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The 2022 Lex Academic Classics Scholarship | Lex Academic Blog

 

We are delighted to announce that the 2022 winner of the international Lex Academic Classics Scholarship is Leah Wild from Christ’s College, University of Cambridge. Wild’s doctoral research, Manufacturing miniaturisation: The making of miniature deities in the Greco-Roman world, explores the process of reduction – as opposed to that of simply creating small things – in the representation of divine beings in Greek and Roman antiquity. Unifying the themes of replication and miniaturisation through the framework of looking at the gods, her project examines what makes miniaturisation so bon à penser. Utilising both material culture and literary sources ranging from Posidippus to Pliny, Wild aims to explore how the focus of an encounter with an image of a god shifts from epiphany to exquisite delight by means of shrinkage. Beyond academia, Wild’s project will offer opportunities to develop public engagement programmes in conjunction with a partner museum, continuing to find ways to make cutting-edge research accessible to wider audiences.

The panel unanimously agreed that Wild’s thesis project is remarkably original, thoroughly grounded in the relevant literature, and of serious interest and significance well beyond the academy. Our deepest congratulations to her!

Wild accepted the award with the following words:

I’d like to begin by sincerely thanking you and the panel for making the decision to award me this scholarship. Both the financial reward and the editorial services which you provide, which will be absolutely invaluable for me when the time comes. Once again, thank you so much for giving me this wonderful opportunity, I cannot thank you enough!

She discusses the full benefits of the scholarship in more detail here.

The Lex Academic Classics Scholarship is a highly competitive award, designed to recognise the important contribution of dyslexic individuals to academic research and broader society. Often meeting with discouragement in mainstream education, we believe that exceptionally promising dyslexic students deserve investment and support, helping them to realise the potential of their ideas. In addition to a bursary of £500, Lex Academic Scholars receive our five-star academic proofreading services gratis for their entire thesis.

In her application for the scholarship, Wild wrote:

As a disabled academic, I face a double bind, whereby my work is held to the same standards as my peers and colleagues, as is only right in the struggle towards intellectual rigour, and yet, the outward trappings of this, like spelling, continue to allude me. This was compounded by my choice of field: Classics. The study of Greco-Roman antiquity requires proficiency in Latin and Ancient Greek. Your support, both financial and through access to your editorial services, will ensure that my work is judged on the quality of its content. Clarity of communication is important, and I recognise the need for spelling and grammar to be as accurate and precise as possible. With your help, I will be able to achieve all that I set out to do. Your support will help to make all the difference.