Each year, the Royal Academy held a
competition on a given subject, with students
in the higher classes invited to take part.
The subject matter was usually biblical or
mythological. In 1895, Alice Nordin won second
prize for Twilight and a few years later she won
first prize for A Spring Dream (lost). Recipients
of the Royal Academy medal were able to apply
for a generous travel grant covering up to five
years of paid study abroad. During the 1880s
and 90s several women sculptors won prizes at
the Royal Academy.