The Sovereign's Prize is a British fullbore target rifle shooting competition. It is the climax of the National Rifle Association's annual Imperial Meeting and is widely regarded as one of the most prestigious prizes in the sport globally.[2] The prize is typically referred to as the Queen's Prize or the King's Prize depending on the incumbent British monarch.
The Prize was first contested in 1860, with the winner receiving a gold medal and £250. Strictly, the "Queen's Prize" refers to the £250 cash prize, which was originally the personal gift of Queen Victoria. The gold medal is awarded by the Association.[3] As of 2023, the Prize has been contested 154 times, breaking only for the World Wars. Although contested on an open basis, it has only been won three times by women (in 1930, 2000 and 2022). Five people have won it three times.
As of 2022, the Prize is contested in three stages.[4] Standard NRA targets are used, with scoring rings offering a maximum score of five points, plus a "v-bull" within the 5-ring (used for tie-breaking). Since the move to the National Shooting Centre at Bisley, the first and second stages have been contested on the 600yard range Century Range, whilst the final is contested on Stickledown Range (which can support shooting up to 1200yards).
Stages II and III are sometimes known as a "Queen's Prize" match. A "Queen's Prize" is used as the standard course of fire for fullbore rifle matches at the Commonwealth Games, although all competitors shoot all distances without elimination.
Stage one is an open elimination round consisting of three "2+7" matches (2 sighters with 7 shots to count) at 300, 500 and 600yards. This gives a highest possible score of 105 with 21 V-bulls (rendered as 105.21v).
The top three hundred competitors progress to the second stage, which typically includes scores of ~101 or better.
Stage two consists of 2+10 matches at the same distances as the first stage. Qualification is on a "start from zero" basis, meaning that scores from the first stage are not carried forward and top qualifiers have no advantage over those with poorer scores in the first stage. The highest possible score is 150 with 30 v-bulls (150.30v).
The top one hundred competitors progress to the third and final stage. The "King's Hundred" each receive an NRA '100' Badge. The top scorer in the second stage is awarded an NRA Silver Medal for winning the "short range" portion of the competition, regardless of how they perform in the final.
Stage three moves to longer distances, consisting of 2+15 matches at 900 and 1000yards. Scores are carried forward from the second stage, giving a highest possible score of 300.60v. Winning scores better than 298 are common, indicating the shooter has only dropped one or two shots across five distances and sixty shots.
The winner receives a gold medal and £250, with the runners up receiving silver and bronze badges respectively. The winner is then "chaired" off the range on an open sedan chair borne by other competitors.[5] By tradition they are carried to the NRA offices to receive their prize, followed by a tour of the clubhouses on camp.
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Notable winners include the three female winners – Marjorie Foster (1930);[6][7][8][9] Joanna Hossack (2000)[10] and Alice Good (2022).[11] A road on Bisley Camp is named Marjorie Foster Way.
The Fulton family have the unique distinction of having three generations of winners. George Fulton used the proceeds of his 1888 win to found Fulton's Gun Shop on Bisley Camp, which still stands today. His son Arthur won a record-breaking three times in 1912, 1926 and 1931. Arthur's son Robin won in 1958.
Arthur Fulton's record was only matched in 1996. There are now five shooters who have won the Prize three times:[12]
Also notable is PA Bennison's 1998 shoot, where he became the first person to score a "possible" with 300.40v. Canadian shooter James Paton matched this in 2005 with another 300.40v.
The Queen's prize of 250l., together with the gold medal of the Association, will be shot for by candidates successful in other trials, the ranges being 800, 900 and 1000 yards.
The earliest evidence of the Chairing Ceremony for the sport of long range rifle shooting is recorded in the book titled 'History of the National Rifle Association during its first fifty years 1859 to 1909' by A.P. Humphry and Lieutenant Colonel the Hon T.F. Fremantle, 1914. ... The plate on the original chair reads: 'Presented in 1883 by Sgt GJ Wainwright LRB'. This suggests that the Chairing Ceremony was introduced at the Wimbledon Championship in 1883 and is peculiar to shooting and the King's/Queen's Prize. Since this likely first chairing of the winner, the ceremony has been adopted by many other nations, particularly Commonwealth Countries, where long range rifle shooting is an established and recognised activity.
The Queen's Prize was won by Private Sharman, or the 4th West York Rifles, ... while Mr. Edward Ross, formerly of the Cambridge University Corps, and now of the London Scottish, the champion for the yea 1860, won the SIlver Medal in the first stage for this prize this year...
A crack shot with a rifle, Colour Sgt Davies - a Llanelli man - won scores of medals for shooting, including the Queen's Prize in 1893 and the King's Prize in 1903.
Major G.E. Twine ... repeated his 1954 success in winning the Queen's Prize of £250 and the National Rifle Association Gold Medal, at Bisley on Saturday.
He held the unique distinction of winning the Queen's Prize blue riband event at Bisley twice, using first, in 1963, the immediate postwar .303 calibre adapted Lee Enfield service rifle and ten years later, in 1973, a bespoke rifle in the 'new' 7.62mm calibre.
Andrew Tucker won international honours in small-bore and full-bore rifle shooting in 39 consecutive years from the early 1960s. He won the Queen's Prize at Bisley twice, the Bisley Grand Aggregate, the National Smallbore Rifle Association Lord Roberts Trophy and its Grand Aggregate (twice), and Commonwealth Games gold and silver medals.(subscription required)
Graham Robilliard , an actuary who shoots for Ibis Rifle Club, confounded some of Britain's top internationals at Bisley yesterday with the top score in the second stage of the Queen's Prize.
ANDREW Le Cheminant, from Jersey, won the Queen's Silver Medal at Bisley yesterday with a score of 148 out of 150 for the short-range semi-final round.
ANDY LUCKMAN, of Sedgemoor RC, at 23 one of Britain's most outstanding marksmen, won the Queen's Prize at Bisley only one year after winning the Grand Aggregate, the overall championship.
Queen's Prize: 1. A Marion (Canada) 298.41pts (sic); 2. Sqdn Ldr D Calvert (RAF/Comber) 298.41; 3. A Luckman (Sedgmoor TSC) 297.49.
Shooting: Glyn Barnett's first act after creating history by successfully defending the Queen's Prize at Bisley was to dedicate his win to the memory of Andrew Tucker, one of the finest British riflemen, who died on July 9. 'He was a great friend to all shooters,' Barnett said.
Shard Capital, the brokerage and asset management firm, will be a little light on senior management. Toby Raincock, its chief executive, and James Lewis, its managing partner, are both flying to South Africa to represent the Great Britain rifle team at one of the sport's big events. Who's the better shot? 'James won the highly coveted Queen's Prize at Bisley in 2007, which puts him into an elite club of winners dating back over 150 years,' says Mr Raincock. 'On current form it would be close but perhaps I might just edge him out.'(subscription required)
