907). Its prestige was even acknowledged in popular culture, famously appearing in Max Beerbohm's 1911 satirical novel Zuleika Dobson, where it was listed among the many accolades of the brilliant hero, the Duke of Dorset.