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The Society for Post-Medieval Archaeology annual dissertation prizes

The Society for Post-Medieval Archaeology now offers two annual prizes for dissertations from British and Irish universities, one for undergraduate and one for postgraduate dissertations, on the subject of the post-medieval archaeology of Britain, Europe and the wider world, from c.1500 to the present day. The aim of the prizes is to encourage new research in the field of post-medieval archaeology in British and Irish universities.

The deadline for the 2009 Undergraduate Dissertation Prize is 1st September 2009. Dissertations submitted for an undergraduate degree from British and Irish universities awarded in the 2008-2009 academic year are eligible for nomination. The prize is £250, free membership of the Society for one year, and a conference bursary for the year of the award. The announcement and nomination form can be downloaded by clicking here.

The deadline for the 2009 Postgraduate Dissertation Prize is 15th December 2009. Dissertations submitted for any taught postgraduate degree or diploma from British and Irish universities awarded in the 2008-2009 academic year are eligible for nomination. The prize is £250, free membership of the Society for one year, and a conference bursary for the year of the award. The announcement and nomination form can be downloaded by clicking here.

Please note that the Society has now discontinued its policy of offering a year’s free membership to all nominated candidates.

UK and Irish University and College departments may nominate one dissertation for each prize. Submissions from individual students are not accepted. For further information, please contact the prize co-ordinator:

Dr Chris King, School of Archaeology and Ancient History, University of Leicester, University Road, Leicester, UK, LE1 7RH, cnk4@le.ac.uk

Before 2009, the Society offered a single dissertation prize which was open to both undergraduate and postgraduate nominations. Previous winners of this prize were:

Current winner

2008 Eiden Hennessy Including the excluded past: the rural poor in Ireland 1750-1850. University College Cork
Recent winners
2007 Victoria Schorn 4-5 St Michael's Street (SOU 1346) and York Buildings (SOU 175): An analysis and interpretation of the faunal remains. Centre for Archaeology, Anthropology and Heritage, Bournemouth University	2006 Sanne Roberts Made in Sheffield: the buildings of the crucible steel industry Department of Archaeology, University of York
2004 Judith Stanwell Framing the picturesque. A new approach to understanding the role of buildings in eighteenth-century designed landscapes Department of Archaeology, University of York	2002 Carter Hudgins Old World industries and New World hope: the industrial role of scrap copper at Jamestown Department of History, Royal Holloway, University of London
2000 Martin Roe An integrated study of the underground and surface archaeology of Cononley lead mine, North Yorkshire School of Archaeology and Ancient History, University of Leicester	1998 Jocelyn Davis Expressions of identity in a Welsh churchyard: a survey of the graveyard at St Peter’s, Lampeter Department of Archaeology, University of Lampeter
Before 2006 the prize was awarded every two years