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 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 | Edwin Roe, W. Howard |
| 1908 | Quarter mile out and return flight | 100 | Henri Farman | |
| 1908 | 1909 | Cross-channel flight | 1,000 | Louis Bleriot |
| 1909 | Circular mile | 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 | Round-Britain flight | 10,000 | André Beaumont (Jean Conneau) |
| 1912 | 1912 | Aerial Derby cup | 105 | Thomas Sopwith |
| 1913 | 1913 | Aerial Derby cup | 105 | Gustav Hamel |
| 1913[2], 1918[3] | 1919 | Transatlantic flight   (See also: Origins of Flying Boat classed Seaplanes) |
10,000 | Alcock and Brown[4] |
| 1913[5] | -- | Round-Britain flight for British "waterplanes" | 5,000 | [4] |
| 1914 | 1914 | Aerial Derby cup | 105 | W. L. Brock |
| 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 | P.W.S.Bulman (Hawker Cygnet)[6] |
| 1930 | 1930 | Solo flight from England to Australia | 10,000 | Amy Johnson[7] |
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 |
(Prize amounts are given in pounds sterling)
References
- ^ "Direct initiative of Lord Northcliffe Flight PDF Archive, 6 September 1913
- ^ Suspended 1914, renewed 1918 with different conditions
- ^ 1918 conditions for £10,000 prize
- ^ a b "The New Daily Mail Prizes.", Flight PDF Archive, 5 April 1913
- ^ Map showing the course to be followed Flight PDF Archive, 16 August 1913
- ^ "Lympne Competition 1926", Flight PDF Archive, 23 September 1926
- ^ Britain between the wars, 1918-1940
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