The Susan Hayward Prize is awarded annually in January by the Editorial Board for the best article published in the journal by an author who was registered as a Doctoral candidate at the time of submission. The prize consists of a cheque for £100, and free admission to the Studies in French Cinema annual conference in the year of the award.

The Susan Hayward Prize for 2011 was awarded to Jennifer Porst (University of California, Los Angeles) for her article ‘The Influence of Sound on Visual Style in Renoir’s Tire au flanc and La Chienne’, published in volume 11, number 3.

The Susan Hayward prize for 2012 was awarded to Mary Harrod for her article 'Linguistic difference as ontological sameness in Bienvenue chez les Ch’tis', published in volume 12, number 1.