In the early years of the Fulton Debating Society, before the College moved to Chestnut Hill, one of the highlights of the academic year was the annual prize debate. The first of these debates was held in 1890, and the debate has remained a Boston College tradition for more than 100 years.

When University Hall (now Gasson Hall) was dedicated in 1913, a special room on the third floor was dedicated to the Society. The ceiling of the room forms a Gothic arch, reflecting the building's architecture. The sloping ceilings on either side were, fittingly, adorned with six examples of or tributes to oratory: in Greek by Demosthenes, in Latin by Cicero, in Jerome's Latin rendition of St. Paul, in Italian by Paolo Segneri, S.J., in French by Louis Bourdaloue, S.J., and by Daniel Webster. Three of the quotations are from secular and three from sacred eloquence. From the vantage of the platform in the Fulton room the quotations from Cicero, Webster, and Demosthenes are on the left wall and those from Segneri, St. Paul, and Bourdaloue on the right.

The list of Fulton Medal Winners on the wall of the Fulton room contains the names of many great and some legendary Boston College graduates. Some standouts are Monsignor Michael J. Splaine, 1896, a revered churchman; Henry Foley, 1921, founder of a distinguished Boston law firm; James M. Curley, Jr., 1928, son of Boston's mayor, whose prospects were cut short by an early death; John J. Wright, 1931, later bishop and cardinal, possibly the quickest and wittiest debater in Fulton history; Lawrence J. Riley, 1936, a beloved auxiliary bishop of Boston; James J. Unger, 1963, long-time Director of Debate at Georgetown University; John J. Curtin, Jr., 1954, first Boston College alumnus and Law School Alumnus to be president of the American Bar Association; and Joseph M. McLaughlin, 1964 and 1965, a champion debater and master litigator. The first woman to win the Fulton Medal was Jane M. Osborne, 1973, an outstanding accomplishment in light of the fact that total coeduation had come to Boston College just three years earlier.

In the early years of debate at Boston College there were two separate debating societies--the Fulton Debating Society for upperclassmen and the Marquette Debating Society for underclassmen. The Societies functioned independently and each conducted a prize debate in the spring. While the Marquette become a part of the Fulton years ago, the Fulton remembers the Marquette Debating Society each year when it presents the historic Gargan Medal to the second best speaker in the Fulton Prize Debate.

Past winners of the Fulton Prize include:

2011 Michael Maerowitz

2010 Brendan Benedict

2009 Gabriel Stacy

2008 Matthew Maerowitz

2007 Allen Best

2006 Allen Best

2005 Kevin Shatzkin

2004 Jeffrey Sullivan

2003 J. Ben Bireley

2002 Kevin Hartzell

2001 Kevin Hartzell

2000 Mario Powell

1999 Jared Fields

1998 Joshua Marmol

1997 Jennifer Kennedy

1996 Steve Bazyl

1995 Rebecca Kamp

1994 Wenyu Ho

1993 Dilip B. Paliath

1992 Robert P. Berry

1991 Darren Schwiebert

1990 Darren Schwiebert

1989 Christopher T. Gassett

1988 John I. Goodwin

1987 Michael Janas

1986 Michael Janas

1985 Susan M. Tardanico

1984 Richard Beck

1983 Thomas Grace

1982 Mark Milano

1981 Larry Supple

1980 Larry Supple

1979 Eric Woodbury

1978 John J. McGivney

1977 John J. McGivney

1976 Francis M. Lynch

1975 Michael Reilly

1974 H. Michael Cannert

1973 Jane Osborne McKnight

1972 Robert D. Baker

1971 Robert D. Baker

1970 Ronald Hoenig

1969 Mark Killenbeck

1968 David M. White

1967 David M. White

1966 Ronald K. Jerutis

1965 Joseph T. McLaughlin

1964 Joseph T. McLaughlin

1963 James J. Unger, Jr.

1962 William S. Abell, Jr.

1961 Kevin Byrne

1960 John H. McNealy

1959 Donald R. McKeon

1958 Francis E. Collins, Jr.

1957 Edward J. F. Thomas

1956 Edward J. F. Thomas

1955 Brian E. Concannon

1954 John J. Curtin, Jr.

1953 Roderick J. O'Neil

1952 Francis E. Dooley

1951 Donald W. White

1950 Lawrence E. Spellman

1949 E. Paul Kelly

1948 John T. Moore

1947 Maurice L. Paradis

1946 No debate (World War II)

1945 No debate (World War II)

1944 No debate (World War II)

1943 Joseph F. MacSweeney

1942 Joseph T. Nolan

1941 Thomas J. Finnegan

1940 Paul J. Greeley

1939 John F. X. Gaquin

1938 Francis E. Sullivan

1937 John F. Donelan

1936 Lawrence J. Riley

1935 Henry G. Beauregard

1934 John L. Roach

1933 Charles M. O’Brien

1932 Peter C. Quinn

1931 John J. Wright

1930 Edward A. Hogan, Jr.

1929 Leo P. O'Keefe

1928 James M. Curley, Jr.

1927 Thomas A. O'Keefe

1926 Walter R. Morris

1925 Joseph M. Gavan

1924 Joseph A. Turnbull

1923 Owen A. Gallagher

1922 Francis E. Magennis

1921 Henry G. Foley

1920 Thomas E. J. McNamara

1919 Richard S. McShane

1918 Daniel J. Gillen

1917 John J. Connolly

1916 Francis X. Quinn

1915 Edward J. McLaughlin

1914 Edward A. Sullivan

1913 Leo M. Murray

1912 Francis A. Harrington

1911 Cornelius A. Guiney

1910 David B. Waters

1909 John P. Manning, Jr.

1908 James A. Coveney

1907 John T. O'Hare

1906 Andrew J. O'Brien

1905 Edward J. Campbell

1904 William T. Miller

1903 Philip F. Kennedy

1902 Joseph A. Lennon

1901 Daniel A. B. Foley

1900 Joseph L. Early Jr.

1899 John B. Doyle

1898 Thomas B. Jameson

1897 Francis J. Carney

1896 M. John Splaine

1895 John J. Kirby

1894 William L. Sullivan

1893 John J. Douglass

1892 Daniel J. Gallagher

1891 Joseph C. Pelletier

1890 William A. Murphy