The Dickens Code Project, funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council and led by the University of Leicester and the University of Foggia (Italy), has launched a competition in conjunction with the Dickens Project at the University of California Santa Cruz. The prize of £300 is for the full or partial decipherment of a shorthand letter presumed to have been written by Charles Dickens. The letter, held by the Morgan Library & Museum, is written entirely in shorthand characters on 'Tavistock House' headed notepaper. It has never previously been decoded.
Task: We are seeking solutions that identify what the Tavistock letter actually says. Because the process of decoding is as important as the solution, participants are also asked to write a short report about how they have arrived at their solution and the difficulties they have encountered along the way.
Deadline: 31 December 2021 at 5pm (GMT)
For full details of how to enter, download the 'Decoding Dickens Prize Instructions' form.
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