Daily Mail aviation prizes
Between 1907 and 1925, the Daily Mail newspaper, initially on the initiative of its proprietor, Alfred Harmsworth, 1st Viscount Northcliffe,[1] awarded numerous prizes for achievements in aviation. The newspaper would stipulate the amount of a prize for the first aviators to perform a particular task in aviation, or to the winner of an aviation race or event. The most famous prizes were the £1,000 for the first cross-channel flight awarded to Louis Blériot in 1909 and the £10,000 given in 1919 to Alcock and Brown for the first non-stop transatlantic flight between North America and Ireland.
The prizes are credited with advancing the course of aviation during the early years, with the considerable sums offered becoming a much-coveted goal for the field's pioneers.
Prizes
| Year announced | Year awarded | Prize | Amount (£) | Winner(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1906 | 1910 | London to Manchester flight | 10,000 | Louis Paulhan |
| 1907 | 1907 | Model aeroplane competition | 100 | Alliott Verdon Roe, W. Howard |
| 1908 | Quarter mile out and return flight | 100 | Henri Farman | |
| 1908 | 1909 | Cross-channel flight | 1,000 | Louis Blériot |
| 1909 | Circular mile by a British aircraft | 1,000 | John Moore-Brabazon | |
| 1910 | Second cross-channel flight | 100 | Jacques de Lesseps | |
| 1910 | 1910 | Best cross-country aggregate | 1,000 | Louis Paulhan |
| 1910 | 1911 | Circuit of Britain race | 10,000 | André Beaumont (Jean Conneau)[2] |
| 1912 | 1912 | Aerial Derby cup | 105 | Thomas Sopwith |
| 1913 | 1913 | Aerial Derby cup | 105 | Gustav Hamel |
| 1913,[3] 1918[4] | 1919 | Transatlantic flight | 10,000 | Alcock and Brown[5] |
| 1913[6] | -- | Circuit of Great Britain for "waterplanes" | 5,000 | [5] |
| 1914 | 1914 | Aerial Derby cup | 105 | W. L. Brock |
| 1914 | Cancelled | Circuit of Great Britain | 5,000 | |
| 1919 | 1919 | Aerial Derby cup | 210 | Gerald Gathergood |
| 1923 | 1923 | Economy flight for motor gliders | 1,000 | |
| 1925 | 1926 | Economy flight for dual-control light aircraft of British construction | 3,000 | George Bulman (Hawker Cygnet)[7] |
| 1930 | 1930 | Solo flight from England to Australia | 10,000 | Amy Johnson[8][9] |
In addition, four "consolation" prizes were awarded:
| Year announced | Year awarded | Prize | Amount (£) | Winner(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1906 | 1910 | London to Manchester flight | 105 | Claude Grahame-White |
| 1910 | 1911 | Round-Britain flight | 200 | Jules Védrines |
| 1913 | 1913 | Round-Britain flight for British "waterplanes" | 1,000 | Harry Hawker |
| 1913 | 1919 | Transatlantic flight | 5,000 | Harry Hawker, Kenneth Mackenzie Grieve |
See also
- Scott Collection, a collection of aerophilately items relating to the 1912 flights.
Notes
- ↑ "Direct initiative of Lord Northcliffe Flight PDF Archive, 6 September 1913
- ↑ Lewis 1970, pp. 43–44.
- ↑ Suspended during the war and renewed in 1918 with different conditions
- ↑ 1918 conditions for £10,000 prize
- 1 2 "The New Daily Mail Prizes." (pdf), Flight, Flight Global Archive, 5 April 1913
- ↑ Map showing the course to be followed Flight, 16 August 1913
- ↑ "Lympne Competition 1926", Flight PDF Archive, 23 September 1926
- ↑ Britain between the wars, 1918-1940
- ↑ Johnson was also awarded the Harmon Trophy for her achievement
References
- Lewis, Peter. British Racing and Record-Breaking Aircraft. London:Putnam, 1970. ISBN 0-370-00067-6.
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