McMaster Divinity College PhD student Isaiah Padgett has been awarded the Founders Prize from the Canadian Society of Biblical Studies (CSBS), the society’s top honour for a student paper in Hebrew Bible and cognate disciplines.
Padgett received the award for his paper, “Putting a Name to Diasporic Desire: A Socio-Onomastic Exploration into the Judeans of Āl-Yāhūdu.” He will present his paper at the CSBS Annual Meeting, which will take place in Sussex, New Brunswick, in early June.
The Founders Prize is awarded annually to the best paper submitted by a student member of CSBS. Submissions are evaluated through a competitive adjudication process, with criteria that include originality, methodological rigour, clarity of argument, and contribution to the study of the Hebrew Bible and related disciplines.
Padgett joins a distinguished list of past Founders Prize recipients from McMaster Divinity College, including:
• 2006: Paul S. Evans, “Sennacherib’s 701 Invasion into Judah: What Saith the Scriptures?”
• 2015: Alexander W. Breitkopf, “The Importance of Response in the Interpretation of Job”
• 2016: Ambrose Thompson, “Dwelling Among Them: The Tabernacle as a Confession of the Redemptive Presence of Yahweh”
• 2020: Julie Dykes, “The Genre and Metaphorical Layers of the Song of the Vineyard (Isa 5:1–7)”
The Founders Prize was established by the Canadian Society of Biblical Studies to recognize and encourage excellence in student research and writing. Named in honour of the society’s founding members, the prize reflects CSBS’s ongoing commitment to fostering emerging scholarship and supporting the next generation of researchers in biblical studies. By pairing recognition with the opportunity to present at its annual meeting, the award plays a key role in helping students integrate into the broader academic community.
Learn more about the Founders Prize and submission process at: https://csbs-sceb.ca/student-essays/
