The Sylvia Naish Lectures were launched in memory of Sylvia Naish, an accomplished linguist, translator, Friend of Germanic Studies, and benefactor of the former Institute of Germanic Studies.

Each year, research students registered for higher degrees in the field of Germanic studies at Universities in the United Kingdom are invited to submit proposals for the next lecture. The event forms part of the Institute’s programme of activities, which are open to the public. The theme of the lecture should be related to the student’s topic of research; the lecture itself should appeal to an audience of non-specialists and aim to convey both the excitement and the importance of the research topic. The winning entry carries a prize of £100, plus modest travel and/or accommodation expenses as appropriate, which are covered by the Sylvia Naish Bequest. The lecture is published in abridged form in the next issue of the Newsletter, the annual magazine of the Friends of Germanic Studies.