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The Society for Post-Medieval Archaeology annual dissertation prizes

The Society for Post-Medieval Archaeology 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 2011 Undergraduate Dissertation Prize is 1st September 2011. Dissertations submitted for an undergraduate degree from British and Irish universities awarded in the 2010-2011 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 2011 Postgraduate Dissertation Prize is 15th December 2011. Dissertations submitted for any taught postgraduate degree or diploma from British and Irish universities awarded in the 2010-2011 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.

UK and Irish University and College departments may nominate one dissertation for each prize. In exceptional cases (usually where a department offers several qualifications in relevant fields) more than one submission may be accepted at the discretion of the prize co-ordinator. Submissions from individual students are not allowed. For further information, please contact the prize co-ordinator:

Dr Chris King, Department of Archaeology, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham, NG7 2RD, UK, secretary@spma.org.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 winners

2010 Undergraduate Dissertation Prize	2010 Postgraduate Dissertation Prize
Recent winners
2009 Undergraduate Dissertation Prize Emma Bonthorne An assessment of methodologies and standards followed in the location, recovery and analysis of Spanish Civil War remains in the Basque Country. Centre for Archaeology, Anthropology and Heritage, Bournemouth University	2009 Postgraduate Dissertation Prize Matthew Jenkins People and Place: Housing in Micklegate, York, during the 18th century. Department of Archaeology, University of York
2008 Eiden Hennessy Including the excluded past: the rural poor in Ireland 1750-1850. University College Cork
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 2009, the Society offered a single dissertation prize which was open to both undergraduate and postgraduate nominations. Before 2006 the prize was awarded every two years.