About the Prize

The Emma Humphreys Memorial Prize was established to commemorate the life and work of Emma Humphreys who tragically died, aged 30, in 1998. Emma was a writer, campaigner and survivor of male violence who fought an historic struggle to overturn a murder conviction in 1995, supported by Justice for Women and other feminist campaigners. The prize was established to recognise the unsung work done by many women fighting male violence against women and girls. It is awarded to an individual woman or group who have, through writing or campaigning, raised awareness about various forms of violence against women and sought to bring about change. The nominations are made by members of the public, and the winner is decided by a panel of independent judges.

Since 2019, the same process and panel are used to nominate and select the recipient of a prize related to a legal case. This award marks the outstanding contribution of individual women or  women’s organisations whose creativity and resourcefulness have resulted in a legal case or legal developments that combat the prevalence of male violence and/or hold the state accountable.

In 2024, the EHMP charitable trust decided to dissolve due to pressure of time on existing trustees. They made the decision to pass on remaining funds to CWJ with the hope that CWJ would continue the organising annual awards according the same or similar criteria of the EHMP. CWJ holds an administrative and organisational role only; the process remains independent.

Nominations

Anyone is welcome to nominate an individual or group for either, or both, prizes. We accept nominations in the months running up to the prize through an online form.

Shortlists and winners

CWJ undertake the process of shortlisting nominations according to the established criteria, which are then passed on to the EHMP judges to discuss and decide on the winners. The EHMP judges are an independent panel made up of former EHMP trustees, some of the former judges and some newly appointed judges (see website for more details). The judges meet annually to review the shortlisted nominees vote on winners.

The nominees are considered according to established criteria. For the individual or group prize, this criterion includes giving priority to those whose campaigning or writing has clearly extended beyond any paid work role they may have, recognising the importance of lived experience, as well as giving precedence to those who highlight and address current key challenges for feminist activism and campaigning. CWJ award nominees are judged according to their role, the particular obstacles and challenges they have overcome and how effective they have been in demonstrating the wider impact of the case.