Daily Mail aviation prizes


Between 1906 and 1930, the Daily Mail newspaper, initially on the initiative of its proprietor, Alfred Harmsworth, 1st Viscount Northcliffe, 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

In addition, four "consolation" prizes were awarded:
Year announcedYear awardedPrizeAmount Winner
19061910London to Manchester flight105Claude Grahame-White
19101911Round-Britain flight200Jules Védrines
19131913Round-Britain flight for British "waterplanes"1,000Harry Hawker
19131919Transatlantic flight5,000Harry Hawker, Kenneth Mackenzie Grieve

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