Rozsika Parker, author of Torn in Two: The Experience of Maternal Ambivalence and The Subversive Stitch: Embroidery and the Making of the Feminine, represented WPF/FPC on the BJP’s Board for many years. She remained a member of the Journal’s Editorial Advisory Panel until her death. She was well known for her commitment to creativity, in both art and clinical practice, and our new Essay Prize focuses on a critical engagement with this theme. The Journal is particularly interested in factors that support creativity in clinical or theoretical work, and those that may militate against it.

The Prize has two entry routes: a Student Path and a Post-Qualification Path. Authors should indicate under which route they wish to be considered.

Students or qualified clinicians are invited to submit original papers on adult or child psychotherapy or psychoanalysis, on either clinical or theoretical topics. The Student path is open to students on clinical trainings, on university courses in psychoanalytic studies, and on university courses where psychoanalysis is a significant component; the Post-Qualification path is open to clinical practitioners only.

In addition to the focus on creativity, the application of psychoanalytic theory to questions of gender, art, literature, film and music is also welcomed. Authors should consult the BJP’s submission guidelines (particularly in relation to confidentiality, where clinical material is concerned) and prepare their work with the Journal’s Aims and Scope statement in mind. Advice will be available should there be questions concerning confidentiality, or eligibility to submit work.

Submitted papers must not have been published elsewhere, or currently be under consideration for publication.  Manuscripts should be up to 6000 words in length including references, not including an Abstract of 200 words. They should be submitted through the ScholarOne website.

The covering letter should state that the submission is for consideration for the Rozsika Parker Prize, and indicate under which path (Student or Post-Qualification) the paper should be considered. Information about training status, training institution and/or date of qualification; or university course and current status should be included.

A panel of senior clinicians and academics will judge the papers, and the prize-winning papers will be published in the Journal. A cash prize will be awarded in each category, along with a one-year online subscription to the Journal of Psychotherapy  or the International Journal of Applied Psychoanalytic Studies.  The winning papers will be presented at  a  BJP event, to be announced in due course.