‘Extraordinary talent’ of Professor Mary Beard wins Newnham Fellow prestigious Spanish award

Professor Mary Beard

Professor Mary Beard has been awarded the 2016 Princess of Asturias Award for Social Sciences for her ‘extraordinary talent’ for making specialised knowledge accessible and relevant.

Her outstanding contribution to the study of Ancient Greco-Roman culture, politics and society was praised by the judges who hailed the Newnham Fellow as ‘one of the most influential intellectuals of today’.

The Princess of Asturias Awards are a series of prestigious annual prizes awarded in Spain by the Princess of Asturias Foundation to individuals from around the world who make notable achievements in the sciences, humanities, and public affairs.

A statement from the Jury, which conferred the award on the Newnham Fellow and alumna, said: “Professor Mary Beard is one of the most influential European intellectuals of today, enjoying widespread recognition within both academia and society at large.

“The Jury has especially prized the ability of the laureate to integrate the legacy of classical antiquity in our experience of the present.

“The award thus highlights the heritage of the classical tradition and recognises the humanities as a source of inspiration for social debate and contemporary politics.

“Mary Beard’s work demonstrates her extraordinary talent for making specialised knowledge both accessible and relevant to the general public.”

Previous winners in the Social Sciences category include Esther Duflo, David Attenborough and the archaeological team of the Warriors of Xi’an.

Professor Beard said: “I am so very honoured –and feel also very humbled– to be receiving this prestigious award. Looking back over the past winners I can hardly believe that I am in such illustrious company. I very much look forward to coming to the awards cermony and meeting my Spanish friends and colleagues. In fact I can hardly wait!”

Professor Mary Beard was also presented with the Bodley Medal – the Bodleian Libraries’ highest honour – during the Oxford Literary Festival in April this year.

The Bodley Medal is awarded by the University of Oxford’s Bodleian Libraries to individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the worlds in which the Bodleian is active including literature, culture, science and communication.