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Initial grid completed. Do the surnames comprise 9 cells each or in total (to me, the preamble is not clear on that point) ?

A total of nine (although one name is a bit 'dated' for the timing, i think... but I'm going off a couple of wiki entries so could be missing something).
Certainly not my kind of subject and another real slog through some of the clues - glad it's over!

... just to add, I have a couple of issues with the names for this puzzle and that's unusual for me when it's an Ifor grid, but I have nothing to go on other than wiki - so it might work fine for someone who knows the subject well.

I have two surnames (though one of them is the surname of the confused person), and I can get the winning location. But that's where I get stuck. When he "won" there were 2 other winners, not the singular winner implied - which probably means that what he won isn't what I'm thinking. Ifor is usually much clearer in the Preamble department. I can't see how the 19 empty cells "represent" anything. And I have a maths degree (though a country mile short of this kind of stuff).

The preamble mentions a film, cockie - and from its synopsis (wiki) I can complete most of the endgame but I also don't like having to use the repeated name.
I checked another wiki entry for the other name (that's what I meant by it being a bit out of date). Anyway, maybe check out the film.

I know what you mean regarding the real event and the other recipients but I don't think they're a part of this endgame... then again...

I'd got as far as the film, but will obviously need to revisit the wiki entry. One thing I really liked was the 12 extra words and how cleverly Ifor led us to the 2 places. I've not seen that trick before.

Are you suggesting that Mr S and Mr H (who shared the N) are not relevant?

No they aren’t relevant.

The film is the place to look on wiki.

Not relevant in 'my' version of the endgame which, from past experience, isn't as neat as Ifor usually manages (so I'm not discounting something else altogether... but if that turns out to be the case then 'mine' has to be a deliberate set-up - it's too pat to be otherwise).

Yes, that was a novel idea but it took a lot of explanation, and there was a lot going on in this one as it was. There were a few double obscurities in the clues (my pet hate).

Do we assume then that the "WINNING location" is not a European city but a geometric entity?

If there's any geometry in this it's gone right over my head.
I'd say it represents a scene - and the setting is located somewhere in what's written under the grid.