The winners of Radley’s Serpentes Essay Prize 2025 have been announced, and taking the top prize is Tony ‘s (6.1, G) deep-dive into the history and artistic influence of American New Wave cinema (also known as New Hollywood).
In his writing, Tony dissects works like Bonnie & Clyde [1967] and The Deer Hunter [1978], discussing the cultural moments that influenced and informed the era’s prominent auteurs (like Barbara Loden, John Cassavetes, and Martin Scorsese), and how modern filmmakers have in turn taken cues from these pioneers. “[The New Wave movement] cracked the concrete barriers of social dilemmas and addressed contemporary events of the time. It innovated pre-production, production, post-production, distribution, and so much more… Thus, its legacy and influence cannot be ignored in present-day American cinema,” the sixth-former wrote.
The complete list of boys who wrote winning or highly commended essays (and their topics of choice) follows:
Art :
Commended: Sam (R, F)
Biology:
Winner: Scott (6.1, G)
Commended: Aaron (6.1, G), Cayden (R, A)
Chemistry:
Commended: Owen (6.1, K)
Earth Sciences:
Winner: Theo (6.2, A)
English:
Winner – Reuben (6.1, J)
Commended – Ben (6.1, B)
Economics:
Winner: DingDing (6.1, D)
Commended: Rodion (6.1, L) / George (6.1, C)
Geography:
Winner: Freddy (6.1, C)
Commended: George (6.1, G)
History:
Winner: Alex (6.1, H)
Commended: Carl (R, E)
Law:
Winner: Alex (6.1, H)
Commended: Terrence (V, E)
Modern Languages:
Winner: Felix (6.1, C)
Commended: Ding Ding (6.1, D)
Politics:
Winner: Harry (6.1, H)
Commended: Mars (V, E)
Philosophy:
Winner: James (R, K)
Commended: Minjun (V, E)
Physics:
Winner: Kaden (V, K)
Commended: David (6.1, L)
Theology:
Winner: Alex (S, C)
Open Category:
Winner: Tony (6.1, G)
Commendation: Blake (6.2, A), Frank (R, C)
Overall:
Winner: Tony (6.1, G)
